wicked good times in Boston

First day back to work after a nice vacation and BLAH! there is so much to do! And here i thought I'd be able to slack all day and type a bunch of myspace posts and fiddle with my photos on Imagestation. whatevs. I got my work done and just finished fiddlin' (not diddlin', you pervs) with the pics (see link at bottom for fun photos!).

Here's a Boston recap, for those that care ....

Thursday: After a stressful rush to the Cleveland airport (we flew out of CLE to save on money) we made it just in time to see that our flight was DELAYED by three hours! balls! We ended up getting into Boston around 11pm and after figuring out the train system (the T) and catching a cab to Angi's, it was around 1am. (see previous post)

Friday: Happy Birthday Marcus! Today was "all about Mark" day! We slept in a bit, lounged around and ate hard-boiled eggs, raga muffins (blueberry), drank tea & coffee and leisurely got ready and headed down to Fenway Park to catch some Red Sox action. Since we couldn't be AT the game, we did the next best thing and parked our asses in a comfy booth in a bar across the street! We ate, drank and got very merry as we watched the Red Sox beat the Yankees (Yanks beat Sox next night though). We even thought we saw Tara Reid. No dice. But she did look a bit like her. (However, Ben Affleck & Jen Garner WERE at the game the next day, um.. but we weren't). After the bar we strolled through the city, stopped and picked up booze & snacks and eventually made our way back home. While eating an "emergency pizza" and doritos, we got to see the rerun of BWE and saw my darling Trent grace the show with his presence - no matter how quickly it went by! YAY!

Saturday: Today we spent the day in Salem, visiting the historic sites of the Salem Witch Trials, dungeons, burial grounds, old homes and churches and some of the glorious stores that hold anything a little Pagan heart desires. FUN! Mark finally got to eat some chowda and I bought myself a new triple-moon moonstone ring (same as Angi's - we're ring buddies!). There was so much about Salem that I loved; even though it's hard to comprehend the awful things that were done in that town, it's something that should be remembered and the people of Salem do a fantastic job. Even the cheese-ball ones. I really want to go back. There is not enough money or time in one day for me to take it all entirely in. I need to go back there again.

After our day in Salem, we stopped at home to gussy up a bit and down a few drinks before heading out to dinner at yummy Finians' Restaurant and on to Boston to Wally's Jazz Cafe (recommended by Ben) to see some good jazz with NO cover. There was a group of Berklee College of Music students playing that night and from what we heard while waiting outside to get in, they kicked ass. Unfortunately when we got in they took their break and continued on a break for well over an hour. The bar itself was righteous - very small and cramped and full of cool looking people of all ages, races & agendas. It was even voted Best Bar to Go When Horny. niiiiiiiiice. I tell you what, I was horny for some of that Berklee jazz action we were teased with, but no luck. They didn't get back on stage before it was time for us to turn in. We left and headed back to get some sleep for another full day on Sunday.

Sunday: Headed off to Harvard today to see how the smaht kids live. We weren't able to get into the library (had to have ID) so we made our way through courtyards and into what seemed to be a Student Union of sorts. We snooped around a bit and eventually found ourselves at Harvard Square where a giant street fair was taking place. I guess it was Welcome Week, or something, and there were all sorts of vendors and food and fun people. And we finally got our jazz! This uber-smooth group of kids (they looked young ... early college) were tearing the shit up! Keys, jazz drums, upright bass, a sax and a horn. Man, they were tight. The highlight for me was when they played Thelonious Monk's Well You Needn't. Dig.

We then hiked back to the apartment to get the car and headed out to Cape Cod! It was a nice 2.5 hour drive and when we got to the ocean, it was magickal. Too dark to take really decent shots, but I did what I could (see link). We spent some time soaking in the smells and sounds and stars and the whole spirit of the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. Then we headed into town ... Provincetown, that is. SO FUN. It's so quaint, with old homes and very well manicured and cozy landscapes. The streets wind and curve and harken back to an older time ... although the town's people are far from old-fashioned. There are a few drag queen cabaret's and the residents and visitors are largely homosexual. Even one of the restaurants - a Thai place we were going to eat at - turns into an after-hours joint once it's closed. We found that out when we stopped there to pee, realizing it was closed, and saw that the nights event was a Master & Slave Auction. Full of leather chaps, chains, whips and bondage outfits. Totally ruled. Ang & I didn't go in for fear of "Vag Alert!" being yelled upon entering. har har. Mark & Tony did though and they said it was really cool and chill in there, the Cranberries were playing. (whaaaa?)

We left P-town and drove back home singing Johnny Cash and Led Zeppelin at the top of our lungs and then stopped for some Chinese take-out. What more could you ask for?

Monday: Not wanting to leave, we dawdled around the house getting ready, cleaning up and packing. We didn't want to be stressed with rushing to make it to the airport on time, so instead we just visited the local Quincy library (beautiful!) and then Angi & Tony took us right to the airport, parked and came in with us. We sat around and drank and ate at one of the fun restaurants inside. Reluctantly we headed to the security gates where we said our goodbyes and waited for another delayed flight. This time only by an hour.

Sigh. Boston was so much fun and Angi & Tony were such gracious hosts. There is so much to do there! We didn't get to fit in a few things we really wanted: Faneuil Hall & Quincy Mkt. and going to see Walden Pond! SOOO, you know what that means ... we have to go BACK! :)

See pictures here.

this would be good for me

Fast food that is only all-organic and healthy? That you can drive thru? Or they'll deliver? COME TO MOMMA!

Organic To Go needs to come to Michigan soon.

VIP for a minute

This weekend was so fun. Not only did I get to sit around with my gal-pals on Friday night (this includes Trent...), watching Sex In the City and Golden Girls while eating cheesecake and doritos, I also got to meet and sort of hang out with Hilary Duff! (so what if I'm almost 30!?)

Thanks to my darling Trent and his ever-popular blogging, he was INVITED to go to Hilary's show at DTE and got backstage passes. Luckily, he loves me (also Erik was out of town), so I got to go with him! :) You can read the whole story at his site and also see all the pictures. She was so kind to us and so happy to meet Trent. It was great! She even had us in her prayer huddle the MINUTE before she went on stage. We got to watch from "the pit" where the bodyguards and the camera dudes all stand (which meant we had to walk on the stage a little to get there!). Her bodyguards, band, best friend Taylor ... they all were so nice and seemed like a ton of fun. And she's really down-to-earth and doesn't come across like a "superstar" at all ... good times.

And yes, she's very petite and I look like an Amazon woman next to her. Let me just point out that my shirt, though cute in person, was a poor choice for photographs. My gut is not really hanging like that. And I think her thigh is about the size of my calf, so.... put this all in perspective when you look at these. hah.

Let's hope we have as much success trying to meet Tori this Sunday! Though, a personal invite from Tori (a la Hilary) would be so much nicer than elbowing our way to the front at the meet-n-greet. Oh well - I'll take what we can get!

!!!

How exciting! Yet not too surprising what with all his good press and popularity, but one of my favorite catty gossip shows declared their love for my favorite catty gossip site.

That's m'boy....

poop is so useful!

Besides using it for fuel, to build homes, compost into an organic fertilizer, you can also get it in paper form for all your stationary needs! I seriously want to buy this stuff.

Not only is it environmentally-friendly, it's economically-friendly as well, helping to generate a living for Sri Lankans. And the greeting card designs are cuuute!

fruits of my labor

The following images are all t-shirts I found on the internet today.
I will own these all one day:

(my favorite! birthday present? size med, thanks)

(!!!)

(seriously peed when I saw this)

(over-the-top)

this fall....

I am planning to take these classes via the Dearborn Adult & Community Ed program:

Zone Toning - "Workout combines Pilates, Isometrics, resistance and weight training techniques." - 16 sessions (twice a week) for $64.

Managing Your 401K and IRA - 1 session

Understanding Stocks, Bonds & Mutual Funds - 1 session

rock and roll never forgets

With all the birthday's happening around me and knowing my own is coming in just over two short weeks, I'm finding myself more tired and less eager to party these days. However, hearing this song today was good. After i listened to it (and rocked out with the windows down), i realized i am a fool. I'm constantly on the go. I do a ton of things and it's only natural to feel tired and want to stay home and rest once in a while. i'm not old ... and music -- espeically rockers like bob seger -- will always keep me young. (as will tailgating at Pine Knob at the Allman Bros. concert and hiding your liquor from the cops).

So you're a little bit older and a lot less bolder
Than you used to be
So you used to shake 'em down
But now you stop and think about your dignity
So now sweet sixteens turned thirty-one (<--- ahem, i'll only be 29)
You get to feelin' weary when the work days done
Well all you got to do is get up and into your kicks
If you're in a fixCome back baby
Rock and roll never forgets
You better get yourself a partner
Go down to the concert or the local bar
Check the local newspapers
Chances are you won't have to go too far
Yeah the rafters will be ringing cause the beat's so strong
The crowd will be swaying and singing along
And all you got to do is get in into the mix
If you need a fix
Come back babyRock and roll never forgets
Oh the bands still playing it loud and lean
Listen to the guitar player making it scream
All you got to do is just make that scene tonight
Heh tonight

Well now sweet sixteens turned thirty-one
Feel a little tired feeling under the gun
Well all Chuck's children are out there playing his licks
Get into your kicks
Come back baby
Rock 'n Roll never forgets
Said you can come back baby
Rock 'n Roll never forgets

my darling Cotain is another year older

Today is Erik's birthday! There will be drinking, oh yes. There will most likely be snapping. There will be picture-taking. Could be a board game or two involved. Maybe even some ass-slapping, erik-sandwich-making, spontaneous dance partying. We'll see.....

the idiocy continues...

AND i realized today that i left my favorite sunglasses in the bathroom at work yesterday and - big surprise - they're gone. i've checked with the Lost & Found area here and no one has turned them in.

is it just me, or does keeping an item you found in the work bathroom seem a little gross (nevermind creepy)? ew.

dammit! dammit!

i'm the biggest idiot

for the second time now i will miss Kasey Chambers at The Ark. this is not something i'm proud of .... the Ark is the BEST place to see music, especially folk stuff. and Kasey lives frickin' down under! she's from Australia and rarely tours here. the last time she came, i waited too long to buy a ticket and then it was sold out and, lo and behold, i've done it AGAIN.

grrr. what is WRONG with me? why don't i just buy the damn ticket the second i see it in my Ark e-newsletter? dude. i'm really pissed off at me right now.

anyone have a kasey ticket they want give up to me? ugh.

if i do say so myself

i made THE most kick-ass "goodbye" cd(s), EVER. well, moreso "goodbye/moving out of town" cd -- not "goodbye/breakup" cd. some of the songs are more personalized for the person i was saying goodbye to, but still..... they rock for anybody. here are the tracks:

CD1
1. Waiting for My Real Life To Being -- Colin Hay
2. Traveling Again - Dar Williams
3. She's Leaving Home -- Beatles
4. Thunder Road -- Bruce Springsteen
5. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road -- Lucinda Williams
6. On the Road to Find Out -- Cat Stevens
7. Farewell Angelina -- Bob Dylan
8. Get Out the Map -- Indigo Girls
9. The Scientist -- Coldplay
10. My Friend -- Blessed Union of Souls
11. Passenger Seat -- Death Cab for Cutie
12. Florida -- Patty Griffin
13. You've Got A Friend In Me -- Randy Newman & Lyle Lovett (Toy Story)
14. Miles Apart -- Yellowcard
15. Farewell To the Old Me -- Dar Williams
16. My Best Friend -- Weezer
17. I'll Stand By You -- The Pretenders
18. Homeward Bound -- Simon & Garfunkel
19. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) -- Green Day
20. I'll Be There For You -- The Rembrandts

CD2
1. So Far Away -- Carole King
2. Hanginaround -- Counting Crows
3. My Hometown -- Bruce Springsteen
4. Here's To the Night -- Eve 6
5. We Are Gonna Be Friends -- White Stripes
6. Wild World -- Cat Stevens
7. Wide Open Space -- Dixie Chicks
8. Brokedown Palace -- Grateful Dead
9. Don't Come Easy -- Patty Griffin
10. Shirts & Gloves -- Dashboard Confessional
11. Dream Big -- Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband
12. Black Muddy River -- Bruce Hornsby & Bonnie Raitt (G.Dead cover)
13. You've Got A Friend -- James Taylor
14. Long & Winding Road -- Beatles
15. Float On -- Modest Mouse
16. Yellow Brick Road -- Kris Delmhorst
17. America -- Simon & Garfunkel
18. I Will Remember You -- Sarah McLachlan
19. Goodbye To You -- Michelle Branch
20. In My Life -- Dave Matthews (Live from Lennon Tribute concert)

stuff on cats is cute

My new favorite place on the web (sorry Trent):

http://www.stuffonmycat.com/

"fare you well, i love you more than words can tell..."

That line gets me every time. Having listened to a lot of "goodbye" songs lately and going through old photos that span the last 10 years ... well, you tend to get a little emotional.
Tomorrow is the going away party for Angi & Tony and then I'll see her three more times next week before she takes off on Saturday. One week is not enough time to capture 10 years of memories and to say all the things you want to say.

But I think throughout the years somewhere between the partying, the crying, the non-stop giggling, the driving, the laying for 16 hours straight 'cuz we were SO depressed, the stalking, the bitching, the families, the farting, the solstices and the blessings, the graduations, the true loves and the not-so-true loves ... and coming soon: the marrying, we'll have said all we need to say to each other to get our point across.

i don't care, i LIKE the trouser-dress combo

Even if I don't agree with them about dresses over jeans, here's another great one:

http://gofugyourself.typepad.com/go_fug_yourself/2005/07/von_fug.html

i'm aging too fast

I've never really been one of those girls who worries about aging. My mom has always looked young and I usually come off younger than I really am. I've never really gone to the lengths of some girls who make sure to constantly mosturize and pluck and sunscreen and hair dye. But maybe I've been neglectful. Lately I've been all ABOUT mosturizing and checking out my skin all over. So far I've found a few spider veins on my legs (behind my knees), a gray hair (er, several... which i promptly plucked) and a brown (age) spot on the side of my face! This makes me nervous. I haven't even finished my 20's yet (though I'm close) so why are all these examples of 'old ladyism' popping up already?

sigh. I suppose I'll now become "one of those" ... i.e. I'm seriously considering buying those anti-aging/age-spot/wrinkle cremes that cost $ridiculous per bottle. I've been so content with my simple Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil Facial Soap. I think those days are fading along with my early twenties. Good thing Desert Essence offers an Age Reversal line.
Is anyone feelin' my pain? Or am I just nutty and over-analyzing?
Either way, facial product suggestions are welcomed.

highlight of my day

The lovely ladies over at Go Fug Yourself are often the reason I get through the last few hours of my workday. But today, they've simply outdone themselves. Or, at least Heather has. I dare you not to pee yourself when you read this:

http://gofugyourself.typepad.com/go_fug_yourself/2005/07/fug_the_cover_e.html

It's girls like these that reassure me that I'm not a mean person just because I mentally assault people who have foul taste in clothing (even if that means criticizing some pictures of myself that I've seen!). I think the Fug girls and I should hang out and become BFFs ...

top ten

Besides the two songs in my previous post, there are many others that I get into the groove of and can't stop listening to. Here is a top ten list of songs I've recently been hitting the repeat button on:

Romeo & Juliet -- Indigo Girls (Dire Straits cover)

The Darkest Season -- Deb Talan

American Girl -- Tom Petty

Little Plastic Castle -- Ani Difranco

Waiting for My Real Life To Begin AND Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You
-- Colin Hay (it's a tie for these)

Both Sides Now -- Joni Mitchell

Moon's Gonna Follow Me Home -- Patty Griffin

Age Six Racer -- Dashboard Confessional

The Pretender -- Jackson Browne

The Scientist AND In My Place -- Coldplay

soul-searching

So I'm putting a cd together for one of my best friends who is moving out of state and will be travelling every three months for the next few years and in the midst of all that I've rediscovered a gem of a song: Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road". I can't get over how Bruce magically takes you to the place he's singing about and how he can tell such wonderful stories in his songs. His songwriting doesn't have to follow the normal Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge format ... he just sings and sings until his story is done. And with this song, in particular, I get chills every time I hear it. So, of course, I keep listening to it over and over. It's not particularly sad, it's just moving.

Another song - on a completely different level - that I've been addicted to listening to is Darius Rucker's (yes, him of all people ... but he's got a brilliant, soulful voice!) cover of Bill Withers' "Use Me Up". I love the sassy, sexiness of that song. When I hear the line: I wanna spread the news that if it feels this good getting used, oh you just keep on using me until you use me up..., I just wanna put on some sexy lingerie and dance around a candlelit living room for Mark. ooh. Have I said too much? Well, I can't help it.... the music gets in my soul...

The screen door slams
Mary' dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch
As the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone again
Don't run back inside
Darling you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinkingThat maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty but hey you're alright
Oh and that's alright with me

You can hide 'neath your covers
And study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers
Throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a saviour to rise from these streets
Well now I'm no hero
That's understood
All the redemption I can offer girl
Is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now?
Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow
Back your hair
Well the night's busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in backHeaven's waiting on down the tracks
Oh-oh come take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh-oh Thunder Road oh Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run
Oh Thunder Road sit tight take hold
Thunder Road

Well I got this guitar
And I learned how to make it talk
And my car's out back
If you're ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
The door's open but the ride it ain't free
And I know you're lonely
For words that I ain't spoken
But tonight we'll be free
All the promises'll be broken
There were ghosts in the eyes
Of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty beach roadIn the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets
They scream your name at night in the street
Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet
And in the lonely cool before dawn
You hear their engines roaring on
But when you get to the porch they're gone
On the wind so Mary climb in
It's town full of losers
And I'm pulling out of here to win

LB can never be dunzo

I watched the Laguna Beach Season 2 Preview Launch last night and I peed a little with excitement. July 25, bitches!

there are hot doc's in orthopedic's

So, I've officially sprained my ankle. Luckily, it's a moderate sprain that doesn't even need a brace/wrap. I didn't even get it being a hero for some sport but by clumsily falling on a docked boat. Too bad I wasn't in the throes of the sea or something. THAT would've been dignified. Instead, I was just a klutz. A somewhat drunken klutz.

So I went to the doctor today after noticing all week that the puffiness hadn't gone down and I still couldn't move it certain ways. The doctor (who was smokin' hot, by the way...about 6'5", built, dark & handsome...but i digress), assured me that it was well on it's way to healing and that in another week it should be fine. He gave me a prescription for physical therapy in case it's still lingering in two weeks. But he's 99% sure that I won't need it.

I'm considering "needing it" if it means putting my leg on his lap again. Heh.

fat bottoms

I also woke up singing a line from Queen's Fat Bottomed Girls:

"Left alone with big fat Fanny She was such a naughty nanny Heap big woman you made a bad boy out of me "

But just that line. Not even the chorus. Odd.

stuff you didn't need to know

The mixture of some delicious greasy mexican food and a yummy, fruity yet sour "french connection" martini and a few Beam & Coke's do not sit well in my stomach. I've set up camp in the bathroom this morning.

ugggghhhhhh..... and more drinking tonight with the girls? whew. I think I'm truly going to need a vacation from my vacation.

sleepy eyes

Figures. I hate when something is wrong, but when you get it checked out at the doctor they say, "nothing is wrong." grr. My teary-eyed condition is neither dry eye nor an infection of any kind. The opthamologist suggested it may be allergies, but since when does someone have burning/itchy/excessive teary eyes during all four seasons?
she gave me some eye drop sample to see if they help. boo.

t minus 3 days....

... until I'm off to Chicago for the weekend and then off of work for the WEEK!
I cannot wait.

do i see a pattern?

I just noticed that the last time I posted was May 26th and now it's June 26th.

Hmmmm.... maybe there is some mysterious force that draws me to blog on the 26th? Maybe my inner child has some sort of blocked out issue that occured on the 26th, making me prone to share and open up via this forum?

Maybe it's just really time for bed now. Say g'night, Sarah.

"g'night Sarah"

wiping the dust off...

It's a little lonely around these here parts. My posts have been few and far between. But I like to think that could be a good thing. Too busy having fun (?) and enjoying life to sit in front of my computer all day and hash out the past week's events. ... Ahh, who am i kidding? I sit in front of a computer all day long at work! I come home and, before going out to enjoy said life, I get right back in front of the computer for a little bit. I guess I've just gotten lazy when it comes to this blog. Mostly when I've had a thought or a passing emotion I wanted to share, I blurted it on my myspace blog.

So here it is, 3am on, what is now, Sunday morning and I should really be cuddled up to Marcus in bed. He turned in hours ago (who am I? Carol Brady? Who says 'turned in' anymore? i might as well have said 'he retired to bed...' - sheesh). Alas, I can't sleep just yet. My eyes are a little heavy and I'm sure I'd fall right into REM as soon as I nuzzled up next to him, I just don't FEEL like going to bed just yet. So ... I called on an old friend. The blogmeister. hahahaha. Now I'm just spewing shit. Really, I came here to add a new item to my template. The little Daily OM on the sidebar. What do you think? It'll change as the website updates their daily message. I dig it. OM. It's a good thing.

You know what else is a good thing? Aveeno facial mosturizer. Specifically the kind for calming redness and blotchy skin (the name escapes me at the moment). I have a touch of roseacea, see... and although everyone else assures me that it's barely noticeable until i point it out and make them look, i still feel like it's ugly. BUT, with my new found discipline for making sure i use my Metro Gel twice a day and now with this lotion, i feel like it might be getting better. It could also just be in my head and I'm just finally seeing what everyone has been saying: that it isn't so obvious. Either way, I'll take it. I'll also take the fact that I fit into (and thus, bought) a size (maybe two?) smaller jeans yesterday. Not only were they a smaller size but they were a smaller size at Forever 21. Notorious for skewing the sizes of the apparel meant for below your waist (like most stores are these days), I had pretty much given up on the idea of ever wearing my actual size and possibly ever getting anything other than tops or the occasional elastic waist skirt from that store. But I'm happy to report that not only did I get the smaller jeans, I also got a cute boho skirt that did not make me look like a moose and was also a step down in size. Lest you go and think I'm some goliath let me reassure you that even the skinniest of girls (at least my friends) know that F21 and the like aren't really the kind that cater to the "normal" womanly curves. So, putting aside my normal contempt for and encouragement of that kind of patronage and the message it sends ... let me just say... WEEE!!!!

We now return to our regularly scheduled feminism.

dang, dude. it's been a while.

So, yeah... haven't posted here in a while. Thought I'd check out the ol' blog today and realized that the last thing I posted about seemed like ages ago! Not that I have much more to discuss right now ... except that it's frickin' FREEZING in this joint (work) and I'm about to skate out early since my boss has already gone. Plus, I didn't take a lunch today so I can pretend it's an hour later on the 'get of work' clock. I need to run a couple of errands too ... and it always seems much more enjoyable when you do errands on work time rather than your own time AFTER work. Then it just feels like a chore.

Not sure what I'm up to tonight ... I feel like renting a movie. All my shows (Lost, The Apprentice) have ended for the season and so now I'm free to catch up on all my Oprah and Ellen's (um, and 90210 reruns) that I've been DVR'ing. Gawd, I'm such a girl! Really ... I'm not that girly. But I do like me some Oprah.

Omigod. IS IT TIME TO GO YET? The chachi's in the next cube over are seriously debating the validity of some engineering shit as compared to the Pistons game. WHAT? kill me now.

peanut butter fudge is delicious

Do you ever question the Fates, asking what you did to deserve getting stuck sitting next to an obnoxious moron who cannot comprehend that yelling offensive slang and phrases might, indeed, OFFEND people? Well, I do. But it's okay, because even the idiot who kept yelling "Johnny Damon is a fudgepacker!" and other idiotic terms, didn't stop me from having a ball at the Tiger game the other night. Altogether there were 8 of us - me, Mark, Ben, Sam, Eric, Angi, Tony & Jeff - that went. We met up at the State Bar across from Comerica Park and spent the first few innings staying warm and getting a little buzz. Once we got into the stadium the search for ultimate ballpark food was on. Cheese pizza, ballpark franks, cotton candy, peanuts, beer, margaritas and pop. Eh, so the Red Sox hit a grand slam which, ultimately, caused us to lose and caused the idiot next to me to scream louder ... oh well. I just like the times like the 7th inning stretch where i can dance silly and sing "Take Me Out To the Ballgame." Or bundling up with my bebe and laughing with good friends. Incidentally, rather than bitching aloud to/about that guy next to me and stooping to his barbaric level, I let him know of his ridiculousness by saying (very loudly), "mmm, you know what fudge is the best? Peanut-butter fudge!" hahaha. His girlfriend promptly hit him on the leg and called him "obnoxious" and told him to shutup. :)

After the game, Mark Jeff & I went to KC's Dive for some more drinks and I did a pretty good job keeping up with Mark in a game of pool. I actually won because he scratched on the 8 ball, but that's a cheap way to "win." I did get my fair share of balls in, though.

snicker. "balls."

hi, my name is chubby.

Today.... I ripped my pants. I will say, however, it is NOT because I was busting out of them (as Mark playfully likes to kid about), but that they are well-worn pants that actually sag a bit in the thigh area and when i sit they crease in certain spots and have become more and more thin because of this. So as i stretched my leg today, to get into Mark's truck, they ripped. Right along said crease. nuts. :(

Still, man. I ripped my effing pants. And then I sat thru the rest of work with a perfectly placed thigh-rip that Def Leppard would be proud of.

Even though I've justified it I still feel like I should not be allowed any popcorn or cheese pizza slices at tonight's Tigers game. What a way to slash a girls self-esteem for the day. ouch.

Current Mood? fatso.

we likes to party

Saturday's festivities turned out much more festive than I had envisioned. We had such a great time everywhere we went! (uh, when don't we though? really.) hah. So after a nice afternoon we hauled ass out to South Lyon to see The Wiz play. We picked up Jeffy on the way and met the crew out at the Coffee Bean. The owner, also named Mark, was a really cool cat. Very friendly and talkative ... his mother-in-law was there and was from Garden City, so she chatted it up with (my) Mark for a while. To our pleasant surprise Jake was there! With Philly! How nice to see Jake ... and to know that he's doing so well again (and working for an environmental company in Ann Arbor!). A few minutes later Ben & Eric showed up, followed by Tony's nephew Josh and his girl. Then Angi & (her) Tony arrived and we all sat around listening, sipping warm coffee/tea, conversing ... a nice chilled out evening.

Then we decided to go out and get some drinks. Ben suggested the Ye Olde Saloon and I filled him in on the party that was already taking place there. See, Steve & Stephanie (Erik's Steph) have moved to Nashville and Erik & Co. arranged this going away party for them at the Ye Olde. We were invited but had already made prior arrangements to see the Wiz play. Once Ben suggested it, we decided it was a must. Boy. I thought it might be nice to swing by and say hey to the kids there, but I didn't realize we'd all get so smashed! (thankfully not Mark, our D.D.) Or be so CUTE for the camera! You'd think it was "Sarah & Trent's going away party" or something, we're in so many pics. Whatever. We love us. And we were drunk. And we're fun. haha. Okay, enough.

You should check the pics out by clicking this link. Oh, and I only saved the pics (from Trent's 143 shots) that had people I knew in them (mostly me, mark, erik & trent). He really did take pictures of OTHER people. :)

Talk like Yoda, I love to

But when it comes to what kind of Jedi I am? Oh, I'm a Consular all the way baby. (what?)

Ahhh, yes.

Just got back from a lovely afternoon with Melanie. I picked her up at her house and we had lunch at the Inn Season Cafe (always yummy). Then we went to Caribou and she lucked out with a free caramel latte thingy that they made extra of. I got a Chai Soy Latte and we sat and gabbed some more. It was really great to hang out with her and just talk about everyday life stuff. Hopefully we can do it again or even get the boys involved and go on a "double date" or something fun.

Tonight we're going to see the Wiz play piano at a coffee bar in South Lyon. A few others are coming as well (Ben, Angi, Tony...) and so it should be fun. I think he goes on at 7? Not sure. I better figure that all out.... there's also a farewell get-together for Steve & Stephanie at the Ye Olde tonight. Not sure if we'll make it to that or not, but that would be fun to drop in on too. We'll see....

you know it's almost summer...

...when the outdoor concert venues start advertising the festival type shows and the old has-been performers that you know you love. First up:

Hall and Oates
Meadow Brook Music Festival
Rochester Hills, MI
Wed, 07/06/05
On Sale Sat, 04/30/05

no WAY! That rules. i CAN go for that, Daryl.

And the next night over at Pine Knob? Oh, just a little CCR to get your Proud Mary on.

Creedence Clearwater Revisited
DTE Energy Music Theatre
Clarkston, MIT
hu, 07/07/05 more dates
On Sale Fri, 04/29/05

YESSSSS! [pumping arms toward pelvis in the "score!" type motion]

just down below me is the old sea

Patty Griffin is magical. That voice ... that great big resounding bluesy gut-wrenching voice. And coming from that little body. So petite. So fragile looking yet, so strong in voice and heart. I was, once again, fortunate enough to see Patty Griffin in concert the other night and I get the same good blessings tonight. I truly mean it when I say "fortunate enough" because I think that Patty is one of the most underrated talents around. I also think that being in the presence of her songs and her talent is an honor. One that not everyone gets to witness or experience. And, for me, it IS an experience. Her music takes me other places. It reminds me of old times, it hints at new ones. It tells stories of lives lived that I've never known. And it brings you to places you've never dreamed of. When I think of her music, I think of Passion. And though a lot of her stuff is sorrowful, it makes me feel good to listen. I've seen her so many times now, but each time just gets better and better. Though she hasn't done as much from her Living With Ghosts and Flaming Red albums, but her new stuff is so so pretty that it makes up for it.

Not only did I get to go and see Patty (in Grand Rapids, about 2.5 hours away), but I got to go with Erik. We had fun chatting it up about our troubles, our likes/dislikes, our mutual distaste for Teva's and our mutual generalization of Christian collegiate types. It was a fun trip and I get to do it all again tonight in Ann Arbor with Erik and this time, Trent too. WEE! I can't remember if I've ever seen Patty in concert with Trent. He and I saw her together at her in-store performance way back when ... when I first was introduced to her. But in concert? I'm not sure.

In between the Pattying, I managed to squeeze in a little girl time with VLB and Kirsten last night and I'm so happy we were able to get together. Not only were we able to commiserate on recent troubles in the "family," but we also got to know each other a bit better, I think. We learned more about each other's pasts, families, exes.... We also had a yummy dinner at Zumba and walked down to Stucchi's for dessert. Back at Kirsten's the plan was to drink a little wine and maybe watch a girly flick (Bridget Jones, anyone?). But we were too full up on ice cream and mexican to think of eating/drinking anything else. Instead we sat around and girl-talked. I love them gals. I'm happy to have become acquainted with the whole group ... and I'm glad to have shared some time with all of them this week.

birthdays and cats of all kinds

I'd like to wish Jeffy a very merry birthday. Today he turns the ripe old age of 28 and yet he doesn't look a day over 20. It must be that long hair. Enjoy it now ladies... it's heading for the chopping block soon!

Speaking of birthdays, we went out on Saturday night to help Eric (not with 'k') celebrate his 28th birthday as well. We started off with a really nice dinner at Sweet Lorraine's and ended the night off at the Ye Olde Saloon in Royal Oak. I was even recognized by one of Eric's friends that I met that night as the Sarah from "the Trent blog" - that was a surreal moment. Good times were had by all and it was so good to see Eric again. Hopefully it will be sooner than later that we hang again.

Actually, it might be if all goes as planned. I'm trying to round up a group to go to a Tiger game next week. They're playing the mighty Red Sox all week and although we know they'll get slaughtered (hi, the Red Sox won the world series last year), it would be fun to go and watch. We discussed it a bit on Saturday and I think that it's definitely a go for Mark, me, Ben & Sam. Hopefully a bunch of others will join in as well. We're trying for Tuesday, May 3rd. Wanna go?

Yesterday was just spent trying to stay in from the cold and snow. Mark and I did venture out to Meijer and Target but quickly headed home with a salad & pizza and some movies to snuggle up to. We didn't get to the movies because we got wrapped up in E!'s True Hollywood Stories about Full House and then John Ritter. lame. but fun!

I'm about to head outta work and catch some of the rays of sun driving home whilst listening to the wonderful Cat Stevens. I've been listening to him all weekend and just cant' get enough. And how funny that Adriana text messaged me and told me that at Tori's San Fran show this weekend she did a cover of Moonshadow! Me and Tori, we have a psychic link. hah.

Not sure what the plan is for Jeff's big night, but Mark and I are taking him SOMEwhere.

yes, i did like it

I've fully admitted before to liking cheesy no-brainer girly flicks. I don't really give a good goddamn how it makes me "look". And last night was no exception.

After a nice dinner at Mongolian BBQ, Mark & I went and saw A Lot Like Love, you know ... the new Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet movie? First off, I adore Amanda Peet. I think she's way cute and a pretty good actor. Anyways, to most people this movie is probably a bore or way too predictable and just plain blah. But I liked it and I'll admit it, guilt free.

If you're looking to spend a measly $7 or $8 to not have to really think, not get bogged down, not be stressed out or insanely on the edge of your seat, but just want to kick back and watch a couple of dopes fall in love ... go see this movie.

christmas in april

First off, it's snowing. wtf? i hate it.

Secondly, so I'm putting in some cd's into the stereo to have a nice mix to listen to while sitting at the computer and then getting showered and stuff.... I put in Sinead's "I Do Not Want...," Damien Rice "O," Beth Wood "Late Night Radio," and then I decide I really should listen to Leona Naess. It's been a while. I open the case and what do I find? AHH! My Sons of the Never Wrong cd that I've been searching for for about 1 year! (yes, it's been that long since I've popped the Leona disc in). It was like getting a gift! So, of course, I put that cd, "Consequences of Speech", in too.

Next, in the mail today, I received a DVD copy of last October's Austin City Limits with both Damien Rice AND Patty Griffin performing. Some nice fella from the Mad Mission mailing list offered to make copies for people and I was one of the lucky ones. wee! It's such a great copy too! Another gift!

Finally .... I have to go and turn up the frickin' heat in this mutha sucka. My extremities are turning blue. :(

happy earf day, yo

Well, today is Earth Day and yes I'm going to say it, as cliched as it is: every day should be earth day! okay. now that i got that off my chest ... I took this little quiz at the Earth Day Network site and although I am an environmentally conscious person and an avid recycler, animal activist, etc. ... there is so much more I could and should be doing. The car/gas questions really killed me. I need to get around on bike more. Or foot. Or Detroit needs to build an subway or some mass transit system. Here were my results:

Shit. that makes me feel really bad. i gotta work on that. and i hope that more people will take some time out of their crazy lives to really reflect on what this planet GIVES us and then what we take in return. we love our cars, our malls, our convenient gadgets and gizmos (hi, this computer?), our sushi restaurants, our fun dance parties ... but none of that would be remotely possible were it not for the basic resources provided to us by Gaia. Poor thing. She really deserves better. And I, for one, am going to try to make a conscious effort to treat Her better.

Okay... now that we're all sufficiently depressed and have a nice vision of "The Day After Tomorrow" in our heads, let me tell you about a great band I saw last night! I went out to Hamtramck, to Small's, to see my friend Pablo's band. They're an L.A. based band called Malbec, who have been touring the midwest recently and were in town last night (Pablo is from here and went to my high school). They're basically an indie rock band with some cool electro beats thrown in for good measure. You can check their stuff out at their site or at CDBaby. It was a fun time and I was happy to see them live. especially since they'll probably go far and I can say "I saw them when..." Plus, I got to see Carina which is always a plus. She's the cutest thing ever, the little brat. :) AND she graduates from med school in about 3 weeks. damn, dude. i got friends in high places.

vacuum turds

I just witnessed the most amazing thing. After spending about an hour and some change trying to unclog my vacuum hose, i got fed up. i took the entire thing apart, had vacuum parts and screws and DIRT everywhere! I soldiered on trying to remove the clog by sticking the cat toy stick in it, a broom handle, my fingers, shaking and jumping ... I finally called my mother (when in doubt...) and she suggested running the hose, which was indeed fully detatched, under HOT water and loosening the clog up that way. My mother is brilliant; cleaner extraordinaire. This is precisely what I did. It took some time for the water to really get in there and also some shaking and twisting of the hose tube. Finally ... PLOP! Out comes this giant muddy nasty wad of dirt/hair/cat fur/dust ball thing. It was sopping wet yet still holding together it's form, looking like a big piece of horse crap. GROSS.

At least I can finally vacuum up all the popcorn crumbs without having to ask Mark to bring his vacuum over. Having freshly vacuumed carpet is a little weight off my shoulders sometimes. It's a feel-good moment.

Benedict XVI

So yeah ... a new pope was chosen today, Papa Ben. At least, that's what Trent and I are calling him. But see, prime example of why I came to leave the Catholic church was made frighteningly clear today while watching PBS. Several different people were interviewed and one priest in particular, from the Catholic University in Washington, D.C., was asked whether or not Benedict XVI would support female priests. He had this to say (and I'm paraphrasing): "There's an old anecdote that goes 'I asked God whether or not there would ever be married clergy and God said 'not in your lifetime,' then I asked Him whether or not there would be women priests and God said 'not in MY lifetime'"

Mark and I briefly discussed this, after throwing our arms up in disgust and making some sort of noise like "aaarrrrghrrrrmmmmbbbb", and realized that in order for any female spirituality to be a possibility to Catholics or any earth spirituality, or... hell, any other form of ANYthing, God has to DIE.

But see, that is what happened for me. God died. At least the Catholic form of God. And I found so many other open, loving and welcoming gods of which to pray to and find solace in. Some men, some women, some creatures of the earth, some just within myself.

I'm happy for the Catholics of the world today; they have a new leader. But I'm happier for me. I found that the only leader I need is the one I feel within me and yet I can still appreciate the faith or lifestyle that someone else chooses without it being "wrong" just because it doesn't suit me. I wish that other sects of religion were more open to this.

Welcome, Papa Ben. May you serve your people well.

ovaries in action

Damn that Oprah! I got home early today because I had a dentist appointment at 3pm and was out of there by 3:45 or so ... just in time for Oprah! Of course, I never watch her show because I'm always at work still at that time. And it always seems that on the random times I do catch it, the show is about some psychotherapist helping married couples or something equally boring.

BAH! Today's show, however, was all about real-life heroes. A woman who threw herself onto a little boy being attacked by 2 pit bulls (getting attacked herself in the process), a man who GAVE HIS LIVER to a tiny baby to save her life and risked his life while his liver regenerated, two men who ran into flames to save the driver of a 30,000 gallon fuel truck that had crashed (this was on I-96 in Detroit!) and .... sniff .... letters sent home to families from soldiers overseas just before they died. THEN she brings the heroes out and reintroduces them to the people they've saved. !!! I don't know why I bothered to dry my eyes at each commercial break ... I just started blubbering again when it came back on.

But, I have just the remedy for these sniffles ... working out while watching reruns of 90210 on the Soap channel! YEAH! Another show I never get to see!

This is my Tuesday, y'all.....

i wonder what the Detroit Subgenius population looks like?

Sigh. Sadly, I won't know this go 'round (though I can probably guess...). I was going to go with Mark (yes, he's a nerd) to the Subgenius Devival at the Magic Stick this Saturday. But I forgot about the plethora of events happening that day and, unfortunately, have to forgo the devival in order to make the rest of the night's plans.

In case you want to check it out for yourself, here's the flier:

what kind of name is "Tad?"

So I decided two things today that I'm NOT going to be ashamed about:

1) I really really like teeny-bopper girly romantic flicks (i.e. Win A Date With Tad Hamilton)

and

2) Josh Duhamel (the guy who plays "Tad" on said movie; also on that NBC show Las Vegas) is my new celebrity boyfriend. He is h-o-t HOT. I sorta get that 6th grade fluttery feeling when I see his face. Too bad he's cheating on me with Fergie from Black Eyed Peas.

Nope. I'm NOT ashamed.

all that glitters is gold...

So I created this "My Station" radio station via Yahoo! Launch and I can listen to it whilst logged in to Yahoo! Messenger all day. The beauty of it is that since I can add and delete the artists, every time a new song comes on I think to myself, "What a great song!" One of my all-time favorites, Led Zeppelin, has already played twice today. GRIN. First up was Stairway To Heaven, often referred to as "the greatest song on earth," and one that always makes me think of my first couples roller-skating moment. David Head (yes, that's what I said) asked me to skate. Ugh. See, he had the kind of birth mark that shows up as a different colored patch of hair. Wonky. It's mean! I know! But still ... I thought he was so weird with his dark brown hair and one spot of WHITE on the top/side. (Think of that host that used to be on Talk Soup). You gotta remember, this is before I was aware of "punk" - I was like 9, so his hair was just weird. And his hands were clammy and dammit if he didn't ask me to skate to Stairway! Longest. Song. Ever. (excluding any Grateful Dead jams, which I was equally unaware of at the time). It's an *especially* long song when going around & around in a circle holding the clammy hand of a boy with creepy hair and a puppy-dog eyes for you. But it's sweet to look back on. Yet I give NO credit for my love of Led Zep to Mr. Birth Mark -- he didn't even KNOW the song. At least I was cooler than that. I had hippies for parents. But I digress....

Yeah, so after My Station played me a nice live version of Stairway, a little later it played Ramble On. ROCK! Come on, how can you NOT love a song with direct references to The Lord of the Rings!? Zeppelin were hip before hipsters were born.

Mine's a tale that can't be told,
My freedom I hold dear;
How years ago in days of old
When magic filled the air,
T'was in the darkest depth of Mordor
I met a girl so fair,
But Gollum, the evil one crept up
And slipped away with her.
Her, her....yea.
Ain't nothing I can do, no.
Ramble on. . .

I'm down with the L-Z (yeah, you know me). If you use Yahoo! Messenger and you happen to be logged into it for a good portion of time, I suggest hooking yo'self up with this Launch biznazz. It's a good time, brotha. holla.

Currently playing, you ask? Oh why it's... Next Lifetime (live), Erykah Badu. niiice.
Take a listen for yourself!

i know, i know....

It's been forever since I've written anything in here. Eh, it's not like anyone really cares ... only Trent has really bugged me about it and not even him that much. I just haven't been inspired to say anything. I mean, spent a week going back and forth visiting Grandma at the hospital, have been exercising and trying to eat right (recording in a food log, even!) and just generally hanging out when I'm not at work. Blah, blah, blah.... Nothing of particular interest.

I did have some of the girls over a couple Saturday's ago and we had an enjoyable evening. Kirsten made a delicious apple cobbler, Sam brought candy and champagne, Trent was an honorary girl that night and brought us a copy of Mean Girls to watch, and Jess came by and provided us with her impeccable wit and charm.

Oh ... seeing as how the last post was about Tori tour dates - hah! The onsale dates for those shows have come and gone and talk about hassle! First there was a presale for the shows. It was warned that there was a limited amount of tickets for these presales, but we had NO idea how limited it would turn out to be. Hardly anybody was able to secure any tickets at all during those presales. I was lucky enough to score 2 tickets to the Detroit show in Row C. WEE! But had no luck with NYC or Chicago. So onto the general onsales we went.... yeah. Forget trying for good seats. The brokers and scalpers had those eaten up long ago. :( We managed to get Orch. CC for Chicago, which is about 29th row or so (oh, and my mouse froze in the middle of getting those! had to use the [tab] button to finish!). NYC sold out in, literally, 2 minutes. We were going crazy refreshing the screen, hoping that someone's credit card would get denied or some tickets would be thrown back. Nothing. We resorted to Ebay and bought some 2nd balcony seats for a little more than the most expensive seats in the house. Not bad when you consider the average ticket for the NYC show is going for around $250 now. Sheeeeit.

That's pretty much about it ... oh, I also was able to enjoy a great massage from Angi again. I'm telling you, if you get the chance to sign up while she still needs the practice hours for school ... DO IT. It's a great time. :) We're hoping to plan a "massage night" at my house where I can invite some people over to hang and have Angi set up in my bedroom. We'll see how it pans out...

Sinsuality

ACK! ACK! ACK! ACK! From the official Tori Amos e-newsletter:

TORI ANNOUNCES THE ORIGINAL SINSUALITY TOUR!

4/01/05 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckard Hall

4/03/05 Orlando, FL Bob Carr Theatre

4/04/05 Atlanta, GA Symphony Hall

4/06/05 Washington, DC Warner Theatre

4/08/05 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom

4/11/05 Philadelphia, PA Kimmel Center

4/12/05 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre

4/14/05 Detroit, MI Detroit Opera House

4/15/05 Chicago, IL Auditorium Theatre

4/17/05 Grand Prairie, TX Nokia Theatre

4/19/05 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre

4/22/05 Seattle, WA Benaroya Hall

4/24/05 San Francisco, CA Davies Symphony Hall

4/25/05 Los Angeles, CA Royce Hall Auditorium

SEE YOU AT THE SHOWS!

I knew she'd have to do a Detroit date ... Tori looooves Detroit. Originally, the rumored dates didn't include Detroit. But we knew ... she really does dig it here. And the OPERA HOUSE, no less! The other thing I've been hyperventilating over is that it's a SOLO tour. No band. Nuh-uh. Just Tori and us. Just the way we like it. :) Jeez ... with only 2 states for the "midwest," tickets are gonna go fast. Good thing Trent & I have a "system."

OMIGOD. I have to pee, I'm so excited!

snifffffffffffffff

Do you ever get a whiff of something so familiar but that you know can't be the actual smell in the air around you right then and there? Like your deceased grandmother's perfume or cooking? Or the smell of the neighbor kid's basement? Or the scent of an old lover? It just wafts by you ever so lightly, but enough to make you stop what you're doing and perk up.

I'm sitting at work and I just caught a whiff of my old band room. If you've ever stepped into a band room, you know there is a distinct scent. That scent grew to be a part of me ... on my clothes, on my hands, in my hair. I spent so much time in that spit-smelling room that I began to like it. And miss it, once it was gone. And there's no way that the band room smell can actually be a part of my work; it has it's own obvious odor.

I just wonder what that means when those old smells come back to haunt you?

valentine's day ... the government way

I took this picture from an email I received from http://www.care2.org/ with regards to their current petition on environmental concerns. Here's a little blurb from their email:

"Love is in the air, but so are soot, smog, and mercury. As Americans across the country celebrate Valentine's Day with their sweethearts, friends, and family, Bush and his Republican allies in Congress are working to rollback 30 years of environmental progress."

Just something else to think about on this V-Day.

Cheesy, I know. But I don't care ... I spent a few years of my life hating the Valentine's Day hooplah. Mostly because I didn't have anyone to spend it with and the person I was still brooding over was a valentine to someone else. But also because I had a problem with the whole "hallmark holiday" thing and the ridiculousness of it all. And the fact that the people you love should be told and shown it all year long, not just on one day. Well, since then I've adopted a new philosophy. I thought back to when I was little and the fun of delivering cute little cards to friends with some candy to remind them that they're special to you. I thought of all the times I came home from school to find a box of chocolates and candy hearts with a mushy card on my bed from my mom. And, most of all, I have someone so wonderful in my life who values our relationship and does, indeed, tell me and SHOW me all year long how important and special I am to him. So, I let my little femi-nazi attitude about V-Day die out and I (re)learned to appreciate the day for what it is and to enjoy it - capitalistic "hallmark" holiday or not.

I hope you - and whoever it is you care about - have a wonderful day.

Last night, Mark took me to Andiamo (Dearborn) for dinner. I love going there and don't go often, which makes it all the more special. Mark and I have now spent 3 special days there and each time it's incredibly romantic and simply perfect. He also gave me a gift certificate to one of my favorite stores, Forever 21 (shut up). After dinner, he stopped and got two giNORmous chocolate-chip cookies and we went home and snuggled up to watch the grammys and indulge in the cookies with Reese's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream. !!! yum. We laid in bed most of the afternoon before dinner and retired to bed early to finish the night out.

Doesn't take much to make me happy. :)

where ma girls at?

just as a side note: don't you hate it, girls, when (as a grown woman, even) your period still sneaks up on you and surprises you in the middle of the night in a most unpleasant way?

Yeah, that's how I had to wake up this morning ... to that fun surprise in my undies and also a heaving case of cramps. gross.

lime sorbet

Trying to explain to a man who speaks very broken English a color called "lime sorbet" is difficult. Initially he called asking for the description of the new colors that have been added for the 2006 Thunderbird and that we have authorized him to make. So I left him a voice mail explaining that they are: pewter metallic, dark blue pearl and lime sorbet. He called back asking "lion what?" hah. After repeating myself a few times I had to explain it to him on a different level. "Let's see...," I started, "it's lime as in citrus fruit ... lime green, and sorbet as in ice cream ... sherbet. you know, LIME SORBET!" haha. He laughed and said he got it. I'm not so sure....

How excited was I to check out Tori's official site and see that they've revamped it and have used GORGEOUS pictures of Tori for the different menu interfaces. Here are a few of my favorites:

How beautiful is SHE!? I can't wait to see her on this tour. I'm so bummed though, Trent and I can't make it out to NYC for her 92nd Y show. For starters, my bills are just way too overwhelming right now to be able to skate off on a NY trip. Also, we found out that it's just going to be an interview - no performance! Now, granted, if I had a ticket and funds to go I wouldn't have really cared! I would just be so excited to see her and to listen to her wonderful stories. But since I have neither, ticket nor money, I am not as bummed knowning that there will only be an interview. Nuts, though.

Yesterday was my follow-up to my blood work at the doctor and I got a clean bill of health! I may be hip, but i'm no hep cat! *wink* Mark and I celebrated by, well ... going home, making dinner and watching Lost, just as we had planned on doing anyways. Damn, I love that show.

Today, my Grandma is having surgery on her back. !!! She's having some pins put in her back and the surgery happens around 12:30pm. If you can remember, send some positive healing thoughts out for my Gramma.

playin' hooky

What a whopper of a weekend, and nothing really happened! I did find out how people can completely turn on you and twist things around so badly that you are seriously scared for them. Yeah, I learned that. What a lesson to learn ... but glad I did. Now I know never to put faith into that person, or a future relationship with that person, again. After that unfortuante, but inevitable life lesson, I whooped some serious ass in a friendly (yet competitive) game of Trivial Pursuit: 90's Edition. Okay, okay ... so I was up against Mark and we're pretty much on the same wavelength so saying I whooped ass is a bit dramatic. But I did win. *GRIN* After that we met up with some of the kids down at Union Street as they were finishing up their dessert & drinks before heading back for another game of TP in bed. Needless to say, we fell asleep in our wedges and nobody wins like that. Owch.

Superbowl Sunday was super for me because I finally took down all of my christmas decorations (and yes, that means my TREE was still up!) and was able to really clean my house and put things back in order. I even got to rearrange a little so I now have a "workout room" - except it's just a workout "cove." But I don't care 'cuz it's MY space (which is much cooler than myspace). Plus I did all my laundry and some grocery shopping all before the game at 6:00pm. Mark was glued to the tube at that point and I tuned in and out while folding laundry, playing on the internet and happily solving crossword puzzles (in case you didn't know, i'm a crossword puzzle FREAK). It was a satisfying, productive yet quiet way to spend a Superbowl. Oh, there was still pizza and chips. Just not as much ... and cleaner.

And since there was no beer to be had, I really had no excuse for calling in to work the next day, except ... well ... i WANTED to. *bratty grin* Ah ... it is a glorious feeling to call in to work on a Monday and spend the day with a friend or significant other who is also off. We lazed around in the morning, freshened up and leisurely headed out to Ann Arbor and a few stores. Never mind that it was drizzling and chilly ... we walked around, got sushi, stopped at the bookstore and just really enjoyed the day together. That night we turned in at Mark's house and played yet another round of TP. This time, the 20th anniversary edition.

I must eat my words. We are NOT on the same wavelength when it comes to any period of time earlier than the 90's. Mark is much smarter. Shucks.

Amazons & Idiots

So I'm driving at lunch today, listening to my bootleg cd of a show Patty did for a radio party and loving her new tune Riding With the Amazons. Before she plays she mentions that she recently heard/read about new findings that the Amazons really did exist. Something about fossils being more closely analyzed and have become proof that these giant, powerful women and a matriarchal society may really have existed. I never doubted it - not since I used to jump around in my underoo's singing the praises of Wonder Woman. I did some hunting and found an article from the UK's Times Online which you can read here. It's really quite interesting.

In other giant women news, I found some dirt on the continuing stupidity and arrogance of Ann Coulter. From the site This Is Rumor Control, I read this:

Canadian Clobbers Coulter: How to Talk to a Fool (If You Really Must)

At last, Ann Coulter had to face a journalist who is more than a blow-dried, talking-head-news-thingy -- someone who actually knows about history -- and Coulter totally flamed out. Last night, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's excellent investigative news program, "the Fifth Estate," broadcast a one-hour special on the hijacking of the American media by conservative bullies -- whose knowledge of foreign policy seems to run the gamut from A to B and tends toward scream-o-ramas in which dissenters are accused of being unpatriotic. Of course, it included Coulter who gloated to correspondent Bob McKeown about how her side is "winning and they're loosing." But in the next segment during a rant about how Canada is disloyal for not sending troops to Iraq -- Coulter was finally exposed -- it just isn't clear from the exchange if she is genuinely confused or purposefully misrepresenting the truth. We'll report so you can decide.

Coulter: "Canada used to be one of our most loyal friends and vice-versa. I mean Canada sent troops to Vietnam - was Vietnam less containable and more of a threat than Saddam Hussein?"

McKeown interrupts: "Canada didn't send troops to Vietnam."

Coulter: "I don't think that's right."

McKeown: "Canada did not send troops to Vietnam."

Coulter (looking desperate): "Indochina?"

McKeown: "Uh no. Canada ...second World War of course. Korea. Yes. Vietnam No."

Coulter: "I think you're wrong."

McKeown: "No, took a pass on Vietnam."

Coulter: "I think you're wrong."

McKeown: "No, Australia was there, not Canada."

Coulter: "I think Canada sent troops."

McKeown: "No."

Coulter: "Well. I'll get back to you on that."

McKeown tags out in script: "Coulter never got back to us -- but for the record, like Iraq, Canada sent no troops to Vietnam."

ahhh... i love it. she's such a stupid bitch. ooh! forgive! (but she is). i'm sad i missed the audio clip that Al Franken played on his Air America Radio show. But for other stupid fun, check out this picture & caption that was posted on Al's section of the site:

wachootalkin'bout, groundhog?

blah. so it's february and it's still cold and it's still gloomy and damn that groundhog and his shadow! in happier news, i've been on my elliptical and i LOVE it. Let's not think about the fact that I bought a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter cups (the bite size kind) and have had a few each day. OR the fact that Mark's dad (as part of an inside joke) bought me a 3 POUND box of cheezits. sigh. Still ... I've been fairly good.

I've also had some pretty bizzare-o dreams lately. One was really freaky and was about a ghost in my house who kept changing my decor and stacking things up around the house, just to prove it's existance. Which, of course, just freaked me out. It was one of those dreams that was SO scary in the dream but sounds lame when you tell it aloud. I also had a dream about Adriana and a purse. Let's just say that she would never have a pink suede handbag from Marshall Field's Spring Fling Clearance Sale (is there such a thing?) ... but she did in my dream! And I pissed her off by writing all over it in permanent marker. WHAT!? I dunno....

I'm excited to report that VLB will be in concert in March! She sings with a chamber choir, Vox Humana, and they will be performing in Royal Oak. I can't wait to see her! I've really got to do some "hanging out" with people soon. I've been basically a home-body the past few weeks, mostly with good reason, but I fear I'm becoming boring. egads. That cannot happen. For starters, I need to have some serious girl time with the chicks. I haven't seen my girls in eons, it feels like. Maybe another dinner party is in order? The pot-luck kind, like I had a couple years ago? That was a smashing success! Everyone brought such wonderful food and having the buffet style setup and the fire going and lots of wine was just delightful. Hmmm. I think I need to consider doing that one again.

Keep an eye on your inboxes, folks. You might be getting a evite from me soon!

Also Sprach Zarathustra softly plays...

*drum roll crescendo* TA DAH! It's here! The Pro-Form 800 is finally in my possession! Sitting at my house, 98% put together and (almost) ready to ride! Too bad my cold is still here and making me feel like utter shit. oh, AND i have a belly ache. But that won't stop me! I can't wait to get outta this place (work) and head home to finish up the last bit of installation and then WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH my cares away! eh... let's hope i feel that wonderfully about it tomorrow.

I also need to make it my routine to cook up good, healthy food - large amounts at a time - at the beginning of my week so that I can just reheat stuff when I get home from work. Part of the reason I never cook for myself, besides hating to cook for just me, is that I don't feel like it. But if I already have a vat of tofu/tempeh grilled up and have already chopped up whatever veggies I may want in advance, then I'm halfway there. It's true that bad habits are hard break. Very easy to fall into, though. I just need a new routine when it comes to eating/working out. And getting up in the morning for work. I'm awful about that.

eep. I probably shouldn't make myself too sore tonight; I have a massage with Angi tomorrow, and I hear she hurts so good like John (Cougar?)Mellencamp. hmmm.....

current music: Putumayo Presents: New Orleans

*cough*

I'm wondering if my house is making me feel worse. I have this cold - and to others I probably don't sound so bad because I'm not really stuffed up in the nose and my cough is a dry kind of cough that just sounds like an average, clear-your-throat sound. But I have a constant tickle that makes me cough and my throat has been aching. And with my house having such dry heat, and me not having a humidifier, I'm sure it's not helping the dull nagging ache. Especially in the mornings, being that I sleep with my mouth wide open. Most unattractive. I'm also extra sleepy; a sure sign of being ill.

This being the case, I haven't really had anything going on. Especially nothing of particular importance or interest to write about in here. I haven't even really gone out of my house except to go to work. Mark has been at his parents house the past couple days (good things brewing in that arena!) and I've just been lazing around like a sloth. It's just as well since I'm so broke these days. But I do think we're going to be venturing out tonight ... an actual bar! I haven't seen the inside of a bar in a looooong time. But, being Sam's birthday on Monday, Ben and she are going to see some bands play tonight at the Lager House and the rest of us kids have been asked to come along. Should be a fun time, if I don't choke on my coughs and the bar stink.

In other "yay!" news, I got my W2's finally and was able to do my taxes in about 10 minutes, for only $15.95 using TaxAct Online. I used them last year and was impressed. I also got my refund back in half the time they said it would take (roughly 5 days), so Mark and I both used it this year. I'm getting a sizable refund and plan to make some payments to loans I'm currently chipping away at. I also plan to pay the remainder of my elliptical machine off and bring the bitch home, finally (i'm so fat). AND I plan to save a bit for our vacation (hopefully) in March. Sigh. I really should take part of it and open a Roth IRA or something, but ... I can't fathom using all the money for "adult" things.

I like to keep a healthy balance of responsible-adult behavior and you-only-live-once-and-you-never-know-when-you'll-die-so-have-fun-now behavior about me. Hell, I could be 65 and wealthy and run off to Jamaica then, after waiting all my life to pay off bills and save money. OR I could go now, when I'm scraping by and have no savings to my name, but at least I'm still able to enjoy life and smoke some weed and have great sex. :)

It's really an easy decision.

los squishy?

In the advent of Stephen's (from The Real OC) cancellation at The Necto, I've been avidly looking up all that I can find on our favorite rich teens. So far I've found, and am not so sure it's real, Lo's journal {ding! ding! order UP!} as well as Deiter's charity run site (this one is real). sigh.

oh, and btw: I scored a 38% on the "How Laguna Beach are you?" Quizie!
What about you?

i officially cannot wait for Laguna Beach 2 now.

Friend: "If you and Stephen ever had babies, they'd be so good looking."
Kristin: "They would, 'cause Stephen's all tan."

sha-sh-sh shake that ass, girl

The past few days have been spent shoveling myself out of my house and driveway, tending to my sick babydoll and trying to eat healthier. Needless to say, it was a less than eventful weekend. I did hang with my mom and aunts on Friday night for Lisa's birthday; we ate at Macaroni Grill (got our desserts paid for!), then we saw Sideways and then hung out at a new Irish pub on that side of town called The Claddagh. Then Saturday came the snow ... and all the parking tickets! I swear, Dearborn police have nothing better to do than to send several cars at a time out to the subdivisions and write people up for being in the way of the snow plow. Funny how AFTER they ticketed us and we moved our cars, they still haven't plowed the spots they couldn't get to in the first place ... It's been 3 days.

But in happier news, I took Mark on a surprise mini-date last night. I had already planned on it, but wasn't sure if we still were gonna go since he hadn't been feeling well. We decided to still go and he was so surprised and excited to find that we were going to see The Grateful Dead Movie that was recently digitally remasterd in High-Definition and released for three days only at the Emagine theater.

The film is basically a night at a Dead show in 1977 somewhere in California with backstage footage and MUCH crowd & fan footage, coupled with some trippy animation. Jerry Garcia was the director. It was great to see a show like that, since I never had the opportunity to go to a show while Jerry was alive. Mark's been to too many to count and misses every minute of it. It was funny, the folks dancing, spinning - "noodle" dancing, if you will - didn't really look too much different from the folks you see at today's "hippie shows." It was an interesting time capsule of a film. And it sure did make me wanna get up in the aisles and boogie.

inaugur...blah blah blah blah... day

Yeah, so technically, it's January 20th following an election year, and so this is Inauguration Day. I don't so much like to refer to it as that since a complete moron and a danger to our nation is being sworn in again. I just don't understand the 51% of the people that actually thought this would be a good idea. I know, I know.... i know all the different reasons someone might have voted that way. Anything from being brainwashed about GWB's take on Iraq to the religious factor down to the i-don't-really-care-and-i-didn't-like-Kerry factor. It just baffles me ... still.

And besides all that, the whole $40+ million going towards this "party" to swear the idiot in just absolutely disgusts me. Never, in any climate of our nation, does that kind of money need to be spent. But especially now, when we are losing money by the second to this war and when the rest of the world is in turmoil over the devastation of the tsunami ... why would someone so arrogantly lavish themselves in celebration this way? What a message. Yep, rest of the world ... you're gonna keep on hating us, aren't you? sigh.

At least I can take comfort in another completely capitalistic gala: the North American Detroit Auto Show. Sad thing is, I work for the industry. Ah well... at least I'm still a struggling peon here, so I have an excuse for staying and needing the money. ::gulp:: right? Anyways ... about 8 of us are about to head out of here, down to Pegasus for lunch and then to the auto show. Should be a good, albeit way too warm, day. (the auto show is always excruciatingly hot). Perhaps I'll have updates about the show later ... unless it's just way too boring. hah - more likely i'll have updates on the mullets and bling i see down there instead. later...

a bit of good luck

As I went through my pile of receipts that I racked up over the long weekend and entered them into my checkbook ledger, I came across my receipt from Whole Foods and realized (a little too late) that the cashier didn't ring up my Hemp Seed Oil, which was $12.99! Here I was pissed because I forgot to give her my $2 off coupon for the hand-soap I bought, but really I saved a lot more. Which is nice, since i's a broke-ass-ho.

Not sure if this will karmically come back to haunt me - but it was a nice treat to find, nonetheless.

making mental notes

For those of you out there interested in seeing the delightful Tori Amos on tv, here is an upcoming list of scheduled appearances. Much thanks to The Dent, as always, for the gads of information it provides (dates and pic).

Letterman -- Tues. Feb. 17th
MSNBC Weekend Today -- Sat. Feb. 19th
Regis & Kelly -- Tues. Feb. 22nd
Last Call w/Carson Daly -- Thurs. Feb. 24th
A&E's Breakfast w/the Arts -- Sun. Feb. 27th
CNBC's Big Idea w/Donny Deutsch -- TBD

Tori-time¹ is fast approaching! There's the new album on Feb. 22nd (although, some of us have a leaked copy), a NYC live interview/show (keeping my fingers crossed that Trent & I will be there!) on Feb. 24th, all kinds of Tori TV, and soon a TOUR! wee! I can't wait ... you think I blab on now? Wait til I'm fully immersed in Toriland again! PLUS, I finally heard the new single, Sleeps With Butterflies, on WDET this afternoon!


¹ Tori-time is the term I'm using to refer to the part of the year when Trent and I go a little off the deep end: talking, emailing, blogging, going to midnight sales, dual attacks on ticketmaster to be sure we're getting tickets to every show possible in the best seats possible, cutting out of work early to go to a meet & greet to get one small glimpse of the Goddess (and some stuff signed), relishing in the afterglow and talking nonstop about other Toriphiles and the show and the cd and ... well, you get the idea.

the last meow

I suppose that 20 years is about nine lives in cat years, right? Well, even so ... another punk/goth/kitsch store bites the dust in Royal Oak. The Cat's Meow will close it's door at the end of this month. It didn't spent all it's 20 years in Royal Oak; it started as a small vintage clothing store in Ann Arbor before opening another store in Madison, WI and then finally coming "home" to Royal Oak in 1996. They outlived others such as Cinderella's Attic and I can only wonder how long stores like Incognito and Noir Leather will last? I only shopped at the Cat's Meow a couple times, but it's kind of like saying goodbye to your youth, in a way...

You can read an article about the closing of Cat's Meow and if you'd like to stop in one last time for farewells and fishnets, they are having something of a wake on January 30th from 1-9pm. (There are also big sales going on!)

downloading hope

After my excited post about the Tsunami Aid: Concert of Hope telethon that was to air on NBC, I went ahead and forgot all about it and missed it all. So as I was hunting around on the internet today, trying to see if I could get some part of it, I found an area where you can download the performances from the evening and the money is still going to the charity. In fact, you pay less than what is donated since the funds are matched! For instance, if you want one specific performance from that evening, you will pay $0.99. But the funds donated for that download will be $1.98! Similarly, you can download the entire event's performances as one album for $13.99 (with $27.98 being donated)!

This seems worthwhile to me ... plus you get a cd out of it! In case you're interested, you can visit the site here.

mlk day the lazy way...

Being that Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we get the day off at work and I generally try to find something humanitarian to do that day. You know, be of service somewhere for something. I had talked with Angi a couple weeks ago about maybe going out to Ann Arbor to recycle our junk that our curbside doesn't accept (we're avid recyclers) and then possibly volunteering somewhere out there. But with her midnight schedule and the fact that I had to reschedule a dentist appointment to that afternoon at 2pm, it didn't work out. So instead I met my mom for lunch at Olga's (one of our favorites!) and then quickly got my filling on at the tooth doctor before heading out to Angi's. We recycled, we ate at Seva (yes, i love eating) and then actually WALKED AROUND in the 0°F weather! But we went to Urban Outfitters and to Acme Mercantile before calling it a night and letting the blood back into our bodies in the warm car.

Earlier in the weekend I was able to hang with Trent (stayed in watched Mean Girls - funny!) and then, accompanied by Trent & Mark, took my 16 year old cousin to see Coach Carter. Pretty good movie - and it made #1 at the box office this weekend.

The rest of the week - between the cold and the fact that I'm broke - is going to be spent INDOORS. I need to stay warm and figure out a way to pay my $430 gas bill! (shhh... I "only" owe half)

swapping stories

I'm so glad that I don't have a headache this morning. I went to bed last night with a wee nagging ache in my skull (probably from not having eaten too much and drinking two strong martini's) but had no energy to get up to pop a few ibuprofen. Thankfully (knock on wood), I'm headache free now! I hadn't planned on drinking last night - Kirsten and I had made plans to hang out and just chat and perhaps catch a movie or something low-key. We both agreed that on Friday's we are usually spent from the hustle & bustle of the week. I planned on meeting her at her house at 8pm and going from there. Plans changed a bit and the boys entered the picture, which was totally cool. Mike ended up being at Kirsten's place and the three of us headed out for dinner at the Inn Season Cafe. We had to wait a little while which was fine because the food there is excellent. It was both Kirsten and Mike's first time and I think they really enjoyed their meals. While we waited, as well as over dinner, Kirsten and I swapped our similar stories with Mike chiming in every now and then. I hope he didn't feel ostracized as we "girl talked!" It was great to share similar thoughts and experiences with Kirsten. We've only hung out "on our own" once before, for shopping. As you can well imagine, it's hard to chat and get to know each other while searching for the perfect top. So this was a nice treat.

We had then talked of either going to a movie or renting one and staying in at Kirsten's. However, Erik & Trent met up with us after dinner and we ended up hanging around K's for a bit before heading off to The Living Room in Berkely for some drinks.

We each picked something for one another to drink and experimented with what ended up in front of us. Erik ordered me a "Nutty" which was a very enjoyable mix of vodka, Frangelico & Bailey's Irish Cream. niiiiiiiiice. I, in turn, ordered him a Vesper - which was straight up gin, vodka and campari, if I remember correctly. YIKES. It was a nice evening, pointing out each other's obvious character traits (Trent's "it's so good, it's SO good," Erik's invisible hair-on-forehead brush, Kirsten's point-then-talk-to-the-hand-she's-done motion, Mike's innumerable faces and gestures...) and discussing good movies. Good friends. Good deal.

Insighful Linguist

In other news, besides that I'm brilliant (har har!), did y'all hear about the awful 100-car pile up that happened here and in Indiana!? It's so awful. Where it happened, on I-96 near Lansing, is RIGHT by my mom's exit for her house! I was worried, but was reassured when I called her and she was safe and sound at home and watching Lost. :) Also, Bob Marley's wife is going to be digging him up soon and re-burying him in Africa - Ethiopia to be exact. "Africa Unite! Cuz we're moving right out of babylon... and we're going to our father's land..." How good and how pleasant it will be indeed, Bob. Rest in peace..... mon.

Addendum: crap! I hope that his grave is still there (and accessible) when Mark & I go to Jamaica in March! How can we go to Jamaica, mon, and not see our brutha from another mutha, the revolutionary Bob Marley? dang.