December 31, 2004

More from Ohio

Monday
In the morning, we went on some errands and got some really delicious peppermint mocha coffee from Starbucks. Those Sullivan boys just crack me up. When we got in the car, Patrick asked me if I liked some song that sounded like Rambling Rose. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about and said I didn’t know. He asked, “You mean you don’t like Rambling Rose?” “I don’t know, Patrick. I have to see.” When Helen got in the car, both boys expressed their wish for that song. Helen told them they could hear it one time. She pops in the CD and out of the speakers ours a rather jolly Irish drinking song. The boys were singing along. It cracked me up! Patrick gets very shy about singing when he notices that people are watching him. But seeing a 4 and 5 year olds singing Irish drinking songs was a sight to see. Throughout the car ride, Joe will almost always enlighten us about the animal kingdom. The facts that he shares are I am sure completely true. I can’t tell you what kinds of snakes live in Burma, but Joe can. He is can also spell crocodile. Very gifted. Patrick is also one to share information. And they both have a sharp wit, which they get from their folks. Mikey impressed me with his recorder playing. Patrick had a recorder that he had been using as a weapon and when Mikey picked it up, he blew into it like a master of the instrument. Very talented. Thanks to the snowfall from days earlier, Joe and I were able to play outside in the snow. Though the snow wasn’t very snowman worthy or even snowball worthy, we were able to make snow angels. I took some video that I am hoping to post. In the evening, Helen and Mike went on a date while I baked pizza and hung out with the kids. It was a nice and mellow evening. They have one of those sectional couches in their den, which is super comfortable and easy to snooze on.

Tuesday
I woke up feeling icky. I had a cold/cough/achy/hot-cold/throat thingy. That didn’t stop Helen and I from shopping. Patrick and Joe went with Mike to the Philadelphia Zoo. We went to Target (I had a certificate and there isn’t one in Vermont) where I bought two shirts and pants. I was feeling pretty poopy, so I napped when we came back. We went out in the evening to Mike’s brother’s pub/restaurant in their old neighborhood of Lakewood. They have THE BEST cheesy potato wedge thingys! (I am sure I wrote about them when I drove out to Vermont.) We met up with Mary (whom I have met a few times) and Laura. We had a really great time. They are really nice people. I think I fell asleep about two seconds after my head hit the pillow. Though the start of sleep was good, I think I woke up about every 30 minutes coughing and sneezing.

Wednesday
Still felt like crap. The throat was feeling worse. I was kind of hoping that my plane would be delayed so I could stay another day and sleep. That was not the case. Joe, Patrick and I spent the morning playing and then it was time for me to go to the airport. When Helen dropped me off, I checked in my bags and waited in a very long line to get through security. When I was passing through the security screeners, they stopped on one of my carry on bags. As soon as I realized that they were eyeing my bag, I knew exactly what they were looking for. Years ago, I got a pocket knife from working on America’s Funniest Home Videos. It is a great knife. I had forgotten to put it in the suitcase. The guard pulled it out (after warning me, of course, to not touch anything until he said so – no duh!) and told me I could either throw it away or mail it back. Now I ask you, why would I throw something like that away? That’s just stupid. I was feeling really, really crappy. I asked about mailing it back and he told me where I could go. It would be out back at the beginning. I asked if I would have to go through the really, really long line again. When he told me I would, I said in my best Joe voice, “Are you kidding me?” I couldn’t believe that I would have to start in that line all over again. I began to cry because I was so tired and feeling like crap. I explained to the guard that I was sick. Thankfully, he told me I could go through the first class line, which was shorter. So I went out and put my pocket knife in a bag with $7 and went through the shorter line. I still had to get screened again, but this time I passed. I sat around the Cleveland airport for about 45 minutes before boarding. Thankfully, the plane ride was short and uneventful to Newark. When I got to Newark, it took me a bit to find the terminal I was suppose to go to. But I had about two hours before the flight. I tried to sleep, but between the throat hurting and the constant cough, I didn’t get any rest. Finally, we were able to load the plane. I tucked myself into my seat and tried to sleep again. Nothing doing. Cough, cough, cough. Again, I was glad there was short plane ride. I arrived into Burlington at about 10:30pm. I was so glad to not be on a plane. Though I didn’t have a sound night sleep, I did sleep better than had the night before.

December 30, 2004

Christmas Weekend

Thursday
I worked until about 3:30 on Thursday afternoon. Carrie had agreed to take me to the airport at 5:15, so I thought I should leave a little early to repack my suitcase and check on the airline schedule. Most of the people in the office had also gone home by that time, and my boss had suggested we leave early. Before I left, I checked the flights to see if I would be late. I found that the flight from Burlington to Newark was about 45 mins later and the flight from Newark to Cleveland was about two hours late. I figured I would just watch DVDs while I waited.

I got home and repacked my suitcase, as the main one was heavy with Christmas presents for the Sullivans. As I was rearranging the suitcases, I got a call from Continental that said that there might be a delay or cancellation with my flight. I didn’t call them back until after Carrie and her brother Jim arrived. When I got on the phone with Continental, they said the flight was cancelled. The next possible flight for me wouldn’t be until Christmas Day in the evening. I was a little freaked out, needless to say. Though I feel I am adjusting to life in Vermont, I had been planning to see the Sullivans at Christmas for weeks, as I was not going home to California. This would be my first Christmas away from home since college. I remember my brother, sister and I left for Easter Island and Chile on Christmas Day in 2000, but here I was with no old friends or family to celebrate with. Flight Cancelled. Damn Newark, New Jersey. I heard that there was some technical error. Don’t know if it really was the weather or a computer malfunction. At least I was in good company, as all flights had been cancelled in Newark. Still…. So I called Helen to share the bad news with her. I cried because I had looked forward to this trip for what seemed like AGES. Helen and I talked about alternatives like coming in late January or February. Carrie called her mom and they invited me to spend the night Christmas Eve at her house and the day with her family. I called my parents and in the consolation that my dad gave, he suggested that I still go. I thought there would be no way I would go for just one day. That would be a waste of money and time. We talked about trying to extend the end date of the vacation. As I have just started a new job, part of me feels a certain dedication to my employer and the responsibilities of the job. I thought I should talk to Tom about it anyway. I called him with the proposed end date of Wednesday. He said that was okay and he would work things out. It was very kind of him. I really appreciate it. So, I called the airline and was able to bump the end date to Wednesday. I called Helen and all was well. I spent the rest of Thursday evening recovering from the crying fit I had earlier that evening.

Friday
I thought it would be awesome to sleep in, so I didn’t set my alarm clock. Despite my good intentions, I woke up at 6:30 in the morning. It wasn’t a very restful sleep. I suppose part of it was the excitement of Christmas as well as the trip. I just couldn’t sleep anymore, so I rolled out of bed and cleaned up a bit around the house. I watched a really stupid Regis and Kelly as well as The View. I have to say that Kelly Rippa showing her domestic side was humorous. She has a really busy life with the husband, three kids and two tv shows. Who knows what else she has going on in her world? I have to say that watching her bake cupcakes and pandering to her childrens’ bad behavior was sad. I wonder just how much time she spends with her kids and how many nannies she has? I am sure she is a great mom, and it is hard to tell in a 10 minute segment. There was a cute kids’ chorus which was fun to see, and everybody was wearing pjs. As far as The View goes, I am sick of Star talking about her wonderful husband and the fact that she wouldn’t dream of having sex at her in-laws, before or during the marriage. I suppose it sends out a nice moral comment to all of the mothers and college girls who watch the show (who else besides unemployed actors are around at that time to watch?) I think Babs Walter has become antiquated for the show. She isn’t funny, and does anybody really care if Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of her personal friends? Now I must speak for a moment about the Phantom of the Opera. Some of you dear readers remember the 90s when the Phantom Phenomenon was all about. It was incredible. Women would cry when hearing the song “Music of the Night,” which was the Phantom’s big number. There were Phantom towels, mugs, posters, buttons and I am sure somewhere in the world there are even Phantom lighters. I am sure families named their children after the main characters Christine and Raoul (I think that was his name…) I actually snuck into a performance with Steve S. (there are four Steves plus Steve my cat.) Of course the sneak in was only for the last half hour of the show, but that was all I needed. I did buy the cassette, which I actually have in my car. Why I have it in my car I just can’t explain. I won’t, so don’t try to make me. I digress. Well after that sintilating television, I decided to go to the movies with Carrie and her brother James. We went to see Christmas with the Kranks, starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. It was mildly entertaining, if you don’t mind Tim Allen in yet ANOTHER Christmas themed movie. It was totally worth the $3 I paid. We stopped by Hanneford’s, the local grocery store, where I got things I didn’t need to buy before a four day vacation. Carrie and James left me with the promise that I would spend Christmas day with their family before flying out. I spent the evening talking to various people on the phone, repacking my suitcase and watching TV. The best part about the evening was having my Christmas beef burritos. It is a Borneman family tradition. It was a very pleasant evening.

Christmas Day
I left at about 8:00 to drive to Carrie’s family’s house in Virgennes. It’s about 30-45 minutes south of Burlington. Along the road, there was some snow on the ground (though not much) and a maple farm (which I must stop at one of these weekends) as well as an apple farm (another stop for a weekend visit perhaps in the spring.) The craziest thing I saw was a two-humped camel. It was on a farm with curly horned rams. Oddest thing I think I have seen on a farm, not that I have been to that many farms. When I got to Carrie’s house, I met her parents, Larry and Pat and her sister Mary. They had a stocking for me with treats as well as some very Vermont gifts – a stuffed moose, some maple syrup and a New England puzzle. I also got some candles. We opened up presents and had a delicious ham supper. I left at about 3:00 so I could make it to the airport early enough to check in and relax before the flight. The Burlington airport is a little bigger than the Burbank airport (now known as Bob Hope International Airport, I think.) While I waited for the plane, I watched one of the DVDs I had brought with me. It took us about an hour to fly to Newark, NJ. On the plane, there was a teenage boy who couldn’t say anything other than “Awesome” and “Cool”. I documented that in a 1 minute time period he must have said “Awesome” at least 12 times. Whew! So goes the degradation of the English language. Not much to say about Newark, other than it is a big airport. I don’t know if it is the size of LAX, or bigger, but it is pretty darn big. It took us a long time to pull into the gate. There was a problem with the stairs/passageway/connection thingy not fitting close to the plane. We didn’t have to hop or jump to disembark, but the gap between the plane and the connection thingy was about 6-8 inches. The plane ride was a little over an hour. Not too bad. I arrived on time at about 10:15. I called Helen and she picked me up. I think the air temperature was about 15 degrees. It was a tad cold. We talked for about an hour before going to bed. It was nice to be in Cleveland.

Sunday
Helen and I opened presents with the kids. For Christmas, my folks had sent over presents for me to the Sullivans. I got some pretty great things. I got gift certificates, jewelry and some cat themed things. I got some really wonderful lotion from the Sullivans as well as a calendar, gift certificate and more. I gave them a bunch of things too. It wasn’t the usual Mrs. Han Solo spectacular in the gift department. It was mostly practical stuff. I could tell the kids were a bit bummed. But I know the stuff I got them will be used. We had Boca burgers for lunch and some really yummy chicken thing Helen made for dinner. As it has only been two months since I was here last, it was like only a week had passed. The baby, Mikey, was a little bigger and had only days before taken his first few steps. Joe and Patrick were just the same – funny and zany 5 year old and 4 year old. We played games, crawled on the floor, built a pirate ship, made cookies and watched some videos. It was a pretty full day of fun.

December 23, 2004

Happy Holidays, I am off to Cleveland!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I am off to Cleveland with the Sullivan clan. It's been a busy week with my brain on vacation.

I spoke with my LA client and he told me that I should stop by and visit him the next time I am in LA. Isn't that sweet? I don't think I will, though. I am practically breaking out in hives just thinking about his website. It's going well, there is just so much to do. But I am going to Cleveland and won't be thinking about the LA client or anything but Joe, Paddy, Mikey and their parents. Okay, I will also be thinking of many of you and wishing I was going to the beach with brother Bob, seeing a movie with the family and eating our traditional burritos. But I think Helen told me we are having filet mignon. Yum!

It will be a very WHITE CHRISTMAS. I am super excited. I don't think I will be updating the blog over the holiday time. Stories about the vacation upon my return.

Have a great holiday, no matter what you may do.

Peace to you and yours.

December 21, 2004

Weekend shopping, movies and celebs and -10

What a busy weekend! Starting out at WW, then I bought supplies for making cookies. Ironic, isn't it? Weight Watchers and cookies CAN go hand in hand. Just because I make them doesn't mean I need to eat them. Of course, I will eat them, but I have tried my best to use some control. After that excitement, I went home and ate lunch (can't eat before the WW meeting.) I waited until about 12:45 whereupon I went to Church St., which as I might have mentioned in another post is similar to 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica, CA. Lots of big shops (Old Navy, Pier One) and lots of small and unique shops particular to either the East or Vermont. I met up with Elissa and we went about our Christmas shopping. I had a few people to buy for still, including a hard-to-shop-for brother and easy peasy dad. Plus I still wanted to get a couple more things for the kids in Cleveland. We had a fairly successful time. The Pier One here is like three types of stores combined. It's got your basic Pier One stuff, then it has all kinds of office crap and kitchen tools. Crazy, huh? We ventured into Borders, which proved to be a successful stop for me. We took a break (since shopping is so hard) at a coffee shop/fufu place for coffee and dessert. That is where the celebrity part of the story comes in. REAL CELEBRITIES!! Okay, they were all of the women from the News 3 (local Burlington CBS tv) team, but still.... I saw that one on tv! Hey! I saw that one too! Too bad I didn't have my camera. It would have made a good photo op for my celebrity cards. Of course only people in Vermont would know who they were, so I guess it is pointless.

I digress... Saturday's shopping took all afternoon. By 6pm, Elissa was beat and I was getting there. She left and I did a little more shopping before heading home to watch my Netflix movies. I then addressed more Christmas cards, wrapped and boxed up some presents, AND made a batch of cookies. I think I went to bed around midnight. Oh yeah, I did. I watched a bit of Saturday Night Live with Robert DeNiro. It wasn't that good. I do have to say that DeNiro has improved in his improv. He's a good actor, so I wasn't suprised. Perhaps one of these days I will go see SNL in person.

Sunday - I went to church and then went to the movies.... I saw Finding Neverland, starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. A truly dreamy movie couple for me. I think Oscar will be calling Mr. Depp in February. Academy members like period pieces and Johnny was nominated before. Anyhoo, after that I went home and continued baking cookies and watching my Netflix movies. It was a really calm and peaceful weekend.

Monday - Work was going well until I had to talk to the SoCal client. He is a little challenging. I spoke with CL our sales rep and the client about changes he wants to his site. Being a good car salesman, he is rather pushy and insistant. He also has a problem listening. And I think he likes to hear himself speak. We all go through phases of that, but I think it is permanent for him. It was draining. We have lots of work to do on his site and he can't understand why, during the 20 times a day he checks the site, he doesn't see much progress. I think he wishes there was a magic wand that would make it all better. I finally went home at around 9pm. It's nice and quiet at that time of night, plus I don't have anything else going on, so why not? Working late helps me with the 5:30-8pm what-do-I-do-now void I tend to feel each night. I really think I need to start swimming at the YMCA. I was going to go today after work to use the free pass, but I think I might do it tomorrow.

BTW - The weather has been in the -10s for the last two nights. Nippy, to say the least. Thankfully I have a nice, warm apartment and clothing.


December 17, 2004

White Christmas and Oh, what a partaaaayyy

Tuesday night I plopped down in my Lazyboy chair to watch White Christmas, starring Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby. I figured it would be appropriate seeing as Christmas is just around the corner. Little did I realize that the majority of the movie takes place in VERMONT. Who knew? I have to say that when I was in SoCal, movies and tv shows that took place in that area are a dime a dozen. Seeing a movie that takes place in my new homeland (albeit a sound stage in Hollywood circa 1954) was a real treat. I think more movies should be filmed out here. Sure the weather is unpredictable, but that just means directors need tighter shooting schedules.

Wednesday started out like any other day here in Burlington. Though I did dress up a bit and cut my own bangs (they were out of control before) for we were to have our company's Christmas/holiday/winter solstice party at Coyote Grill (or something like that.) In the middle of the afternoon, the Big Enchilada boss (BE for short) gathered us all together for a few announcements including stuff about the party. There were lots of people there. Our sales people, who live and work across the country, were there. It was nice to meet these people who I have had only phone, email and IM contact with. So, later that day, we went to the party. Carrie and I carpooled.

Let me speak a moment on parking in downtown Burlington. It's as bad as Santa Monica or Hollywood. Parking is metered all over the place and there are a few (and I mean few) multi-level parking lots. There are also those restrictions signs about parking on one side of the street or another. Needless to say, it was a pain in the butt trying to find parking. I dropped Carrie off and found a spot. It was bloody cold when I got walking to the restaurant. I think it was in the high 20s. Whew! I thought my nose was going to run. I think I have gotten use to the 30-40 degrees. Maybe we will have the 20s for a nice spell so I can acclimate to that. Back to our story....

The restaurant is a Southwestern/Mexican restaurant. They had a bar (cash only) and appetizers. I couldn't squeeze in for the appetizers because there were so many people. But since I was freezing my fingers off, I went for a hot beverage at the bar. Bailey's and coffee -- just the right amout of external and internal heating up and I was feeling fine. The Big Enchilada had asked that we mingle. (You know, dear readers, how these things usually go. You go to a work party and hang out with your friends. You don't talk to the person who has that office down the hall because you never interact with them on a daily basis, so why should you interact with them at the company party? Unless, of course, it is that guy/girl you have had your eye on. If they didn't bring a date, then you spend the entire evening with your suave game face on, vying for their attention. Forget your friends or that person down the hall (that you woudn't talk to anyway.) You need to score date. Then, you have been drinking so much that you let your self go a little too far. Then embarassing things happen. THEN, you have to face your co-workers in the morning.) Well, all that being said, I didn't stick with only the people I have befriended here, nor did I try to pick up on that guy I have been eyeing at work. Nor did I drink so much I did something embarassing. No. Being the social butterfly that I am, I moved around. Talked to quite a few people I usually have little interaction with. Here are a few highlights: Big Cheese Mike who has kids, brought the family to the party. I enjoyed playing with the kids and just watching them. Kids crack me up. Brian brought his wife and adorable daughter. An absolute darling. Greg, Mike D. and Chris, some of our sales people are hilarious people to talk with. Chris is from California and kindly brought me a Trader Joe's gift of No Pudge brownies. I miss Trader Joe's! Mike D. does voice over work and I think Greg must have a second life as a stand up comic. Freakin' hilarious. Wick and his wife and I plotted our next cookie event and how to make gifts without breaking the bank. Elissa loaned out her husband Rocky to do a Kamakazi shot with me. I bought PG a drink for the pain he has been through with that difficult client from CA. There were a few people who had a little too much to drink. I won't embarass them by recounting the particular moment, but it was pretty funny to watch. Though I did two more shots (courtesy of Jesse) after the one I did with Rocky, I have to say that I was still pretty lucid. I think that was the most alcohol I have had in about 6 years (I remember a particular event with a couple of college friends when one from England was visiting. Tequila shots all night long.) At the end of the evening, I took Jesse and Nate home, and Carrie back to her car. Poor Nate had fallen when I was out getting the car, and chipped off his front two teeth. But I think he was a little affected by the drinky to notice at the time. Nobody threw up in the car, for which I am grateful. And we all got home safely - at least Carrie, Jesse and I did. Not sure what happened to Nate. I did see him go up a driveway, but that was the last time I saw him. I think I got home at about 12:30, which says quite a bit about the party. Parties usually last only 3 hours. This one went on for waaayyy longer than that. There were still quite a few people at the place when we left. It was a good party. It was great getting to know people from the office in a non-office environment.

December 15, 2004

Fashion boots ain't snow boots... Rockin' cookies

This morning when I got ready for work, I thought about the party tonight. Do I go home to change? Do I not? I think I will end up going home, but in case I didn't I wore a party pleasing outfit. But I also wore my Bongo brand boots. They are black with six pairs of eyelets and two pairs of hooks. They are butt-kickin' boots, but not snow boots. I have on hose AND socks, yet when I was plodding in the snow, sweeping off my car I could feel coldness seeping into the boots. I don't think they are really water proof. Resistant, maybe. I need to get another pair of boots like the brown snow boots I have. Those are awesome.

Oh, I brought in chocolate chip cookies to work this morning. I made the dough last night. Baked them at 7am. They are going pretty quickly. I have had a very good response to them. The people are happy, and I am happy. Let them eat not cake, but chocolate chip cookies!!!

I think I should go home to get my camera to take pics of the party tonight. Then I can post the pics on this blog. We shall see. Now I must go to the post office to mail out a present and get more stamps. I have about 100 cards to mail out. Whew!

December 14, 2004

Snow, trash tv, burnt steak and Jake the dog

Snow. Lots of snow. There was snow on my way home. It was lovely. I could watch the snow outside my window at work for hours. Okay, maybe not hours, but deffinately minutes at a time.

When I got home, I had mail from my PO box (thanks to Doug) which was really exciting. I also got my second Xmas card of the season (thanks Stephanie A. ) I turned on my Christmas lights and lava lamp in my bedroom and the little Christmas tree with lights in my livingroom. It was so cosy. Then I popped a steak into the broiler. It took a really long time for it to cook. Sheesh! I think that electric ovens are just slower heating than gas. The juice burned and almost set off the smoke detector. I had to open the kitchen window to let out the smoke (it was a chipper 30-35 degrees outside.) After that ordeal, I settled into dinner by the tv. Yes, more reality tv. It is Monday night, which means it is Fox's Wife Swapping show. (Switch wives for a week.) It was part two of last week's episode. After that, I watched a DVD from Netflix. I went to bed somewhere around 11pm, but was having a hard time sleeping. Then, at about 12:30 am, I heard the recycle bin outside being kicked over and people laughing. I took a peek outside and saw that the trash was all over the driveway. I got dressed and went outside to pick it all up. It was so strange being outside that late at night. The earth was very still. There was lots of light from the street lights reflecting the snow. There was about 4-5 inches of soft, powdery snow all over. It was really beautiful, but felt strange. The only sounds I heard were my own footsteps crunching on the snow and my breathing. I could have sat out there for a long time, but after I cleaned up the trash, I thought I should go to bed.

Wick, one of the tech guys, brought in his dog Jake today. Jake is so sweet an adorable. He is a really mellow dog, which I really like. Again, it made me think about my kitties. Too bad I can't bring in my cats to an office. That would be so cool!

December 13, 2004

The weekend...snow...Costco

Friday night after work I just went home and did the usual thing - watch TV. Nothing much to write on that one. I am sure, dear readers, it gets so boring hearing that all I do is sit and watch TV. But that is how exciting my life can be. I am sure you are jealous that I am able to poison my mind with such fantastic shows as Nanny 911 and The Biggest Loser.

Saturday
I woke up and went to WW. Nothing too good to report. I was up .6, which in the scheme of things, wasn't too bad. After that adventure, I went to do some errands, which included going to Costco. Costco is a wonderful warehouse filled with all kinds of deals. I was there to window shop and turn in my photo for my big Christmas mailing. If you are interested in getting a fabulous Christmas photo, be sure to mail me. But you will have to do that within the next week (until December 18) so you can get it in time for Christmas. I digress... After Costco and the dollar store, I went to the library to return some videos I rented. By that time, it was raining/sleeting and I went by the office where Carrie was working. She helped me decorate the office in some holiday cheer (garlands and a few lights.) That was fun. I also put peppermint candy canes at everybody's desk. Then we went to dinner at a Carribean restaurant where I ate spicy, warm steak over a bed of greens. Quite tasty. I would go back there, for sure. Then we went to see Ocean's 12. If you liked the first one, you really should see the second one. If you didn't like the first one, that's too bad for you. If you like Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, or Julia Roberts, go see it. If you don't, that's too bad for you. I think Brad, Matt and George should do another movie together. Freakin' funny guys. The script was pretty good (even the Julia Roberts as herself part.) Of course there are things I could pick at, but why? It was an enjoyable film. Then I went home and finished watching a video I had borrowed from the library. That was fun. I think I went to sleep around 11:30 (I know these details are important.)

Sunday
Church in the morning. I then went to Costco and picked up my Christmas photos. They look great! Just you wait and see!! When I came back, I found that my landlord had put up rails on the stairs in the front of the apartment. That was really swell of him to do that. It is so much safer now. I need to get a broom for the front stairs, but otherwise we are set in the front of the house for winter. I stayed home all day and all evening watching movies. I saw MASH, not the TV show, but the movie that prompted the TV show. I had forgotten that the now famous opening song had lyrics. It was all about suicide. Funny song, really. The movie was pretty funny. More bawdy than the TV show, of course. It has Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland, just to name a couple. It was a really lazy day. I addressed envelopes and I phoned a bunch of people and talked to my friend Gail for about an hour+. (We tend to do that.) I really need to get a land line so I can use my computer at home. What to do, what to do?

December 10, 2004

Where has the week gone?

I have been so busy at work, that I haven't had time to post. I suppose it is a good thing.

The snow melted rather quickly. Have no fear, it should snow about 6 inches over the next 12 hours. I am really looking forward to seeing that. I think it will be fun. My landlord said I could park in his driveway, which is mighty kind. I will begin shoveling snow tomorrow. Yippee!!

Last couple of days, not much going on. I sawa Spanish film, "El Crimen del Padre Amero", starring Gael Garcia Bernal. It was one of my Netflix. Sad, tragic, passionate film dealing with a young priest and one of his congregants. I thought the movie was okay. Gael was much better in the Motorcycle Diaries, which I saw in the theaters here in Burlington. I have had a peaceful night sleep. I made a chili chicken casserole, which is really yummy. It costs about 7 WW points, but is totally worth it. Yum.

This weekend I would like to finish up my Christmas shopping, and get things ready for the mail. We will see how that goes. I know Ocean's 12 is out and I MUST see it this weekend. It really depends also on the snow. One of my greatest highlights will be laundry. Laundry around the block costs me one dollar per wash and drying is about $.25 every 10-15 mins. I MUST do laundry, otherwise I will be wearing my pajamas to work.

Oh, yesterday at work, I dropped off Almond Kisses at every work station. It went over quite well. Tonight or Monday, it will be candy canes. tee hee!

December 07, 2004

Beds and fajitas

I got the bed. Sears came to deliver and was able to get the mattress upstairs with little effort. However, when trying to get the foundation up, they couldn't fit it up the stairs. It was tragic. I asked them to take down the icky, old frame and I would just use the mattress on the floor. They tried. It also wouldn't go on the stairs. So I have a great mattress and a horrid foundation. One out two isn't too bad. Thankfully they will reimburse me for the foundation. Charge it back onto my card.

After work, I went out with Elissa and Carrie from the office. We went to the Daily Planet, a small restaurant/bar in the heart of downtown Burlington. We all ordered the same thing: chicken fajitas. They were pretty good, too. We had a really nice time. I think we shall be doing it again, only next week we have the Last night was the last night to sleep on my icky mattress. I woke up to a nice, powdery, white world outside. Snow. It was lovely.

Pearl Harbor, oil and Iraq?

Today is the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. In remembering what happened so many years ago, don't bother renting the Ben Affleck shlocky movie by the same name. Please. Check out the real thing. You can go check out things at National Geographic's website: http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/or read up about it at the Naval Historical Center. You can see some photos taken by Japanese an Americans at http://www.navsource.org/Naval/arph.htm. To say it was all about oil is prehaps a little simplistic, I am sure. However, it is one of the main reasons the Japanese attacked. We had sanctions placed against Japan so they couldn't expand into other countries and get more oil. Today, we are in Iraq. They have oil. We want oil. Our government says was to free the people of Iraq and end terrorism. But is it not also about oil as well? Just remember what happens to governments who get too greedy. It didn't work out so well for the Romans, British, Germans or Japanese. Who's to say how long we can stay on top of the world in power? As we are taught in basic science, what comes up must come down. Oh, by the way, Iran has lots of oil too.

I digressed. Back to remembering Pearl Harbor....I have been doing research on female pilots of WWII for a story I am working on. One of the interesting stories I read was about a flight school pilot who was training one of her students up in the air in the harbor when she saw a series of Japanese planes fly by her. She thought it was extremely odd and just before she turned back, they had begun bombing. She was able to get her plane and student safely to the ground. But I can't even imagine what was going through her head when she saw the Japanese bombers fly by and then carry out their mission. Woah.


Though I am not that familiar with that many good movies about the battle in the Pacific, there are two great prisoner of war camp movies that are really great. Stalag 17 and The Great Escape are two of my favorites. Stalag 17 stars William Holden and is deffinately one of my favorite war films. I think Harrison Ford must have modeled his sarcastic, suave heros after William Holden. The Great Escape has an all star cast featuring Steve McQueen and it is based on a true story. Years ago, I saw a documentary on the real story behind The Great Escape. It was amazing. The men who engineered their escape from a Nazi prison camp were men of desparation, dedication and intelligence. They wrote out "official" papers by hand, meticulously replicating the type style of a typewriter down to a off-center key. You can read up on it by checking out a book I found about it at Amazon.com. It is a truly amazing story. Though the movie is good and entertaining, it doesn't hold a candle to the real story of these courageous men.






December 06, 2004

TV, movies, life changes and the weekend...

This past week has been rather eventful. There was sad news, and good news. The sad news is that a friend from my church in California died last Sunday. What's interesting, is that he (Terry) died whist at church! He had just finished playing a set (he played drums) and went to sit down. Died right there. That would be a good place to die in, I think. I am not sure what the cause was. Another sad news is that a friend of mine from an old job is splitting with his wife. They have a child together, which adds to the sadness. Not sure what that is about either, but it's between them. I just hope they can work things out or at least be kind to each other over their child.

Good news - this seems so shallow after that, but I am finally getting my new bed. I should get it Tuesday morning. I am really excited about it.

Saturday I went to my W2 meeting and met a nice, old lady named Kay. She and her husband are going to Florida for a month, so I won't be seeing her until January. Then, I went to the library and got some videos. When I got back, Charlotte and I went down the street where there was a co-op craft fair. There was pottery, scarves, hats, jewelry, handmade boxes. Most of it was over my budget, but it was nice to see. Then I did some errands and watched some of the videos. I took a break from my tv fest to go to the Teddy Bear Factory. Yes, I took pictures. Yes, I will post them. I know you are eager to see them. The tour was about 15 minutes long. I even made my own bear. His name is Elwood P. Dowd, after the Jimmy Stewart character in Harvey. If any of you ever want to go to the factory with me, it is a fun easy thing to do. That night, I went to see Alexander, starring Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie. It had lots of fighting, bad dialogue (shame on you Oliver Stone), some historical basis, and some lovely looking men and women. I can't say that I would reccommend it to anybody. If you are a big fan of the two stars, I would say go see it, but seeing as you are already a big fan, you've probably seen it a dozen times already.

Sunday after church, I went Christmas shopping and took a nap. A perfect afternoon! I watched more tv (becoming quite the PBS addict) and made a lovely dinner with a ham I got from Schwann's. The Schwann guy might be coming tonight for another order. I don't know if I will be around, but perhaps next time. I think I am good for now with the food.

All in all, it was a good weekend. I would like to find out about going up to Montreal this next weekend on the bus. That would be a blast.