Get LOST tomorrow night

I had an idea. Right there, bright and shiny in my head. And now it's gone. Damn.
Having just finished watching the repeat showing of last season's Lost finale, I am super excited about having a television obsession actually on the television tomorrow night. Yay! I was surprised by how much I had forgotten, and ridiculously distracted by the damn little pop-ups that the network had going on and off throughout the show. But on the whole, it was a well-spent two hours.
I had a picture of the Goodyear blimp that I e-mailed from my phone, but unfortunately, the system decided to have a fart and the picture is missing in action. (Actually, I think that was what the bright, shiny idea was: how the Super Bowl is invading our little town.) At any rate, Sydney and I saw the blimp this afternoon; spent a bit of time in more-than-normal traffic going back and forth to Babies 'R Us; got frustrated being stuck behind several rental cars full of people who have no idea where they're going; and the police were called to an event at the bar around the corner last night (Super Bowl party, as told the signs earlier in the day). I'll be pleased when this weekend is over. Because really, not only is it the Super Bowl, but the FBR Open, and a Suns game. Could the organizers not have picked a busier weekend? Maybe we should throw in ASU's homecoming and Spring Training too, huh?

Just a little off the length, please

Most times, after I've cut some significant length off of my hair, I'm energized, excited and happy that I did it. It's weird that this time, having severed about five inches off my 'do last month, I'm having issues with remorse and some sort of odd guilt. I find that in the morning, I'm wishing that I didn't have to deal with all those too-short-to-pull-back locks of hair. I'm irritated by constantly wrapping them behind my ears to keep them out of my way. Just right now, there is one lock tickling my neck, and I wish it would just grow so it could be forced into submission again.
Why did I get it cut? I know that I talked myself into it. Probably more because I was getting bored with just pulling it back; that's no real hair style. As it stands now though, I am keeping the same hair style, just not as neatly. Hair's flying around everywhere.
So how do I keep myself from falling into the same trap next year, when I decide again that my hair's too long? Would someone please just tell me that it's okay to only cut an inch or so off the length? Because then it's not too long for me to handle, and it can still can be pulled back neatly? Why is it all or nothing with me and my hair? Ack! I'm bugged by it!

Tom Brady and Sparky sitting in a tree

How cool is this? That's Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots, toodling around Arizona State University's Sun Devil Stadium. I know this because that is our campus' main man, Sparky, right there watching over him ... and saying, "Don't mess up, dude. You could end up like Jake Plummer. I've seen it happen. It's ugly."

Denied by gnomes

I kept hoping that if I just thought really good thoughts and kept the lights off, the kitchen gnomes would sneak into my home and do my dishes while I was watching the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Alas, they did not. Instead, the Internets fairies sneaked into the office and messed with our Internets connection. More likely, it was Brian trying to do something fancy, but whatever the cause, he's fixed it. I get so feisty when the Internets isn't working, you know? That's something that should just always work.
Well, as far as awards shows go, the SAG offering pretty much sucked this evening. Highlights: seeing Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie out among the other actors (I like that); Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin being honored; The Office peeps on my TV again; Daniel Day-Lewis' comments about Heath Ledger; and knowing that The Sopranos won't be able to win ever again. Lowlights: old people yammering on for incredible lengths of time (I mean you, Mickey Rooney, especially); no Hugh Laurie speech; and The Sopranos still winning so much. Really, if this is the best that we'll get this award show season, I would rather they had relegated this one to a press conference as well.

Tasha, Uniqua, Tyrone, Pablo and Austin

I think I may have submerged fully into the world of children's television. It's no secret, and in fact I'm proud of it, but I'll admit to mine and Sydney's obsession with Noggin, the no-commercial, 24-hour, for-preschooler television station produced by Nickelodeon. Seriously, there's no commercials, and every show is preceded by a notice telling how exactly the show is educational for our kids. I love it. We've got a few favorites, including Jack's Big Music Show, Maggie and the Ferocious Beast, Little Bill, The Upside Down Show, and The Wonder Pets! and The Backyardigans (the latter two are recorded daily in the DVR for on-demand viewing). I've got a few I don't like at all: Max and Ruby, Lazy Town, Franklin, Little Bear and Oobi. We do not watch them unless we absolutely must, like when nothing else is working and she's about to go nuclear.
But, back to my drowning. Tonight, I downloaded Backyardigans songs onto my iPod for us to listen to in the car. There, I said it. I recognized several of them, got a giggle out of listening to them as I played on iTunes, and eagerly uploaded the tunes into the iPod as soon as I got them on my computer. There, it's out in the open. Brian knows about it, too. I'm excited to play them for her on our way to Gymboree Monday.
Also, I've added the Backyardigans DVDs to our Netflix queue so we can use them for Sydney's DVD player for long trips. These will be more entertaining for us than the Baby Einstein DVDs because there is fun singing and dancing.
I'm drowning in clever children's programming, my peeps. It's so fun!

Chillin' at the p-a-r-k

I swear, my dog doesn't know he's a dog. I think he thinks he's really just a small human on four legs. We all went to the dog park this morning, with the goal of getting Ollie some exercise and some time running around. Also, I knew that it would be fun for all of us to do something together. Anyway, this is my dog at the dog park: staying about 10 feet away from any other dog. Oh, he'd let them sniff him, and occasionally he'd turn around and acknowledge them too, but on the whole, he was very indifferent to all the other four-legged creatures running around the place. Now, this photo is a bit misleading because there's only one other dog in it, but let me tell you, there were no less than 50 dogs in the park. My dog just chose to not play with any of them. For the first 30 minutes we were there, he chose instead to just hang out, sniff plants and rocks, and wander about in the sunshine. Don't get me wrong, that's all good stuff for a kid who lives his life in an apartment, and I feel bad that I don't get him out there more often, it's just that we'd so love it if he would play with the other kids. Brian sees this as the absolute reason why we need a puppy. I see it as a reason why we need to get the dog outside more often.

It's her hair and makeup; they bug me

ITEM!: The Monte Carlo hotel and casino in Las Vegas caught fire today. The top four floors are ablaze in this picture here. (I had my wedding reception there almost seven years ago.) Today though, Brian's sister and brother in-law were guests at the hotel when the fire erupted. They had to evacuate, and have since been put up in The Bellagio. Since they aren't allowed back in for their luggage yet, the Monte Carlo told them to just keep all their receipts and they would be reimbursed for the expenses they incur while out of their own room. Now that's a reason to do some shopping!
ITEM!: Just so you know, the Screen Actors Guild awards are to be televised Sunday night. For those of you jonesing for a glitzy awards show, this could be the only one of the year. Because the SAG and its members have refused to cross picket lines for the Writers Guild, the Guild has allowed its members to write for the actors' award show. And because of this, the SAG awards may well be the only fully sanctioned award show of the year. And because of that, it may be the only well-attended award show. The list of presenters is incredible, the attendees are looking to make some waves, and the entertainment media is literally drooling over the chance to to finally celebrate itself. Be sure to catch the show this Sunday night!
ITEM!: I don't get Amy Winehouse. I've listened to a couple of her songs, and they're okay, but I simply don't understand what the big hullabaloo about her is all about. As far as I can tell, she's just a junkie that's gotten lucky. Best of luck to her in rehab. (Yikes!)
ITEM!: I decided that I've got too much stuff. it's just everywhere, this stuff that I've got, and I'm sick of looking at it. I want to throw it all away. I won't, of course, because I don't just throw stuff away, but I really would like to know how these minimalist people get through their day with so little amount of stuff. I actually unpacked a box today, put most of the contents in a bag for Goodwill, and proceeded to rewrap some of the things to go back in the box. Then I thought, well, stupid, if it's important enough to keep, why isn't important enough to set out? I think that may be my new criteria for stuff. So those pieces will be donated, too, I think. But we'll see. I so hate giving up too much on a whim, you know?

Hopefully, a tragic accident

I was very sorry and sad to hear of the death of Heath Ledger earlier this week. It's so weird how you can feel like you really know a person just because you've watched them grow (not necessarily in age either, but by accomplishments). I remember watching him in 10 Things I Hate About You, and loving him. I think I've seen every one of his movies, if not in their entirety, then in pieces. I was intrigued with him being selected to play Joker in the newest Batman movie, Dark Knight, due out this summer. I did enjoy his performance in Brokeback Mountain, and took heart in the love story between him and Michelle Williams, and the subsequent birth of their daughter. I was depressed to hear that they had broken up last year.
It's always hard to hear about a promising young person losing their life. Every time I hear about one of these kids dying, I always think of my first love, River Phoenix, and how heartbroken I was when he died. But now, with Ledger, I think more of his baby girl, and how he'll never be able to watch her grow older, how he'll not be able to take her to college, or even to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. That's what's more sad to me now.
Ledger's autopsy results were inconclusive, and it will take another week before we know the real reason behind his death. I hope they'll find it's an accident. I'd hate for him to have taken his own life. You know, our maintenance guy was here yesterday, and for whatever reason, brought up Ledger's death. "These celebrities, you know, and their drugs. I guess he just got his money too fast. Didn't know how to handle it." I'm sad that conclusions are reached so quickly based solely on the fact that he was a successful actor. I guess that just the fact that there were pills in his apartment, even though they were legal and prescribed, will always taint his reputation, won't it?

No wonder they waited so long to do this one

Dude, you guys, I just watched one of the most ridiculous movies that I've wasted my time on in a long while. Do not, I repeat, do not, spend an hour and 30 minutes watching Rush Hour 3. You might think it's going to be fun and campy like the first two Rush Hour movies, but it will not be. It will be stupid, it will be annoying, and it will be contrived. It will suck the intelligence straight out of your brain, as if there was an actual hose going from your head into the DVD itself.
We were about 24 minutes into the film when I had had enough. Brian said, "Let's give it another 30 minutes." I said, "In 30 minutes, there will only be 30 minutes left. If we're waiting, then we're in this one for the long haul." And yes, we finished it; a movie so stupid that I'm not even going to waste my brain space finding a photo from the movie to post along with this rant. I wish I hadn't promised to list the "Last five movies I've seen," over in the left column there, so I could forget about this colossal irritation faster.

Update: But then, when I uploaded the post, it looked so bad without any photo that I actually did do a search for images from Rush Hour 3. And now I'm ashamed of these neuroses and that they wouldn't let me slack off on this one post.

Dug it, by the way

Ask me what I accomplished today. Go on, ask me.
I have no idea. I can name off a couple actual activities that I followed through on, but as a whole, my day was spent at home, hanging out. Truthfully, the only time I even left the apartment is when Sydney and I went for a walk, and then when we took Oliver for his walk. So we did get some fresh air and sunshine. I didn't drive anywhere. I didn't talk to anyone but Mom.
Actually, that's not true. I found a company that will shred this huge pile of stuff for me for a minimally offensive price. That makes me happy. Seriously, for a load the size of a banker's box, this place will charge me $5 to take it off my hands. I think that's a sweet deal. Anything to keep me from spending hours on the floor, probably making my back very sore, and possibly burning out my shredder. It was my intention to go through my file cabinet tonight, but instead, I made myself comfortable in front of the DVD player and television and watched Stardust.
You know, the Oscar nominations were announced today. I know, they were! And guess what, I have no idea what the five films up for Best Picture are. Disappointed, are you? Looking for some insight into your Oscar pool? You won't find it here. All I know is that I haven't seen any of the movies that are even considered Oscar hopefuls, and that it's too late to dig through it now for tonight's post. Besides, my new rule is to be in bed, or in the bedroom getting ready for bed, at 10 p.m. every night. I find that by sticking to that rule, I'm not as bitter about getting up in the morning. Amazing, yes? Huzzah!

Button, button, who's got the button?

Look what I did tonight! I know, I know. You're all, big deal, it's a button. But seriously, I'm so inexperienced at doing this kind of stuff that I get the most ridiculous feeling of satisfaction out of completing so meaningless a task. Of course, I still needed some guidance from Brian, who helped me finish it, but the majority of the triumph is mine. I did it. I sewed on a button. My mommy will be so proud when I tell her!

"Drier than a popcorn fart"

For dinner, I ate an entire bowl of popcorn, drank a big glass of milk, and watched football. Aside from the general feeling of nausea that plagues me, it was a pretty good night. Our boys, the Patriots, are going to the Super Bowl with a perfect 18-0 record. And while watching the second game of the day, the Giants and the Green Bay Packers, Brian and I giggled about it being more a contest of "Who gets to lose to the Pats in the Super Bowl."
And the honor goes to the New York Giants, a team led by a quarterback whom I believe to be a whiny baby, and a coach who yells at a kicker for missing a field goal when the kid clearly already feels like absolute crap.
So now the race is on for tickets to the biggest game of the sports year, which also happens to be happening in Glendale, Ariz. this February. Brian tells me that tickets are a bit too expensive for us this year. What a coup it would be to score some for, say, a couple hundred bucks a piece, huh? Anyone got some? We'll take pictures to show you. I promise.

Let's get this year started

I always enjoy January 19. That day (or today, more specifically) seems more of a New Year's Day to me than the first day of January. Because finally, all the holidays are over, people have gotten over Christmas entirely, and for me, my birthday is done so now I can focus on the rest of the year and the rest of the people in my life. January 19 is really pretty liberating for me. Let's call it Independence Day and really let the ridiculous cliches fly.
I did have a great birthday, you know. Plenty of text messages, phone calls and e-mails to commemorate it, and a healthy portion of See's candy to survive it. For those who sent actual birthday cards, you're awesome. Thank you!

Yep, he's gotten all hot

I am recently disturbed by a late-in-life, movie-star crush on Leonardo DiCaprio. How behind the mainstream dreamboat-ogling times am I? But really, I think it has more to do with his last two movies, The Departed, and my recent HBO obsession, Blood Diamond. I remember the first time I saw Blood Diamond, and thought, "Wow. Boy's grown up." And tonight, I happened to catch the movie right at the beginning. Imagine my surprise when I got all girly and giddy at a scene with him in just a bath towel. Weird, huh? I can't tell you how many times I've landed on the film and ended up watching it through to the end in the last few weeks. I think it's the whole bad-boy thing, certainly, but the accent, too, is a bit of a turn on. What to do but continue watching?

Brrr. Chilly!

Hee, hee. So I've got on this pair of jeans that I've had for a really long time. This past summer, they developed a bit of a hole in the knee, and it's grown quite a bit due to my stubbornness in continuing to wear the jeans. Tonight, as I walked across the apartment, I noticed the strangest feeling. I had a draft on my knee ... ... and it was cold! I couldn't believe it! My knee had actually gotten cold from the air blowing through the hole just from the force of my walking! How funny is that!?! I love it when I'm surprised by random stuff! Now these jeans will forever be in my closet, never to be donated or tossed out. They're the draft-on-my-knee jeans!