Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Se7en

I’ve been hit! Thanks for the tag Aarwenn. Without further ado…

Seven things I plan to do before I die:
1. Travel everywhere. I mean it, everywhere. Well, maybe not like, say Kansas.
2. Become amazingly wealthy and successful doing something that I love
3. Learn to play the cello
4. Become a home owner
5. Make profound contribution to society (specifics to be worked out later)
6. Get a graduate degree in something-or-other
7. Get paid to sing (the singing telegram gig in college does not count)

Seven things I can do:
1. Daydream
2. Swim
3. Play a bit of piano and the clarinet (albeit rather poorly by now, but I pull it out now and then when I’m feeling musical…and no one is listening)
4. Tell long stories
5. Sing (I know the words to an embarrassing number of show tunes)
6. Make conversation with strangers
7. Make excuses (for myself, others, whatever)

Seven things I cannot do:
1. The math (this includes successful management of my personal finances)
2. Be mean to or critical of people I know
3. Stay focused on something I don’t find interesting
4. Surf, rollerblade, snowboard or ski (Downhill or water that is. Cross-country I’m pretty good at)
5. Get out of bed/leave my home on time in the morning
6. A pull-up (Really, I don’t think I’ve ever done one. Damn you Presidential Physical Fitness Test and P.E.!)
7. Kill things or be in the presence of dead things (seriously, I avert my eyes when I walk through the meat aisle at the grocery store)

Seven things that attract me to the opposite sex:
1. Intelligence
2. Humor, a good laugh
3. Red hair, I’m a sucka for it
4. Creative nature
5. Sensitivity and kindness
6. Ability to be adventurous
7. Self confidence

Seven things that I say most often:
1. "What?"
2. "Are you fuckin’ kidding me?"
3. "I’m soooo tired"
4. "So, I was thinking…"
5. "Back in the day…" (this is handy for any and all events occurring in the college years or earlier)
6. "APLA, this is Shannon speaking"
7. "I need to go get some coffee"

Seven celebrity crushes:
1. Johnny Depp
2. Jeanine Garofalo
3. Jared Leto
4. Margaret Cho
5. Ellen DeGeneres
6. Antonio Banderas (Muy caliente!)
7. Robin Williams (dude, he’s HI-larious)

Seven people I want to do this:
1. I don’t know who’s
2. done this and
3. who hasn’t, so
4. if you want to
5. consider
6. yourself
7. tagged

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Po' me

This post is basically to complain to no one in particular that I feel like ass. I started coming down with something yesterday afternoon, but as usual my first response to that I-may-be-coming-down-with-something feeling was complete denial. I'm sure I picked something up from one of those walking bacterial cultures (I think they're called "children") at the clinic on Monday. Last night was my neighbor's birthday cook-out, so of course instead of drinking lots of fluids and going to bead early I stay up till almost 10 eating and chatting away as I can feel my head grow hotter and hands get cold and clammy. I took what I thought was 2 NyQuil capsules (discovered the next morning to actually be DayQuil. I was a bit out of it.) and crashed. At 2am I was wide awake and so HOT, and I had a nasty headache in the back of my head that extended all through my neck and shoulders. I think "I should call in sick" but roll over to look at the clock only to realize it is not morning yet. Luckily my fever had gone down by morning, but I still wasn't feeling so good. Of course I had important things to do today, because one can never get sick when one actually has time to be sick. I ended up going back into the clinic to complete the testing I needed done and going to work for a couple hours and then going home at noon at the insistence of my co-workers. I canceled my afternoon dentist appointment, rescheduling the permanent installment of my new crown for the third time. I've pretty much been sleeping all day since then but can't seem to shake this sore throat and woosy head. And maybe I'm feeling a little bit warm. And my lower back hurts. :( I really hope I feel better by morning. I have a conference bright and early and I want to take Friday as my personal day.

On the bright side Jason is coming home tomorrow morning, earlier than expected :~)



That's my sweetie and our buddy Franklin from NYC at Fiesta in Santa Barbara a couple weeks ago. Ain't they sweet?

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

el gato

Because I haven't posted nearly enough pictures lately...





This is my cat that lives at my parents' house in Wisco. I found him in our garage when I was 12. I don't think my parents ever explicitly said we could keep the cat, but after I started feeding him and letting him in the house they finally agreed to take him to the vet for a check up. So that's how he came to live with us. He must be close to 15 years old by now. Isn't he a handsome devil? We named him "Rafters" but he mostly goes by "Kitty".

Friday, August 19, 2005

Pigs are flying...

and hell froze over. I actually completed my second project involving yarn...ever. I knitted myself a scarf a couple years ago, and now I've completed this crochet hat for my friend Darah's baby. Here's some photos:





And I was actually in Wisconsin to personally deliver the hat last weekend (OK, well not just to deliver the hat, but more on that later) Here's the little man modeling (I've got mad photography skills, see how I cut off the hat at the top? So on purpose):



And a nice picture of a Wisconsin landscape:

Lots of fun with picture pages

I've downloaded some pictures to my new online account, so here's the link for that. I've already reached my monthly limit, but I have many, many more pictures. I'll be downloading more as the free account allows me to do so. There's a link on the sidebar over there so you can visit frequently. And you can leave comments on the photos. Have I mentioned I love pictures and my digital camera <3 Love y'all. Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Jason's birthday pictorial

Remember when I said I was gonna post pictures from Jason's birthday ages ago? Yea, well here some are!


Jason enjoys cake at C & O Cucina


A Shabbas sing along


Our Shabbas veggie taco bar


More Birthday Cake!


Keg!


Beer!







And now...


Pictures of Doggies Just for Fun













I'm working on getting all my pics on this web pic hosting thingy that yahoo has called flickr.com , I'll post the link when it's ready for more hot picture action.

Oh Gwen, when did this happen?

Now I am no fashion expert, but come on. Even Gwen seems to be throwing up her hands as if to say "WTF am I wearing? Clearly my stylist needs to be fired."



I used to be into Gwen back in the No Doubt days, we'll say around '97. I even pop in Tragic Kingdom for some nostalgia now and then, but I just don't get the new Gwen. At least she left the white leggings at home this time. BTW, this is filler content. Hopefully I'll post some of my own pics tonight.

To be continued…

So I’ve been really busy lately, life seems to be throwing faster than I can duck these days. But I have many pictures and stories now, and will post them as soon as I find the time. Jason fixed the problem with downloading pictures from my camera to the computer. Thanks J! Stay tuned, I promise content worth reading soon!

Thursday, August 11, 2005

The tag strikes again.

I’ve been tagged by Tanya with the “10 turn ons/10 turn offs” list. So here y’all go.

Turn ons:
that lovely red-headed man of mine, Jason
genuinely happy people
brownies (you know, the special kind)
grande vanilla soy lattes
beach days
weekends!
employment that doesn’t suck
TiVo
media consumption
beer

turn offs:
shallow, superficial and/or stupid people (most of the population of LA really, yet I love it here. Curious.)
cubicles and fluorescent lighting
the dentist
student loan/auto loan/credit card debt
road rage
dressing rooms
freezing cold snowy blizzard days where you dig your car out from under a mountain of snow and scrape the ice and then go to work/school (maybe that’s why I love LA anyway?)
Boob Jobs
the fucking 405
not getting enough sleep

Jenkies, that was fun! OK, I tag RG, Leah, and GGG05 with the day glow shoe. Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

AIDS Walk

I would like to let you all know that on Sunday, October 16 something really special is going on. The 21st annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles! AIDS Walk LA was the first AIDS Walk in the country. All the proceeds benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), which is a really special organization that serves thousands of people in Los Angeles County living with HIV/AIDS. Most of APLA’s clients live at or below the federal poverty line, and many would not have access to the services they need to live a quality life without the help of all the wonderful people who lend their support to APLA.

This is where you come in. If you’re in the LA area you can get your own self signed up and walking. Or, if you’re not in LA you could sponsor me! It’s really easy, you can do it online. Whatever you can do is deeply appreciated.

Thanks for your support and I hope to see lots of you Angelinos out there on Oct. 16!

Thursday, August 04, 2005

I live in a bubble...

and I like it here. I think we all tend to surround ourselves with people and places that seem to support our general world view. Part of the reason I had such a hard time with the last Bush election was that I knew no one personally who voted for him and in my mind no one has ever had a favorable opinion of him or his first term in office. So why was he handed a second? Because, believe it or not, there are other people “out there” (mostly in economically depressed states and sparsely populated regions from my understanding) who for all practical purposes could be on another planet. The division of America is real. Even if you don’t believe that global warming is, you’ve been living under a rock for some time now if you cannot see plain as day the deep division that has ruptured the very fabric of society here in the US. And just like the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, the reds are getting redder and the blues are getting bluer. In my severe codependence and need for everyone to get along, I’ve done a damn good job at surrounding myself with people who basically believe in the same things I do, give or take. But my fear here is that if everyone does that, no one will ever understand the other side. They will forever be the “other”, the “enemy”, the “problem with this country”. When really, as much as the news media has trained us to think this way, this is not a black and white kind of thing. And if we only point fingers and never actually get around to actual solutions to actual problems, well, you can see where this is heading.

Thanks to Tanya and this post, and to this guy who commented on it. It gave me something to think about today. BTW about the snarky comment Scott… couldn’t help myself. I don’t know you and you don’t know me, and we certainly come from different worlds. But you just can’t judge, wouldn’t be prudent. Unless you’re always right, which I obviously am ;)

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Look!

My sister has posted some pictures of the wedding dress she has selected and several options for us loverly bridesmaids. Go to Stacy’s blog and view her photo album. I'm not sure which dress I like best, perhaps the strapless with beading. It looks pur-tee.

Monday, August 01, 2005

La joie du celbration...or why is Tim Meadows so sad?

This past week we have been celebrating Jason’s birthday hardcore. As y’all know J turned 26 this past Wednesday. After that root canal I had last Monday it’s all kind of a blur up until this morning, but as far as I know this is what happened:

Tuesday night: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Ben and Tosha (aka the Bermagliaccos) at the IMAX® Theatre at The Bridge located at the Howard Hughes Center Promenade. This was a good film, an excellent updated remake of the original. The flashbacks did get a little weird and I think maybe made the film a bit too dark, and wow is it obvious that Willie dropped a lot of acid back in the day. But overall, a lot of fun and I’d recommend it.

Wednesday: Jason’s birthday! I took him out to dinner at C & O Trattoria at Venice Beach. This place is one of our favorites. House Chianti on tap (you can help yourself at stations around the dining area and they charge you based on the honor system!) and garlic bread knots keep coming till you say stop. ‘Nuff said. Double chocolate cheese cake was shared for desert.
Then we met up with The Bermagliaccos and Ben’s cousin Julie who happened to be in town. We went to Temple Bar in Santa Monica to catch Rebirth Brass Band playing a late show. Alex came out and joined us as well. We danced and had a swingin’ New Orleans Jazzy kind of night. Much fun had by all.

Thursday: Rob and his girlfriend Kayoko arrive to join the festivities. Rob is a friend of Ben’s from back in the day when he used to work at the Hillel at UNC Chapel Hill. Rob has been in Japan for the past 2+ years teaching English to schoolchildren, so it was nice of them to make it out and see all of us on the left coast during this trip. Jason’s dad took a big group of us out to the new California Pizza Kitchen on Sunset Boulevard. Thanks Jason’s dad! I am in love with their goat cheese and roasted pepper pizza. Heaven I tell you! This meal was also followed by cake.

Friday: The Bermagliaccos made a lovely get together at their home for Shabbat dinner. We made an all veggie taco bar, complete with three different kind of beans as well as veggie beef and chicken (or “feef” and “ficken” if you will), and Challa bread from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (soooo good, highly recommended). And Julie just so happens to be a song leader for a summer camp, so out the guitar came and we attempted to sing. Oh, and did I mention that this meal ended with...why yes! Cake. You are catching on quickly.

Saturday: We went to Venice beach. I love going back to visit my old hood, but I do not miss dealing with the parking. Swimming, boogie boarding and sunbathing were enjoyed, and then I went home and took a nap.
Then it was time to go off to Hollywood, where we went to the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater to see their show ASSSSCAT. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I knew of the Upright Citizens Brigade from their television show on Comedy Central. You know, with that cute and hilarious Amy Poehler. Anyway, it was troupe style sketch improve comedy, and the cast was composed of comedian/actors we didn’t particularly recognize. However, the special surprise host and monologuer was Tim Meadows, long time token black cast member of Saturday Night Live. We were all very excited when Tim took the stage. Too bad his monologues didn’t make me laugh all that much. Beginning with an audience member suggesting “hubris” as a monologue topic, followed by accounts of his divorce, struggling dating life, his childhood hometown of decrepit Detroit, Michigan, and then some discourse on fact that there was not a single black person in the audience(which weirdly enough was true). I felt more like Tim should have been addressing a shrink from a couch rather than trying to deliver a “humorous” monologue to a theater audience. I think Tim needs a group hug. The show had its high points. Some moments of wit and spontaneity, and instances of deftly executed physical comedy. And for $5 a seat and cheap valet ($3.50) you could do worse for a night out in LA.

After the show we grabbed some eats to go at Nagila, picked up a ¼ barrel of MGD, and headed home to drink beer. I would just like to point out that there is right now an approximately quarter full quarter barrel on my balcony. We can no longer consume a pony keg amongst 10 adults in 24 hours or less, even though I put in my fair share for sure. What is the world coming to? Maybe we should have invited Tim Meadows over to help us drink the keg. It sounds like he could use a few brewskies.

Sunday we went to the Santa Monica farmers market to see our Omelet Guy, and then eat yummy omelets with potatoes. After that we went to our neighbors’ BBQ, where the guests were gracious enough to take a few pitchers of beer off our hands.

So that’s about where the party ends I guess. I passed out in bed by 10pm last night. Pictures of above festivities to follow.

Other exciting news: I went to the dentist this afternoon, yes again, to get the final prep work done for my crown and have an impression taken of the gap where I used to have a tooth. No respect for gums, these folks. Oy, it hoits! Please excuse my typing in a drug induced state. I hope most of this has made sense. One more visit and this is all over bitches. No more of this novocain needles up my gums, throbbing pain, chewing carefully on one side of my mouth BS. Why must they hurt me so? People, learn from my mistakes. FLOSS! FLOSS! You really need to, they’re not kidding.

Also Franklin is coming to town tomorrow all the way from NYC baby! Very exciting stuff. The party resumes again…must get some sleep.

Good night, good night! parting is such
sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be zzzzzzzz…..