Excuse me for a moment while I edit and publish the posts I wrote over the last week or so. Ok, there, I'm finished.

I watched Wonderland Friday night. Is it just me or is Val Kilmer the best? And not just because he's Madmartigan. I love Tim Blake Nelson too, but the real surprise was Dylan McDermott - almost unrecognizable and very believable as one of the druggies.

Smells Like Snowflakes

I saw The Vagina Monologues for the first time last night. I absolutely loved it! It was put on by students of SSU and was a benefit to raise money for the Women's Resource Center. I wasn't sure what to expect. The performance began with the curtain being raised slightly to about thirty pairs of feet, all bound with red fabric. The curtain raises higher, and we see the womens' hands, also bound with red fabric. The curtain is raised all the way, and the women are blindfolded and gagged with the same red fabric. It was quite startling image. But they quickly broke free from their "bonds" and launched into the monologues. All the women stayed on the stage the whole time, lounging on pillows or in rocking chairs. The majority of the performers did not have their monologue(s) completely memorized, consulting their script as needed. It was a very casual and fun performance, with lots of audience participation. The other women on stage cheered and clapped along with the audience. The monologues themselves were funny, sad, thought-provoking, and inspiring. Some of my favorite moments were: "You have to love hair to love the vagina", "Slow down!" (what your vagina would say if it could talk), I Was Twelve, My Mother Slapped Me (memories of first periods, performed by The Vulva Choir), and "snowflakes" (what a six-year-old thinks a vagina smells like).

The Rushed Feeling

I was a bit frazzled this morning. We had our bimonthly company meeting this morning at 8:15. I had intended to get here early, around 7:30, to avoid feeling rushed. The alarm woke me up at 6:10 and I reached over and pressed snooze. A little while later, I woke up again. Do you know that feeling when you wake up and know something is not quite right. Sure enough, I rolled over and saw 7:23 on the clock. I had pressed sleep instead of snooze! "Oh fuck," I groaned. Nevertheless, I had some orange juice, took a quick shower, got dressed, and made it here by 8. I did not avoide the rushed feeling.
And to top it off, I left the house wearing a t-shirt and flip-flops and now it's raining.

2004--The Year of Me
I've declared that every year for the past few years, but I mean it this time (I say that every year too.) I am devoted to calendars. As much as I tell myself not to plan ahead so much and be more spontaneous, live in the now, etc., I still just spent an hour making a little calendar and filling in all the dates. I'm a geek. Ok. But it gets me jazzed up thinking about all the possible goodness to come - all the fun things I can do, all the experiences I can.... experience. And as is becoming crystal clear, I am devoted to (or enslaved by) lists - of all kinds. Perhaps I will narrow my list down to just one item this year: enjoy.

Kicking Myself in the Ass

I need to stop focusing on what I don't have (e.g. better job, more money). I have been agonizing since June - do I want to move? do I not want to move? should I apply for any job? should I hold out for a great job? I have paralyzed myself with my indecision and inability to take action.

I have spent so much time thinking about what will be... such a big build up to the new phase in my life. What if it all blows up in my face?
But I don't think I've been missing out on life or anything. In the past year there has been a road trip to Canada, birthdays, my first visit to Yosemite, a 1-year anniversary, a trip to Disneyland.... lots of good stuff.

Maybe It's Just Me
I recently skimmed an article about how women popping the question to men is becoming a popular trend. A good thing about this is that the woman is not required to buy an engagement ring. But never fear, ladies, your man will probably get you one anyway. Isn't that nice. Are you kidding me?? Of course the woman is not "required" to buy an engagement ring. That's because the man is not "required" to either. Whoever started the rumor that such an extravagant gift is a requirement ought to be shot. Isn't Ann Landers always saying gifts should never be expected or requested? If my fiance-to-be is bound and determined to shell out a pile of money to "seal the deal," believe me, I can think of many better ways to spend it. Like how about on the wedding? Or the honeymoon? Or furniture? Basically, how about spend it on something that both of us can enjoy. Ah, practicality. Don't worry - it won't bite. And the best part is that this way, the apparent hand-raising reflex that occurs to a newly engaged woman when someone offers her their congratulations won't be to flash the diamond, but to slap a high five.

Happy Spring

Today is the first day in about 2 weeks that I wore socks and shoes to work. This does not mean I have been going barefoot, although that would be nice (if the ground wasn't so dirty). It's just that I have been basking in summer caliber sun and the luxury of daily flip-flop wearing. But the weather is beginning to turn gray again, so it's back to socks and shoes--and jackets!--for awhile. Is it just me, or is that a little ironic?

I was up in South Lake Tahoe this weekend. It was quite warm and sunny, but there was plenty of residual snow on the ground. It was a bit surreal to see teenagers snowboarding down the hill at Reagan Beach in short sleeves, or no shirts at all. I got my socks wet. I didn't like that.

My Father, He Is Orange and My Mother, She Is Green

I decided to not wear green today because I am non-partisan. Please don't pinch me.

St. Patrick was real; the snakes were not. Irish Catholics celebrate the fact that St. Patrick rid the island of those venomous Pagans, those heathens who also gave the Catholics St. Brigit, the Celtic Triple Goddess from which we get the idea of the trinity, as represented by the shamrock.

A few years ago there was a lovely documentary on the telly called Irish in America: Long Journey Home. The soundtrack is just as lovely, but the song that haunts me most is "Skibbereen" sung by Sinead O'Connor. (Sinead O'Connor got a bad rap for the whole tearing up the picture of the Pope thing. She is actually quite a great singer. My favorite song of hers is "Daddy I'm Fine.")
The song "Skibbereen" tells one family's story about the flight from Ireland during the great famine:
Oh son I loved my native land with energy and pride
'Til a blight came over on my crops, my sheep and cattle died,
The rent and taxes were so high, I could not them redeem,
And that's the cruel reason why I left old Skibbereen.

The group Black 47 take their name from the darkest year of the famine - 1847.

Harsh but true: No Irish Need Apply

Recommended Irish Movies
(In some cases I am not differentiating between Irish-produced movies and American-produced movies set in Ireland.)
Some Mother's Son(T) - the story of Bobby Sands and fellow hunger strikers.
In the Name of the Father(T) - Intense and shocking. Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing.
Bloody Sunday(T) - in the style of a documentary, this movies reenacts the events surrounding January 30, 1972.
An Everlasting Piece(T)- Catholic and Protestant wig salesmen in 1980's Belfast
Liam - in the same vein as Angela's Ashes, but much better
Titanic Town(T) - I have only seen part of this movie, but Julie Walters is excellent as a mother determined to stop the violence from affecting her family.
War of the Buttons - I love this movie! The little boys are so cute!
The Snapper - My favorite!
The Commitments
The Boxer(T)
The General - starring Brendan Gleeson of The Snapper and Braveheart
Waking Ned Devine - I love this movie! The old men are so cute!
Dancing At Lughnasa - the movie (starring Meryl Streep, Rhys Ifans, and Catherine McCormack) is ok, but the play (written by Brian Friel) is much better. I saw a performance at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.

*Movies with a (T) are about or take place during The Troubles.

FYI, Lughnasa is the festival of the first harvest.

And to celebrate the Irish spirit on this gloriously sunny day, let's all cool down with a mudslide! Ben & Jerry's Dublin Mudslide that is.

March Madness

Named for Mars, the Roman god of war, March was originally the beginning of the year.
According to Shakespeare, a soothsayer warned Julius Ceasar "beware the Ides of March." Translation: Beware of March 15th. Such a dastardly day it is. But did you know that there is an "Ides" in every month? It's the 15th day of March, May, July, or October, or the 13th day of any other month in the ancient Roman calendar.

mad as a march hare = completely mad. Hares behave excitedly in March, which is their rutting season. Rut, which is akin to Middle Irish rucht, meaning roar, is an annually recurrent state of sexual excitement.

I like learning new things. :-)

A Little Nonsense Now and Then Is Relished by the Wisest Men

"The Merriam-Webster Word of the Day for March 12 is:
jabberwocky • \JAB-er-wah-kee\ • noun
: meaningless speech or writing
Example sentence:
"The salesman started spewing computer jabberwocky at me like an auctioneer. I understood about every sixth word he uttered." (Larry D. Clifton, The Tampa Tribune, September 6, 1998)
Did you know?
In a poem titled "Jabberwocky" in the book Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There (1872), Lewis Carroll warned his readers about a frightful beast:
Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!
This nonsensical poem caught the public’s fancy, and by 1902 "jabberwocky" was being used as a generic term for meaningless speech or writing. The word "bandersnatch" has also seen some use as a general noun, with the meaning "a wildly grotesque or bizarre individual." It’s a much rarer word than "jabberwocky," though, and is entered only in our unabridged dictionary, Webster’s Third New International."

yegg: a safecracker or robber
incorrigible: incapable of being corrected; delinquent
duck soup: something easy to do; requiring little effort
Wellerism: an expression of comparison combining a well-known phrase with a humorous or punning conclusion. For example: "It all comes back to me now, said the Captain as he spit into the wind." Inspired by the character Sam Weller from Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers.

Contrary to popular belief, "supposably" is a real word. It is synonymous with "conceivably." From Merriam-Webster:
Main Entry: sup·pos·able
Pronunciation: s&-'pO-z&-b&l
Function: adjective
: capable of being supposed : CONCEIVABLE
- sup·pos·ably /-blE/ adverb

Girls in White Dresses with Blue Satin Sashes

A moment of utter delight - a recent episode of Will and Grace (a good show, but I have lost interest the last couple of seasons), when Karen and her new beau (played by the sublime John Cleese) suddenly broke into "I Must Have Done Something Good" from The Sound of Music.
"For here you are, standing there, loving me
Whether or not you should,
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good."

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up with Strings
And now let me share with you a few of my favorite things:

The movie Amelie (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain). It has to be the sweetest movie I have ever seen, next to Billy Elliot of course.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - Classic psychadelic fun. Gene Wilder is amazing. I understand they are planning a remake with Johnny Depp. I actually think that could work.

Arthur Rackham illustrations. I first discovered him when I purchased a notecard at a shop in Edinburgh. It was an illustration from A Midsummer Night's Dream. I soon discovered that he was quite a well-known early 20th century illustrator. I love his fairy illustrations from Peter Pan, but he has also done Alice in Wonderland, The Night before Christmas, and lots of Shakespeare.

Becky Kelly illustrations. They are just so darn whimsical. She has a lot of notecards and stationary sold through Papyrus, and the barefoot children and twinkling stars get me every time!

Carl Larsson watercolors - simply delightful.

The White Stripes song "We're Going to Be Friends." This has got to be the cutest thing I have every heard:
"Tonight I'll dream while in my bed
when silly thoughts go through my head
about the bugs and alphabet
and when I wake tomorrow I'll bet
that you and I will walk together again
'cause I can tell that we are going to be friends
I can tell that we are going to be friends"

Strawberry margaritas from Chevy's. No explanation needed.

Handbaskets

I really like this guy Jon Carroll:
"I believe in religious tolerance and the freedom of people to believe in anything, including the literal truth of any book at all, including "Peter Pan." But when such a belief threatens to become the official policy of my country, I think it's OK to be intolerant of intolerance and to try to protect the ideals of science and the primacy of human kindness."

It's hot again today. I feel better about everything on days like this. When I am wearing my flip flops and the sun is shining on my face (I need to wear more sunblock and get some sunglasses) it feels like everything is going to be ok.

I am starting to get a little discouraged with this job search. I feel like I am stuck in limbo. Things around here are going to hell in a handbasket, and although my job is relatively secure despite this state of affairs, I just don't care enough to do any work.

I want to go back here.

It's Just a Little Too Hot for Me

I know - I'm an ungrateful wretch. I am actually complaining about the heat in March. There are people all over the northern hemisphere stuck in snow or trapped by floodwaters, and I am all sweaty from being outside in my short sleeves and flip flops, and I actually wish it wasn't quite so hot.

In Like a Lamb

There is that saying about March: in like a lamb, out like a lion. I hope this isn't true. It's absolutely gorgeous today - a driving with the windows down, squinting in the sun, blasting the Allman Brothers' "Jessica" kind of a day. But if the saying is true, this goodness won't last and the weather will turn crappy again by the end of the month. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

I think my cold is finally starting to subside. I probably could have taken antibiotics and nipped this thing in the bud over a week ago, but I valiantly hang out to the idea that things will go away (or get better) on their own. This notion usually causes my friends and family grief.

Fired Up, briefly

I woke up this morning all fired up about the local state of affairs. The sight of religious protesters at City Hall with signs pronouncing their fellow human beings "abomonations of God" really upset me. How do these people sleep at night after such un-Christian behavior? The phrase "separation of church and state" does not exist in our Constitution, but nevertheless, the church has no say in legislative matters... that is, it shouldn't have a say. If the basis of your case rests in the Bible, then you have no case.
I wonder how different this country would be if our president was an atheist. What does religious belief, or in this case - lack of religious belief, have to do with patriotism?

Can Do!

Doesn't it seem the the day is a little bit brighter when you wear your hair in a ponytail?

Totally random topic: Why is everyone dumping on Peter Jackson's appearance at the Oscars? I don't think his appearance has anything to do with his ability to make movies. And why are you judging the book by it's cover anyway? Didn't your mother ever tell you not to do that?

I am totally swamped at work. Every once in a while I have a major freak-out just thinking about all that has to get done, all that is looming on the horizon. But sometimes I get these flashes of energy and motivation - "Yes! I can get this done! Yes! I can do a good job!" When I was a kid I used to pretend I was the boss. I would sit at my desk with my stacks of papers and folders and shuffle them around as though I was working. Of course, I have absolutely no desire to be the boss today, but I still get a fun feeling when I am organizing my binder.

It is interesting to see how people change. I have a friend who got married a few months ago. When I first met her almost 4 1/2 years ago, she and I had the same view of pregnancy. I still have that view: If someone tells me she is pregnant, my gut reaction is to say "oh I'm so sorry." Of course, I am usually more tactful than that, and instead ask, "Is this good news?" And if it is, I offer my congratulations. But this friend no longer shares this view. She is now looking forward to the pitter patter. I have no problem with this of course, it's just interesting how people change.

Pet Peeve, #376
People, I implore you: Please learn the proper use of the apostrophe. It is not used to make words plural. I understand that people like to use it with acronyms. They prefer to write "CD's" instead of "CDs" for fear that someone will think they're talking about "CDS." What the hell is CDS? I have no idea. But I can understand the good intention. Unfortunately, I see the apostrophe cropping up in all kinds of plural situations, when there is just no excuse... "Look at all those book's over there..."
For the love of all that is good and holy, please stop it!!