Fairy Tales and Mythology of Goddess Desiree

Great (Easy) Wine Tasting

2007-02-23T11:22:00.000-08:00

It seems that I post about wine a lot... Here's another wine related tip: Not only is Trader Joe's great for yummy, healthy food it's also a good source for reasonably priced wines. Sure, there are varying opinions on the infamous two buck (really three buck) Chuck- probably their best selling brand. I think that one depends on type. I really like their Shiraz but the other reds are just ok. I digress... Trader Joe's conducts informal wine tastings in-store during the evening. I didn't have to buy a thing to sample the rainbow of wine in front of me. The employee pouring the wines was very knowledgeable. I expected it to be a grab and gulp operation and was pleasantly surprised when he actually made me work through the reds to the fuller bodied Shiraz. He even paired the wines with samples of cheese and chocolate and made we cleanse my palate with a dessert wine at the end. Needless to say, I had to roam the aisles for a while before leaving!

Yes, these are all traits you would expect at a wine tasting. However, you usually pay a tidy sum to take part. At Trader Joe's, I just waltzed through the door and got to taste and learn a lot for FREE! Yes, my favorite word, FREE. I have only gone once, partly because I don't want to be known as the Trader Joe's wine mouch. I have no idea if this is done at all locations every evening or not. Sadly, I admit that I did not do much research on this topic. I do recommend checking it out sometime if you want to learn more about wines but don't know where to start and don't feel like investing any money into the pursuit. Although, it is hard not to buy one of their bottles after you've sipped some.

Trader Joe's wine tasting is a great thing!

Great Public Service

2007-02-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

You probably never thought you'd see "great" and "public service" in the same title. Well, it's true- your tax payer dollars are at work for something truly beneficial: The public library. I always forget what a great service the library can be. I visited yesterday and was amazed at how busy it was and how much there was to check out. I'm sure most of you are stuck with library memories of sea turtle research papers and encyclopedias of ancient civilizations that have a copyright of 1969. I, too, have been an info snob and have considered much of what the library offers to be outdated. That may still hold true. Good thing I'm not doing a research paper on anything new and exciting. What impressed me last night was the great selection of media you can check out for FREE. Yes, my favorite word: FREE. Unless you're looking for super new releases, next time you want to rent a DVD for the weekend- go to the library. They have "real" DVDs like Spiderman and The Omen as well as the educational classics we saw millions of times in high school. What is even cooler than that is their collection of compilation DVDs. They had many TV series box sets that you can rent for two weeks. Did I mention it's FREE? I checked out Touched by an Angel Season Two and Penn & Teller Bullshit Season One (that one's for Don.). They had Cheers, Golden Girls, ER. I was so impressed. Of course, it's not a huge selection, so if you are specifically looking for Season Five of Gilmore Girls only- don't hold your breath. You can also check out CDs and they aren't all classical, either (although there are many classical offerings.). I checked out the new Michael W. Smith CD for Don and checked out Wicked on a whim a few years ago and got hooked. Same thing: if you want something specific this probably isn't the place, but if you are open to discovering some new things this is a great low commitment way to do it. Next time you're bored and thinking about checking out some different DVDs, CDs and books drive to the library instead of Blockbuster. You can even check the inventory online. The library has become more user friendly for sure.

The public library is a great thing!

Great Ruse

2007-01-26T11:36:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a little while. I'm so sorry to say that between Christmas, New Years, our cruise and getting back to "real life" blogging just had to take a back seat. But now I'm back and ready to shower more great things upon any faithful readers I have left. lol.

As I mentioned above, Don and I went on a fabulous cruise over our 5th anniversary. We are definitely huge cruise fans. It's really the only time we truly get to relax and just have fun together. We swam with dolphins, discovered a $2 margarita stand (yummy and deadly as it turned out), learned to tango, learned to fold towel animals, ate great food including lobster claw for the very first time, explored awesome Mexican ports like Puerto Vallarta and Cabo- to name a few and just had the best time we can remember in recent history. Maybe one of these days we'll actually make good on the cruise ship gig dream. We just can't say enough good things about our experience. We'd leave on another one tomorrow if we could. But, I digress...

The real point of this post is how we circumvented the system and you can too! On a cruise all food and beverage is included in your original cost except soda and alcohol. Anyone who knows us well knows that we aren't teetotalers at all. So, we decided that we would try to sneak booze on the ship to help relieve the inevitable expense. Oh yeah, you aren't allowed to bring food or beverages onto the ship. Don wasn't convinced that we could get away with it, but I was pretty confident. I actually wrapped a bottle of green apple schnapps in some of my clothes and stuffed it in the middle of my suitcase. We didn't necessarily care if that was confiscated. (It wasn't.) We did care about our Malibu Rum and vodka. Hmmm.... they just happen to be clear liquids just like good ol' H2O. I bet you can see where I'm going with this: we filled empty water bottles with Malibu and vodka and prayed. Sure thing, no one even checked our bottles, so we made it on the ship with our happy contraband. Here's a picture of Don poolside with his "water" and Coke.
It may have seemed weird that we were watering down our cokes all the time. lol. Actually, we weren't the only ones to sneak stuff onto the ship. We met some of our cruise-mates at the $2 margarita stand in Cabo who revealed that they had also figured out how to get around the $5.50 weak drinks on the ship. I'm sure it's a pretty common practice. It sure made some of our afternoon beverages a lot more enjoyable. :) So, if you cruise and don't want to pay for your drinks get a water bottle and anything clear. It's a great thing!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

I know it's a few days early, but with all the church and family stuff coming up I seriously doubt I'll be on-line much. So, from our home to yours- have a very Merry Christmas and a new year full of great things!

Love,

Des

Great Kid Craft!

2006-12-08T12:06:00.002-08:00

Check out my mini gingerbread house! It is so cute and easy to make. I'm going to do this tonight with the Jr. High kids, so hopefully I still think it's easy after that. lol.

Here's what you need:
6 graham cracker halves ( I used chocolate ones, because that's what we had. I did see
Gingerbread graham crackers at Wal-Mart, though.)
Vanilla frosting
Cream of Tarter
Candy for decorations
a piece of cardboard for the base
a knife

Mix some Cream of Tarter into the frosting so that it will harden better and faster. Then ice two sides of one graham and place one iced end on the cardboard base. Follow with a second graham iced on three sides which you will affix to the previous graham to form a right angle. Proceed in the same manner with two more grahams to form the complete box. Wait for the icing to dry a little before attempting the roof. I took this opportunity to decorate the base with the m&m path and the gum drop trees. Once the sides seem to be standing well on their own, ice the top edge of two of the sides and ice one edge of each remaining graham. Carefully place grahams in an A shape with the iced ends meeting at the top. Hold for a while to help the roof stay up. This is the hardest part. Once that seems to be ok, start decorating the sides and decorate the roof last. You don't really need to buy a bunch of special candy. I used smarties and Fall kisses that were Halloween leftovers. Not bad.

This project doesn't take very long, but you do need to be careful and patient. It's really a fun and yummy project to do at this festive time of year.

Mini Gingerbread houses are a great thing!

Great Gift Giving!

2006-12-01T11:09:00.001-08:00

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it's open season on Christmas shopping. Of course, I've been shopping and working on different ideas for months, but that's me. lol. We have so many people to buy for between our families and friends. Some people are easy to buy for and others require a little more creativity to say the least. When it comes to these people I don't know what I would do without the conveniences of the internet. I love finding unique gifts in catalogs and buying in the convenience of my warm and cozy home. Honestly, I have not shopped the mall over Christmas in many years. I do 60% of my shopping on-line.

The website I have found most valuable is without a doubt ebay. That is the place to go for one of a kind, unique gifts that you can't find down the street at Target. When I get creative, ebay has all the old school and limited products that I need. The auction format can be fun although annoying at times. The cool thing is that you can get some great deals. Just don't forget to mentally figure shipping into your bids and price estimates. It's so easy to do and results in awesome gifts that your loved ones wouldn't even suspect. Payment is also easy if you sign up for PayPal. Everything is very secure, so you don't need to stress over your credit card info being shared all over the internet. Don and I have done a fair share of ebay buying and have only had one negative experience. Not bad. If you're leary of buying from people you don't know, be sure to check out the feedback that other buyers have written about them. If it isn't positive than don't do business. It's as easy as that.

If ebay isn't your speed, check out Amazon. There's a ton there too, the prices are competitive, and you can usually get free shipping. These two websites are lifesavers for me during Christmas and essential to creative and thoughtful gift giving.

Ebay and Amazon.com are great things!

Great Wines!

2006-11-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that my alcoholic drink of choice is a good glass of red wine. I'll drink pretty much anything red, but really enjoy Shiraz, Cabernet and Chianti. So, how in the world do I know this other than by hanging out with a few other winos? Don and I are members of the Wine of the Month Club. We get two new bottles of wine a month: one red and one white (although, you can get only red, which we are considering.). To mix it up even more, one wine is a domestic selection and the other is foreign. So, we get a bunch from the California vineyards but have also received some great wines from Australia, Argentina and throughout Europe.

There are so many benefits of being part of this club. Obviously, we always have wine on hand to drink at home or to take as hostess gifts. We also learn a lot about different wines since every month we get a little newsletter that gives the history and specs for the wines that month. They tell you about cellaring and proper food pairings. We're not too good at that, but the suggestions are nice. We have also tried many wines we probably never would have picked up at the store. A few years ago, they sent us a white dessert wine which we now love. They send a great variety, so it isn't always Merlots and Chardonnays every month. The wines are always quality, too. We don't have to worry too much about picking up a bad bottle like you do blindly at the grocery store. It really takes the guess work away. Even better is that when you find a wine you totally love, you can buy extra bottles and cases at a reduced price. Awesome!

I love being a member of the Wine of the Month Club! It makes a really good Christmas gift for any wine lover on your list. You don't even have to sign up for the entire year. You can give someone a four month subscription for less than $100. It's so fun and easy. Interested parties should check out http://www.wineofthemonthclub.com .

The Wine of the Month Club is a great thing!

Great Hair!

2006-11-03T14:56:00.001-08:00

You may have noticed that I took a week off from Great Things. I hadn't planned that, but last week was sooooo crazy that I did not have time to impart my weekly tip. But, I'm back now! Today I had a long overdue hair appointment. My color and style were in pretty bad shape. Even my hair lady mentioned that, because usually it isn't that bad! Oh, well. I have no idea why my hair decided to grow like crazy, but it did. Now, I am back to normal and hopefully all will go well until my next appointment right before Christmas.

Not that I expect anyone to care about my schedule of hair love... I have fine hair which is a total pain to work with and requires products and patience. If you use too much stuff the hair gets totally weighed down. If you don't use enough it's unmanageable static city. I have struggled with finding the balance for as long as I can remember. Some people hate using products in their hair. For me, it is not an option. Through lots of trial and error I have found two products that I cannot live without: Redken's GUTS and Joico's Integrity leave-in conditioner.

GUTS gives me the volume boost that I prefer for my hair. My hair does stick straight, stuck to my head really well, which I hate. GUTS helps me combat that and makes manageability much easier.

Leave in conditioner is a must for people with fine hair! Normal conditioner is too heavy and really weighs your hair down. It seems like leave in conditioner would be worse, but it's not because it is formulated to be light weight. The greatest advantage of leave in conditioner is that it really helps tame the static. If you've ever tried to style static hair, you know it's almost impossible. Leave in conditioner really minimizes this problem. Plus, you cut down on time in the shower since you don't have to use conditioner!

Speaking of cutting down on shower time, if you can, it is much better for your hair if you don't wash it every day. That is probably the only advantage of having fine hair. I can go every other day between washings. If I'm lucky, I can get one more day in between. I don't do that often though. That's usually a hat day! lol. Also, coloring your hair helps change the texture of your hair enough to enable easier styling. Hopefully, I have this down enough that it's hard to tell that I have to work this hard to get normal hair like the rest of you! There you have it: my hair tips for fine hair.

GUTS and leave-in conditioner are great things!

Lights!

2006-10-30T21:34:00.001-08:00

The CTK Cabaret Night has come and gone, and seeing as though I have been involved in every single one so far, I feel qualified to say that this really was the best one. We had more truly talented acts than ever before. This was the first time that there wasn't a weak person or number in the whole thing (those of you who were there know that I am choosing to ignore one performance). Everyone did such a great job! I was so proud of all of my very talented friends. Of course without talented people it couldn't happen, but what really made the show was the lights! Big kudos to Bob for sticking to his guns and getting us lighting. It made all the difference in the world. If you don't believe me, check out the pics:

Charlie Brown (Don), Linus (Mark) and Lucy (Debbie) singing to Fr. Bill about Little Known Facts.

I love the beams of light in this one. Luckily I caught a few like this.

Mark's haunting Sunset Boulevard.

Gina striking her All That Jazz pose.

I like the framing of this pic too. I'm a goof.

Debbie, Mark and me singing The I Love You Song from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I was so proud of us on this one. It felt so magical.

Mark and me doing our Jesus Christ Superstar duet.

That was very flattering lighting. :)

Crystal during I Still Believe from Miss Saigon.

Crystal and Laura. They did a great job on a beautiful and haunting song. (Haunting is my new favorite adjective. Must be Halloween!)

Great job on this one, Janell! Don and me doing our Spamalot schtick with The Song That Goes Like This. Don did so well. :)

Mary cracked everyone up with I'm Not That Smart also from Spelling Bee. What a ham!

Speaking of hams... Josh, Mark, Cole and Don (obviously not pictured) offering what Mama Says. That was also quite funny and another great performance.

Cathy and Gina doing Ease on Down the Road from The Wiz.

Divas

and more divas!

Don's and my fan club.

I have soooooo many more pictures than this, but these are a few of my favorites. I think I had as much fun playing around with my camera as I did on stage! It was a great and fun evening that I was proud to have been a part.

Great Kitchen Appliances!

2006-10-21T14:14:00.001-07:00

I really enjoy baking, although I don't have many reasons to do it and we definitely don't need scads of baked goods hanging around the house all the time. But when I do bake, like say 36 dozen cookies, I rely on my trusty KitchenAid mixer. Yes, they are a little expensive. I did catch a little flack when we bought ours with the money we had from wedding gift exchanges, but it has been worth every wise-ass crack from my husband. It mixes faster than humanly possible and really gives you an even consistency. For small jobs, I use what God gave me, but for the big ones it's all about the KitchenAid!

The other thing in my kitchen that I couldn't live without is our toaster oven. For two people, the toaster oven is a great option that keeps you from having to heat up the oven all the time. Also, you can toast and melt at the same time, which a normal toaster absolutely cannot do without a huge mess. We still have a normal toaster, but we never use it. There's no need when one appliance can do just about everything!

The KitchenAid mixer and toaster ovens are great things!

Great Cause!

2006-10-13T16:57:00.001-07:00

I'm not going to get in the habit of plugging my own stuff, but I can't resist this time because I am so proud of the kids! (This wasn't even my idea... it was Debbie's.) What you are looking at is our Jr. High Youth Ministry Youth Can. The kids decorated it themselves this week during class. The bags are just a few of what the kids decorated to donate to the women at ShadeTree. They are stuffed with items that women would need to go out job hunting and interviewing. The flour and sugar represent the breast cancer awareness cookies we will be baking and decorating next week for all the women in the parish.

Back to the can: it does have a "real" purpose. We will be conducting many drives throughout the year to benefit different causes in our parish, local and national communities. Whenever we need something from the parish we will publish the list in the bulletin and the next week those items can be placed in our Youth Can before or after Mass in the Gathering Space. Pretty cool, hu? I really hope that the response from the parish is good. It will be really nice for the kids to feel that much support for what they are doing. There will be some kind of promo about this at all the Masses in a few weeks. It may be a video. It may be Debbie and me talking. It depends on how good the video the kids made turned out. I have yet to watch the footage. I hope it's good, because I don't want to let the kids down by not using it. So, we'll see... If you attend CTK please help us out when we need it and if you don't attend CTK you can still help because you know me and I'm in the middle of it all!

The Youth Can is a great thing!

Great Happy Hour!

2006-10-06T15:56:00.001-07:00

I like to go out and have a drink as much as the next person. However, I am not a Happy Hour aficionado. It's usually a very pleasant surprise if I happen to stumble across Happy Hour wherever I am. With that said, I think I know a good one when it bites me. Kona Grill in Boca Park has an awesome Happy Hour that I have been to many times. It's from 3:00pm- 7:00pm Monday through Friday. They even offer Reverse Happy Hour from 10:00pm - 1:00am Monday through Thursday and 11:00pm-12:00am Friday and Saturday. I have yet to go to that, but I absolutely love the concept. So what's so great about the Kona Grill Happy Hour? Well, ladies get to drink margaritas for $2.50 and they are good, yummy and strong! Guys shouldn't feel too bad: their margaritas are just a buck more. There are other drink specials, too, but I always get the margarita. They also offer 1/2 price appetizers, pizzas and sushi. Since Kona Grill isn't your typical blue collar restaurant, you aren't going to find the normal bar fare. No mozzarella sticks or wings. You can't get a "normal" pizza either, but the margarita pizza is yummy and 1/2 price. Some people may be turned off by the trendy atmosphere and clientele, but I enjoy and appreciate it although you usually have to fight for an open seat. But once you get one, it's a great place to throw a few back, chat up the day with your girlfriends and head home without killing the entire evening.

The Kona Grill Happy Hour is a great thing!

Don's Birthday Photoblog

2006-10-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

I guess Don's birthday is officially in the record books for 2006, so here's the photo report.

This was the first of a total of SIX birthday desserts.
That's a lot of sugar, but they sure were yummy!

He's gotten really good at the "blowing out candles" pose.

I just think that this is a really cute picture of my parents.

This was at family dinner at Macayo.

Look kids, IBM people!
The lady on the right had a house warming/movie party on Don's actual b-day,
so we made an appearance and got another dessert!

Another cake! This one is a homemade special from my mom.

She used to make cakes for Anthony and me when we were little,
so she made one for Don so he wouldn't feel left out.

This is my very favorite picture from the festivities.
My very own Schroeder.

We used to always take pictures next to the cakes, so I had to get in on the action.
I probably shouldn't have bent over like that. Oh, well.

Who knew that Gary doesn't like having his picture taken?

This is one of my favorite pics, too. That's Josh, Susana and Don (of course).

For the most part, it was a pretty laid back weekend. We didn't get to have a big night out on the town with friends, so there might be a raincheck on that soon. As well as many cakes, Don received a lot of DVDs and other multi-media stuff. I hope that he enjoyed the celebrations. I sure did, but that's a given since I'm a big birthday girl! There all good to me!

Great Website!

2006-09-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

I am by no means an internet expert. My web browsing usually consists of the same three or four sites over and over. But every now and then I do run across some cool sites due to my constant Jr. High research. One that I think is really helpful is budget101.com . Yes, it does offer financial tips as the title would suggest, but that's just a small percentage of info available. You can get coupons, free offers, gift and decorating ideas, recipes and tons of do-it-yourself instructions. Of course, the purpose of the website is to offer suggestions on how to do things in a nice but frugal manner. They definitely hit my softspot since I'm a tightwad.

What impressed me the most about this website is how unique and creative all the suggestions are. Here's a sampling of what you can check out today: free pumpkin carving ideas and templates, Halloween edible makeup, 10 Simple Steps to Conquer Problem Debt, A-Z Household Recipe Guide (for make-your-own household cleaners), Playdough recipes, tons of gift basket ideas for every occasion, jar mixes (i.e. brownies or cookie mix in a decorative jar; you've seen 'em), Baby Poop Poem, Expectant Father Survival Kit, gift coupon ideas... It goes on and on! There is so much great stuff on this site that you have to check it out. Of course, it is mainly geared toward people on tight budgets, especially people with kids at home. With Christmas quickly approaching, I appreciate all the creative gift and gift basket ideas. In my circle, everyone pretty much has what they need or want so gifts really do need to be unique or personalized. This website helps you do that without breaking the bank in the process. If you don't care about crafts, recipes and creative gift ideas, they seem to have some really good articles and forums on budgeting, getting out of debt and living within your means. Who can't use some of that info?

Budget101.com is really a great thing!!!

Great Gambling!

2006-09-22T11:25:00.000-07:00

Having grown up in Vegas I'll admit that gambling does nothing for me. Sure, it's fun to put a few bucks in a machine every now and then, but it's definitely not the first thing to cross my mind when I enter a casino. So I never thought that I would become a regular gambler, but I have! Thanks to Josh and Natalie, Don and I are now Bingo players! Of course at first I was prejudiced against Bingo as a kids' and old person's game. Then I thought, "Well, who didn't enjoy Bingo as a kid? Hell, the game even has a song- sort of. Why should normal adults miss out on the fun?" So we decided to check it out. Ladies and gents, this isn't your kiddie game. Bingo is serious! We play at Red Rock Station where they begin games at 9:00am and
hold them every other hour until 11:00pm. You have to get there on time to play and the entire
game last about an hour. As kids we only played one card, but in "real" Bingo you play many cards at once! So, you have to keep track of a minimum of six cards at once and they call numbers fast. So, there isn't a lot of time to space out or socialize while they are calling because it gets cut-throat and you sure don't want to miss any numbers. If you fall behind you're screwed. Poor Don got overconfident last week and had twelve cards to keep track of. He was so frustrated! Natalie is our resident expert, so she buys more cards than the rest of us and helps us all stay on track. Oddly enough, she's never won when we've been there... The technologically advanced (or lazy. lol) will be happy to know that you don't have to buy paper cards and dob all the time. Red Rock has little Bingo computers available for rental. You can buy multiple cards that are loaded on the computer. The computer keeps track of marking all the numbers when they are called. So, basically, you do nothing but watch your computer screen, drink and yell out Bingo! (or Winner!, which is stupid.) if you get one. The computer beeps when you are one number away from a win. Chris is the computer Bingo king. He spends a lot more money than the rest of us to have more chances, but he wins a lot more, too. He's actually won the $1000 coverall and a bunch of others. Now, the rest of us aren't completely unlucky; Don has won $7.00 and Josh won $13.00 last night! Yeah Baby! See how excited Josh is! This is when they were verifying his winning numbers and I got in trouble for taking pictures. Oops!

So, what's so great about Bingo? For one it is the cheapest gambling entertainment you can find. What other game lets you gamble for an hour on seven dollars?! Plus, you automatically get two free drinks for playing! One drink in a casino is typically more than $7.00, so that's a great deal. Yes, gamblers are supposed to receive free drinks in the casino while playing, but in my experience it isn't a reliable assumption. I have sat at slot machines and never been offered a drink by a cocktail waitress if I even saw one! So, to get guranteed drinks for playing is truly awesome and a great deal. Also, it's just a fun thing to do once a week with your friends. So, seven dollars for an hour of play, two drinks and fun with friends is a really great thing especially for this deal finder. Our Bingo group plays at Red Rock Station at 9:00pm on Thursdays. If this sounds cool to you (all two of you who read!), join us next week. You have to get there a little early to get your cards and get settled with your drinks. It's really a fun time. All the cool kids are doing it!

Bingo is a really fun and great thing!!!

Bonus Pic: Josh as the Rabid Bingo Bunny! If you want to see the Rabid Bingo Bunny, his Vegas engagement ends next week. :(

Great (Easy) Pictures

2006-09-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

Although I am a recent convert to digital photography, I've been taking advantage of a lot of the conveniences that come along with the technology for quite some time. My very favorite thing is that picture processing and sharing is sooooo easy. Snapfish is my favorite site for this. Uploading is very easy and so is sharing. Unfortunately, you have to sign up with a password to see the photos that have been shared with you. Yes, that's kind of a pain, but there are benefits to signing up and using their service. They have great deals on prints which are already priced very reasonably. They have tons of personalized gift options available, too. For example, Lisa makes a book every year for Debbie that is a pictoral history of Lacey's year. I guess she'll have to add Daylen this year. That's a pretty cool and unique gift for family members who have everything. I also enjoy the convenience of doing everything online. You just order what you want and they send it out. Very easy.

If you need pics faster, the next most convenient service is through Wal-Mart. I absolutely hate to give them a plug since I totally hate Wal-Mart and am trying to boycott their stores. But, I can't deny that they have made photo processing quick and easy too. Just go to walmart.com and upload your pics to the photo section. You can even process pics that you have doctored up in PhotoShop (we did that with our Christmas card photos last year and the invitations for my mom's party.). Then you can choose to pick up your photos from whichever Wal-Mart you want in an hour. That is a quick and convenient option. Wal-greens might do something similar. I doubt Target does since they took out most of their one hour photo centers. These are two options that are much easier than using the Kodak Picture Maker kiosks that have popped up everywhere that always have a line and seem to be a general pain for people. I have been very happy with the pics I have received from both Snapfish and Wal-Mart.

Extra tip: If you are new to computer photo editing and PhotoShop kind of scares you, a good beginner's option is Picasa. I have it and it does a nice job at basic color correction, cropping and effects. You have to download the software. Once you do, it is very easy to work with. Hey, it's a Google product so it must be good, right?

On-line photo processing is a great thing!

Happy 20th Birthday Katie Marie!

2006-09-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Shocking, hu? Welcome to your 20s! It sure beats the teens... I hope you do something fun and exciting to celebrate. I wish I could be there with you, but you know I love ya'! Happy, Happy Birthday!

Godbye Summer You Were Awesome

2006-09-08T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here's my on-line scrapbook for the best summer I've had in a long time. Enjoy!

Great Presentation!

2006-09-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

For my birthday I received a cupcake tree/stand. I absolutely love it! It creates such a fun and cute way to display cupcakes. I'm not a huge cake eater, so a cupcake is usually the perfect amount of cake for this girl (and most people, I think.) The cupcake tree can be found at Michael's , Bed Bath & Beyond and I've heard Target. I predict that the cupcake tree will be this year's chocolate fondue fountain; before you know it everyone will have one! But, as you can see, I am an early adopter like my husband.

I had a blast baking and decorating these. Thanks to Melea for the flower idea: The center is a plain m&m and the petals are colored marshmallows cut in half. Too cute! They were a big hit.

The cupcake tree is a great thing!

Ava Marie

2006-09-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm an aunt again. This time it's my brother's baby, Ava. She was born this morning and weighs 7lbs, 6oz. Everyone should be going home tomorrow.

In this pic I think that she looks like Anthony did as baby. Most likely she'll be a blondie like the rest of us. It's too soon to tell on the eyes. Hopefully, they are blue.

For Former Macys Employees

2006-09-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

Why didn't they have fun stuff like this when we all worked there? Geez. I would have worked this thing in a heartbeat! Although it is hard to beat an evening of sizing rounders. We ran into the Macys Mobile Saturday night when we attended the 51s baseball game. I still think of them as the Stars mostly because the 51s is a retarded name. Even the Aliens or E.T.s would have been better.

We had great seats on the first base line. I actually watched the game for a change and guess what, we won! I don't think I've ever seen that day before. They had an awesome 3rd inning (told ya' I watched.).
Is it just me or is Cosmo maybe the ugliest mascot ever? Actually, the Runnin' Rebel is pretty bad, too. I don't think we will get any pro teams until we fix this awful mascot situation. Yuck!
The fireworks were pretty awesome though. All in all it was a nice evening out and about.

These two pics have no purpose other than me playing around.

This is a birthday card that Jessica gave me. I totally cracked up when I opened it.

Most of my animal pics are crap because they move so fast, so this one surprised me. Every now and then you get a good one! As you can see I'm having a blast playing around with my camera. I'm sure there will be more to come...

Great Cleaning!

2006-09-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

Yup, good old Mr. Clean. I love the Magic Eraser. I don't use it all the time, but it is the only thing I've found that can get hardened red candle wax off a flat (paint) white wall. That's tough. It also does a great job at dirt and scuff marks that magically appear on walls, especially on corners and places that hands are placed often. If you have pets or kids, you know what I'm talking about! I'll admit that it gets a little gross and flakey at the end, so throw it out before it gets to that point. It functions like it says: as an eraser, so it gets yucky like an eraser when it's all used up. But, they are inexpensive and come in multi-packs.

Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser is a great thing!

P.S. Simple Green is a pretty awesome all purpose cleaner too. It can lift some yucky stuff like nobody's business! So if you don't have them already, add the Magic Eraser and Simple Green to your cleaning arsenal for those tough jobs we all hate to do.

Birthday (Photo)Blog

2006-08-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

Aside from a few dinners and lunches I still need to take people up on, my birthday festivities have come to an end. I had a really great time. I got to hang with family and friends and keep it fairly laid back. The big deal for me was that I got to drink, dance and sit all at the same place. Gee, I have gotten old! lol. I received so many great gifts that I have been showing off to anyone who slightly cares. It was definitely the year of the unique gifts. Don got me a great digital camera, so the rest of this blog is my evidence of playing around with my new camera. If you wonder why there aren't any pics from my actual birthday day it's because I didn't get it until that evening after dinner. So all of the family pictures are still waiting to be developed. We went to Buca, which is always fun. We sat at the kitchen table and I got cake, candles and the whole nine yards. I couldn't be happier.

This was me playing around with close-ups.

On the day after my birthday, my mom took me out for a manicure and pedicure.
It's great mother-daughter time.

My goofy toes and...

my beautiful fingers!

This is me later that night at the Mexican joint at the Hilton.
It wasn't that great and we were there forever.

As you can see, we introduced many more people to the wonders of the Warp Core Breach. Yum.

I love Cole's face! He must have sucked down some dry ice. Gross.

Don and Cole showed off their straw engineering skills.

This picture cracks me up! Intergalactic love.

The next few pics are courtesy of Laura, Doreen and Debbie's mad decorating skills...

Yippee! I got a birthday toilet seat.
It sure beats the Christmas hubcap!

Doreen even made a Care Bear table runner. How cute is that?

Thanks to Veronica for the pretty flowers. So sweet!

I told you I got some unique stuff!
Laura found this glass in Oregon.
It's perfect and I totally love it!

B-day dinner at Debbie and Gary's. It would take way too long to explain what went on here and why everyone is smiling so much... Get your minds out of the gutter! lol

You know it's a good time when Don gets a busted lip!
(I didn't do it this time. Gary's responsible. It was an accident.)

So, that's a small representation of all the fun we had. Of course, there were more cool people and more cool gifts than what's pictured. Thanks to everybody for all the love! For another perspective on the b-day events visit Don's blog.

Great Birthday!

2006-08-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

Birthdays are always fabulous. It is each person's unique little holiday honoring the day that they enriched the world by being born into it. I truly get excited about everyone's birthdays- sometimes more than the actual person! Birthdays are a big cause for celebration, and guess what? Today is MINE!!!! :) I can't wait to dive into all the fun that my festival birthday provides. So, Happy Birthday to me!

Birthdays are a really, really great thing! :)

Another Great Drink

2006-08-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

Not all of my posts are going to be about drinks, but this one is especially appropriate today because this weekend is the big Star Trek Convention at the Hilton.
Check it out! It's the Warp Core Breach at Quark's Bar in the Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. What a way to celebrate a chance meeting with Spock (yes, he'll be there showing off his photography) or just about any occasion. They do offer smaller versions, but it is so fun to share the big one. It is $25.00 which seems expensive but it's really a great deal when you consider that it is a really strong drink and divided by four people it's only $6.25 per person. That's an awesome price on the Strip. One share will definitely get you tipsy and if you go for two you better not leave. Just be careful not to inhale the dry ice when you get to the end. It's yucky.

If you wanted to try to make this at home, here's the recipe. I recommend trying it at the Hilton first so you know how it's supposed to taste.

How to Replicate a Warp Core Breach
Combine 1/2 pint of Bacardi Select, 1/2 pint of Bacardi Dark
1/2 pint of Bacardi 151, 1/2 pint of Bacardi Limon, 1/2 pint of Captain Morgan
and 1/3 pint of Razzamatazz raspberry liquer. Mix well.

Add 1 part mix to 3-4 parts Sobe Power, add ice and dry ice, and enjoy
Caution: Drink with a straw unless you like frozen lips

We haven't actually tried this at home yet, but we'll let you know how it goes when we do.

The Warp Core Breach is a great and fun drink! Try it some time.

Great Drinks!

2006-08-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

TGIF everybody (ok, all two of you...)! Since it is Friday, what better way to kick off a hot August weekend than with a couple of cool drinks? Here are two from our private collection that some of you already have become well aquainted with. First off, Don has mixed up our new favorite "easy" at home drink. It's a twist on the traditional rum and Coke idea. Just take a can of Coke's C2 with a shot or two (or three or four) of Malibu rum (any coconut rum will do. Go generic, it's cheaper) . Yum! To cut cals even more you can use Diet Coke with Lime and Bacardi's Island Breeze Coconut (1/2 cal, 1/2 carbs). This is a really easy drink to mix up quickly especially if you don't feel like putting in the effort that this next one requires.

I actually sorta' made this up from a list of ingrediants I jotted down from a restaurant's menu, so I don't feel that I need to give that restaurant credit. (tee-hee.) It's the Bananas Foster Martini (one of the few martinis we made that received the support of all the husbands and brother-in-law). It is sooooo good, but as a martini, is a little labor intensive. So break out your shakers and try it out!

Bananas Foster Martini
1pt Bacardi Vanilla Rum
1/2pt Butterscotch Schnapps
1/2pt Creme de bananes
1/2pt creame (I actually used 1% Milk and it tasted fine)
dash of cinnamon

Shake it all up and serve in a cute martini glass! I guess this probably isn't technically a martini since we use rum instead of vodka. It's still really good, though!

That's me with a finished product.

Malibu Rum and C2 and Bananas Foster Martini are both really great!

Great Pie!

2006-08-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

In my second Great Things installment I am going to share an awesome Key Lime pie recipe. Unfortunately, I can't take credit for it. It is a Weight Watchers recipe, but don't let that scare you. I have found that the WW recipes are actually really good and good for you. This pie is no different. It is really light and refreshing and perfect for the summer! It's also super easy to make!

Key Lime Pie
1 regular tub of Fat Free Whipped Topping
2 6oz Fat Free Key Lime Pie yogurt
(I recommend Yoplait's Thick & Creamy- it does make a
difference in the consistency)
1pkg sugar free lime jello
1/4 c boiling water

In a mixing bowl, dissolve the jello in the boiling water. Once dissolved, mix in the yogurt and whipped topping. The jello will gelitize (did I make up that word?) a little (especially if you don't mix quickly enough), but that's normal since the jello immitates actual key lime pieces in the pie. If you look really closely at the pictures you can see the jello pieces. Chill and serve. It's really yummy!

This pie sets beautifully and is easy to take to pot lucks, etc.

This Key Lime Pie is really a great thing! (Yes, I'm going to hang on to the Martha rip. lol.)

Great Things!

2006-08-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

In this new phase of blog life, I think I'm going to foray into domesticity and write about stuff I have happened upon that I think is really great. Most of my posts will probably be about food, but what's better than really good food and drink?! :) Ok, so I am capitalizing on Martha, but to avoid copyright infringement I'm going to stick with "great things". I might even use some of her ideas. (Yes, I do watch her show when I'm home in the morning, and she has some great ideas.)

Here's the inaugural great thing: (drum roll please...)

Yup, Woman's Day. I know that this magazine has existed since God was a boy. I never really considered it until yesterday when Don and I went to the eye doctor. I picked it up and my life hasn't been the same! Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but they have some very practical and creative things to offer. I have bookmarked their website and have decided to make them one of my frequently visited sites. Hopefully their content changes regularly enough to hold my interest. I can't believe that I am officially a full-fledged woman evidenced by the fact that Woman's Day is so appealing. Here's the website for anyone else who may be interested in being a domestic goddess: http://www.womansday.com Pretty obvious, hu?

Wanna' know what really clinched the deal? Do ya'? Do ya'? Hold on to your drawers and get aload of this!

It's the Water Park Cake! Isn't that amazing! I love it; it's sooo cute! I want to make it. This cake has inspired me to be more creative with my baking. Crap, I went home and made a pie last night after looking at this. Yes, I am a crazed, yet inspired woman. If you want the recipe, click here!

I just can't get enough... Here's another one:

That's the bubble bath cake. Those are chiclets. Pretty cool, hu? They have so many other recipes that are just as cute. They even have little ipod cakes. I told Don I'd make them for his birthday but he's opting for my key lime pie instead.

Woman's Day and Silly Cakes... they are great things!

Preserved on Film and the Internet

2006-07-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still using film even though it is becoming a major inconvenience and expense to do so. I just don't want to let it go yet! Slowly but surely I am leaning toward digital. Any who... here are some cute memories from the weekend that was.

Lisa and Daylen at just over a week old.

Katie and her Little Mermaid impersonation (I think).

Dance party!

I wish that Dave still lived here so that Nightcap could live again.

Kissing the candles.

Dobby checking out Daylen.

Don and Daylen.

Me and Daylen.

Dueling piano night. Fun, fun!

I love this pic.

Half of the Sankuer-Hasterok clan + Will's new girlfriend.

Don and Monet.

Chandler and Micah learning how to swim.

Monet again.

Topless Lacey on the drums.

Twins!

Antonio braving Cole's mystery shot.

Crazy game of Scattergories.

Lacey and Jocelyn: Summertime friends.

Melea and Monet.

Darnell underwater.

Gabe underwater, too.

I have a ton more pictures, but this all I had patience for right now. Until next year...

Daylen Bryce

2006-06-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

Don't fall off your rockers, but, yes, this is my second post in less than a week. OMG! I just wanted to share that Don's sister Lisa had her baby boy this evening at 6:09pm. He is 7lbs 14oz and 21 inches. Don and I didn't get to be in the delivery room, but we were at the hospital when he was born and got to see everyone right after. (I even held him!) Mom, dad, baby and Lacey are doing great, but really tired. Daylen looks just like Lacey did when she was born (lots of dark hair). It sounds like they'll be in the hospital until Sunday. Then the fun begins! Of course, little Daylen will be making special guest appearances between feedings and naps at his Godparents' July Fourth party, so everyone can meet him then.

Happy "Birth"day, Daylen and thanks for making it easy to remember yours and your dad's b-day for years to come (yup, today is Dave's b-day, too.).

Shameless Plug

2006-06-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

So, betcha' thought that the resurrection post on my forgotten blog would be really poignant, thought provoking or somehow illuminating... maybe someday, but that day is not today. Today I am plugging our third annual July 4th Bash. The premise is pretty much the same as the last two years: eat, swim, eat, drink, talk, drink, swim with some music to set the mood. We are adding some new events this year which we are pretty jazzed about. First off, we're beginning Friday night, June 30th at 7:00 with Dueling Pianos and sing along at 8:30pm. Don and Cole will be playing and will (maybe) take requests. ;) Mary and I will be serving cocktails; well, flavored martinis to be exact. We'll serve them small, so everyone can get a taste of each one without getting pounded. Saturday is pretty busy with Beatlemania hour, family friendly dance hour and Diva Des' Dance Party. Family dance is at 8:00 and will be appropriate for all ages. Diva Des' Dance party is at 10:00 and won't be quite so family friendly. Of course, we'll have craft time every day at 3:00 and the pool and grill will open up between 11:00 and noon. "Every day" includes Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Whew! Most activities will be held over the weekend. So, Monday and Tuesday will be very laid back. Come and relax. For more info, check out our website http://www.nightcapmusic.com or contact us via phone or email.

Crushed, again

2006-04-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just don't understand people and the choices they make. I realize that life is complex but there are basic right and wrong choices. Maybe there is no wrong anymore. I'm tired of living in a world populated by egocentric people who only do what makes them happy. Also, we are only worth how much we support or make someone else feel happy. Otherwise, we are completely worthless and cast off as such. What is this world we live in? I think it would do people good to revist morality and ethics and to remember that the world doesn't revolve around them and the decisions they make. I don't want to be a disposable person anymore.

Anaheim Annals

2006-04-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

If I don't write this now, I probably won't get around to it. So even though the internet has been my life for the last few days, I will spend a little more time on the web. (I've been working on my internet safety lesson for the kids. It went really well tonight, although I am very tired.)

Another year, another trip to the L.A. Religious Education Conference. There really is something for everyone despite the R.E. label. We used to go for musical networking and material. Now I go to keep up on Youth Ministry trends and issues. I'll just touch on the highlights. I went to a great workshop entitled The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander. The presenter was excellent and engaging. I enjoyed her workshop so much that I actually bought the book. I never realized how much bullying goes on and how much it has contributed to the actions of desperate kids whether it be taking their own lives or running into their school and taking the lives of their peers. It was very eye-opening. I really want to be committed to not tolerating this behavior in our program. I never thought about how girls bully each other, either. We bully through exclusion, gossip and stand-offishness. The presenter defined bullying as any action in which the perpetrator gains pleasure from someone else's pain. That's pretty broad but true when you think about it. That workshop really changed my view on the issue, especially since we do have a few bullys in our program.

Another workshop I attended was about forgiveness and freeing ourselves from past hurts. At first I was ready to walk out, because the woman started with a goofy story and then brought out the overhead projector and slides. I am so glad that I stayed. The Reader's Digest version is that you can't control what other people do or say to you or how other people interpret and react to what you say and do. You can, however, control how you react and interpret what people send your way and what you choose to send to them. We get in trouble when we obsess over what the other person is thinking, doing, etc to us. So, in bad situations our frustration over our lack of control of the other person becomes bitterness which unchecked becomes anger which makes forgiveness very difficult. But, all the anger and bitterness just ways us down and not forgiving someone does more damage to us than it does to the other person. She used the example of an ex-wife refusing to forgive her ex-husband for leaving her for a younger woman. She said that the ex-husband and the new woman are having a great time, so why does the ex-wife let herself live in misery? He obviously let go, so she needs to free herself. Forgiveness doesn't erase the past, it just puts it in perspective and leaves us in a happier and less weighted place. So, forgiveness is really the best gift that we can give ourselves. There was more to it than that, but that's the gist. She did tell two very powerful stories about forgiveness. I'll share the shorter one: A woman worked at a convenience store that was robbed and she was gang raped by the men. Life went on; the men went to jail, she got married, etc. She had a child and when she was expecting her second child she and her husband decided to take out a life insurance policy. They did the bloodwork required by the insurance company and ended up being denied. They both were HIV positive and didn't know it. This was in 1984, so there was a lot of prejudice regarding AIDS and HIV. It turned out that one of the men who had gang raped the woman had died in jail from AIDS. The woman decided to go public with her story since he had raped many women in the area. She and her husband lost their jobs; no one would employ them or help them, so they lost their house. The woman decided to use her bad situation in a positive way and pioneered AIDS awareness programs for children and teens. She is said to have not felt bad for herself or her situation because her misfortune helped her to do real good in the world for others. She didn't have bad feelings toward her attacker, although her husband did. His inability to forgive ultimately lead to his premature death although they both died before their children graduated from high school. He held on to the past and she forgave and let it go. What a difference it made.

All of my workshops were good, but those were the best. I did really enjoy the David Wells one on love languages, though. It was really nice to see Mike, Jo and Adian again. That's the part of Anaheim that we look forward to the most. I wish we could find a way to see them more often. They just got picked up by World Library Publications, so hopefully a lot more people will be introduced to their music. They really deserve it, and we are so happy and excited for them. We had a very nice dinner with them and the rest of our crew on Friday night once we left Outback and its two hour wait. On Saturday night, we actually ditched the conference stuff and drove out to Don's uncle's place in Northridge for awesome steaks and wine. The food and company was great. I found a new fan/craft partner in Don's five year old cousin, Nicki. Both her and her brother are very cute kids. Hopefully, we'll get to see that part of the family a little more often.

So, that was Anaheim. No new music to speak of. Jesse wasn't even there, which was strange. I missed his energy, but I knew that he wouldn't be there. It was fun to break in some Anaheim newbies too. Good energy.

Other than that, we have a few odds and ends. Lisa and Dave have decided to have Daylen here in Las Vegas. She'll come in May and Dave will hopefully beat the baby by a few days in June. She's even booked the baptism already! (Love ya', Lis!) So, now we get to be even more excited about our new family member since we'll actually be there when he arrives. It's going to be an exciting Spring and Summer! Laura, Doreen and Debbie are moving this weekend, so we'll be pitching in to help with that. On a sad note, we just found out that John died last month. I wasn't a huge fan of his, but I guess its another wake up call to live each day to the fullest not worrying much about the past or the future. Carpe diem, right? Well, g'night kids this day has been seized.

But What I Really Want to do is Direct

2006-03-29T23:02:00.000-08:00

That's every artistic person's dream, right? I've always laughed at those people and thought that a little talent and knowledge doesn't automatically make you a good director. In my theater life, I am an actor that likes to be directed. I never really thought that I had any imagination or creativity for blocking. The times that I've had to block myself have been such a drudgery. So, of course, I'm in yet another situation where I had the "freedom" to block myself in a few pieces for Easter Vigil. (I know, "it's not a performance", right? Sure...) For the first time in my life I have also been given the opportunity to "direct" other people. At first, I didn't think I'd be able to come up with anything. Imagine my surprise when I got focused and started telling my cast of kids exactly where, when and how to move with great animation. I actually sounded like maybe I knew something! The coolest thing was that I could picture the movement and could explain it in such a way that the real thing is very close to my imagination. I've always had a hard time translating physical ideas from my brain to reality, so I am completely flabbergasted that I have succesfully directed these kids in movement that, I think, is visually interesting and natural enough for the kids to execute with ease. Now, who knows if it will stay that way, but at least today the magic was there.

Connect

2006-03-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

This post is actually an update on a few previous ones. Remember around Christmas when I was pondering whether to try to find some people I had lost contact with and decided to send them Christmas cards? Well, the one I sent was not to the right person because a really sweet lady wrote back saying that she didn't have a clue who I was. Ok, we're up to speed, although I still haven't written back to that lady. I need to do that soon. Today I began my normal routine of checking everyone's blogs, my email and my myspace and what do you know: Norma found me!!!! I couldn't believe it. I guess it was just time. Isn't it funny how life works that way sometimes? I have two other friends that I would also like to reconnect with soon. I saw the uncle of one of them the other day. He urged me to just pick up the phone and call her. We'll see.. I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. Anyway, I am very excited to hear about what Norma's been doing for the last eight or so years. Pretty cool.

Too Old for That

2006-03-23T16:19:00.000-08:00

In my great pondering and philosophizing, I have come to the conclusion that there just some things that people should not wear once they reach a certain maturity level. Last night as I waited in line at McDonald's, the woman in front of me was wearing a super short scrap of stretchy cotton fabric across her butt (complemented by an ornamental ruffle) and a tight hoodie sweatshirt. She looked like she had just stepped out of the hall of one of the local high schools. The problem was that she had to have been in her late 30s/early 40s and had a couple of kids in tow calling her,"Mommy". She was way too old to be masquerading as a teeny-bopper at McDonald's with California plastered over her butt. She was one of those women that you can tell at first glance takes way too much time on her appearance. She had trendy hair, a super fake tan and looked as if she had implants and probably goes to the gym everyday. So, yeah, she had a good body for her age, but why do women feel that a good body and the clothes of a 16 year old go hand in hand? I couldn't help but chuckle at her, not because I was jealous but because I thought that it was sad that she was trying so hard to hold on to youth that she'd probably be better served by letting go.

I completely understand wanting to keep up with the fashion trends and by no means am suggesting that once you hit adult or motherhood it's time to break out the moo-moos, flowery blouses and polyester pants with elastic waistbands. However, there is a point when only teens should be wearing some things, and we should all feel relieved that we are exempt. This woman seemed to equate youth with sexiness or hipness when that couldn't be further from the truth. She would have looked much better and more respectable as a mother and adult woman if she had picked a more classic outfit that showed off her assets and employed some accessories to fill the youthfully trendy need. My boss at the bank does this masterfully. She is, daresay, in her late 50s/early 60s and is an impeccable dresser. She keeps up with the trends better than just about anyone I know and she makes them work for her in a very "with-it" yet classy way. Every outfit she owns is well-tailored and well-made (of course, she doesn't have any trouble with the cash flow needed to buy well-made designer stuff.). Her accessories are always perfect and never out-dated. She would not be caught dead in polyester pants or a moo-moo like many of her peers. In one word, she is class. The point that I am trying to illustrate is that you can keep with the trends and look good at any age without borrowing clothes from your nieces, daughters or grandaughters.

I'll admit that I do still shop in the Juniors section. However, it is definitely not because I love the styles. Many women's sizes and makes are still just a little too big and boxy for me, so it's easier to just stick with what I know. However, I would never dream of wearing some of the things the kids are now. If I can remember the first time it was popular, I have no business wearing it now! I think that women should be proud of their age. A woman can be much more provacative and sexy if she leaves the California booty skirt at home and classes it up a little.

Foot note conversation: What is up with the shorts and skirts with sayings all over the butt anyway? I thought they were kinda' cute when all you saw was "Hot Stuff", etc. Now it seems like butts are a walking billboard, too. You can get Mickey Mouse on your butt, Navy on your butt, (insert state name here) on your butt. The one I always cringe at is "Juicy". Why in the world do you want to advertise a lower bowl problem like that? Wouldn't that be the antithesis of sexy? It just brings all the wrong images to my mind. Hey, maybe Pepto has a pair of shorts with their logo on the butt. Yuck.

Boys are Different than Girls

2006-03-19T14:17:00.000-08:00

At the risk of sounding stereotypical, I have just a few gender observations from the last few weeks' activities.

The Boys' Retreat has officially closed for the year and has provided me with examples of how Jr. High boys and girls are very different:

Boys have a much shorter attention span. Although, I'm not sure I'll ever truly understand how they can't seem to listen to anyone for more than five minutes but can sit mesmerized by video games for hours.
Girls are more relational. They channel their energy into talking and listening to friends and adults they trust.
Neither boys or girls like "lights out", but the girls just giggle and talk all night while the boys try to kill each other and destroy anything that isn't bolted to the ground.
The boys think it's fun to beat the crap out of their friends. This, too, I do not understand. "Hey, you're my best friend, let me throw a ball in your face." ?
Girls seem to accept rules and responsibility better than the boys. Each boy tries to be an exception and gets upset when called out for it.
The boys accept room assignments better than the girls do. The boys don't seem to play the exclusivity game the way girls do. If you want to create drama at a girls' function, put a bunch of catty girls in a room with one girl they don't know or like. OMG. I never thought I'd hear a kid tell me that it wasn't Christian to put a girl she didn't know in her room. That took a lot of restraint on my part!

Sure, I'm a girl, so this seems a little biased. Remember that I'm talking about Jr High kids, too. I really appreciate my boys, but enjoy them on a one-on-one basis. Lately, when they get in large groups together it's a nightmare. I know that individually many of them are very bright and responsible, caring young men. I guess they just don't want the other guys to know! lol. Or maybe it's just too much Testosterone for one room.

So, now let's talk about adults:

Only women can sit in a room and watch another woman outfit her home for marriage or baby through the generosity of others. I'm sure that men could figure out there own kind of showers, but even then, I don't see a bunch of men coming to a tool party. "Hey, Ed, that is the very best crescent wrench that money can buy. Hope you enjoy it's ease of use. It saved my life." That just wouldn't happen. Guys borrow much better than women do. Guys don't need their friends to outfit the garage, because between dads, brothers, in-laws, and friends someone will have what they need. They don't care if it's used, it works!

Strip clubs really are for men. I attended a bachelorette party last night, and we made a stop at Sapphire for their male revue. I had never been to a strip club before. I will not be frequenting it. I wasn't grossed out. I was just very aware of how much they bilk you at these places. It was $25.00 to get in, lap dances (I didn't get one. I would have laughed the entire time.) were $20.00 plus tip and drinks were ridiculous. For what? Women don't really get off on seeing mostly naked men sauntering around. The only thing that I could think of was that the only guy I really wanted was my husband. One of the girls made a comment that here we were surrounded by gorgeous, well-built men and the only men we could think about were our own. So, that whole intimacy thing held up. There were horny, desperate women there who bought lap dance after lap dance. Everyone else was in a large group of girls who would egg each other on. I will say that the men did do a show in which they were sensitive to the women's mind as errogenous zone. They did all these fantasy skits before actually taking it off and going for the bills. They were really cheesy, but much better than, "Hey, ladies, look at my big package jiggling up and down." There was a lot of that, too, but it wasn't as gratuitous as I had expected.

The women's area was not too busy for a Saturday night, but as we left the room we had to walk through the men's area which was absolutely packed! There was no show. The stripper girls looked totally bored, but the men didn't care. So, it really is a visual thing. However, Don, who was at the bachelor party at a different strip club, said that all the clubs do is take your money and leave you really frustrated. We witnessed that as we were walking out and some strip club cassanova propositioned us for a lap dance. Um, sure. Dude just got all worked up watching the untouchable strippers and wants to grind on female patrons for free. What a jerk. Yuck.

Men and women in the club scene:

Next stop was Tabu Ultra Lounge at MGM. We were all totally ready to dance the night away. So, the bride and I found a spot on top of a table and started boogying down. Like strip clubs, the girls I know like to go to clubs to dance and hang with their girlfriends. It's a girl bonding thing. I have no doubt that hooking up happens every night, but not in my circle. So, Brigitte and I are having a great time dancing together and all of a sudden this drunk Mexican guy appears next to us. I guess he had been watching and decided that our hip swiveling was enough invitation. Next thing I know, this dude I have never met or spoken to in my life grabs me and tries to kiss me! Ew! I totally refused, pushed the guy away and cried to Brigitte to save me. Thankfully, she did. So, since when was dancing in the general vicinity of someone an invitation to make out? Is it a guy thing or a drunk thing? I couldn't really tell.

I think another difference between girls and guys in the social scene is that unless a girl is really out to get some action, girls have each other's back. No matter how drunk they are, girls make sure their friends are ok and accounted for. Guys aren't the same. They have a great time with you, but if you're all of a sudden not there, they assume you went off and got lucky or went home. They don't really worry about where you really are or if you're ok. I know, that's a big generalization. I'm just basing it on the collective experience of last night.

Also, women are more selective and catty about which girls they'll go out with or not whereas men seem to operate under the more the merrier idea. It's probably because men just don't get into the stupid drama like women do. Good for you!

So, there are my observations and generalizations about my experiences with men and women recently.

NAU Sister

2006-03-16T23:25:00.000-08:00

Katie, this one's for you. It's not my best pic ever, but I wanted to show you that I chose to support NAU during our March Madness Fun Night last week. I don't have a clue how they (or any other team) are doing in the conference. If Purdue does well, Debbie will let us know. That's the extent of my NCAA knowledge. But, the shirt's cute.

Litany

2006-03-13T17:06:00.000-08:00

Keeping with the theme and the season, here are my scrutenies (just a little early).

Deliver me from stress.
Deliver me from anger.
Deliver me from resentment.
Deliver me from disappointment.
Deliver me from the control and manipulation of others.
Deliver me from holding on to the past.
Deliver me from naivete.
Deliver me from poor body image.
Deliver me from lack of motivation.
Deliver me from feeling overwhelmed.
Deliver me from being so sensitive.
Deliver me from caring too much about people who care too little.
Deliver me from indecision.
Deliver me from hurt feelings.
Deliver me from confusion.
Deliver me from stagnation.
Deliver me from that which does not bring me life.
Deliver me from self-righteousness.
Deliver me from being misunderstood.
Deliver me from constantly feeling I must prove my worth.
Deliver me from insecurity.
Deliver me from fear.

Amen.

Exodus

2006-03-10T00:04:00.000-08:00

This is the first anniversary of Fairy Tales and Mythology of Goddess Desiree, so since the Goddess chose Genesis to begin all of this it seems appropriate to begin the next chapter with Exodus. Foolishly, she thought that transition and change could be contained in the measurement of time. It seems as though a transition year has grown into a transition period. Where will she finally land? What does the land of milk and honey hold for her? Are we already there? She should just appreciate the journey and the life and death she is part of along the way. At least, she's not alone. She needs to find her voice and her stage again- reawaken what has slumbered too long. Maybe she will finally return to her studies so that her view of life might actually do someone some good. Maybe someday she'll be understood; maybe not. After all, she can be quite a contradiction with fractured and conflicting thoughts and actions. But, aren't we all a little complex? All she really knows is that she can't stand still. It's really not that bad, she's just a sensitive soul trying to find the balance between herself and everyone else.

DISCLAIMER: For those of you who do worry about me from time to time, I really am fine. I'm just being introspective. I can't be all depressed, I have March Madness Fun Night with the kiddies tonight! Yippee!

ARGH!!!!!

2006-02-27T14:51:00.000-08:00

What is going on with the world?! We just found out that Laura's house got robbed again today. They took EVERYTHING. I can hardly imagine how she must be feeling right now. What a huge violation. What makes people feel that they have the right to other's property or that they have the right to violate someone else's rights or that they have the right to hurt innocent people for their own selfish gain? It makes me sick. The condition of humanity makes me sick. I know this happens everyday. We know another family that was robbed a month ago. Same thing: they took everything. Even stuff that wouldn't mean anything to anyone but the family. It's disgusting. I am so tired of selfish people!!!!! Does anyone think about anyone else in this life anymore? It doesn't seem that way. Everywhere I turn, people are looking for the angle that makes their lives better without a thought to how many people's lives they are making miserable in the process. How did this happen, or has it always existed and I was just too naive to notice?

I love you, Laura! Please be strong through everything you are going through. The sun will come out even though it's been hiding from you for way too long. We are always here for you no matter what. Don't lose your faith. This is when you need it most.

Right Under the Wire

2006-02-20T22:34:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try to be concise, since I am tired but it doesn't make too much sense to write about the weekend the farther you get from it. It was another whirlwind that kinda' crept up on us, so here are the highlights:

Friday night we went to dinner at Grape Street with one of Don's co-workers and his fiance. We hadn't been there in a really long time, because every time we've tried to eat there it just happened to be closed. As we were waiting for a table, it happened to me again. In walks a guy that I went to high school with. We were on Executive Council together. We both did a double take and made some small conversation and moved on. Another guy from Exec wasn't far behind, but we didn't really say anything to each other. That's pretty much how it was in high school, too. Some things never change. I can't believe that I haven't seen anyone for years and all of a sudden there are Clark '97 almuni everywhere I turn! I hope this isn't a bad omen like that I'm not going to make it to the reunion for some unforeseen reason, so I'm seeing everyone now to make up for it. Weird. Of course after they walked in, a church parishoner was right on their heels. We actually talked for a while. It was Brock from 5:00 Mass, so he asked what we'd been up to and all that jazz. I felt bad for the couple that we were with, because we kept getting interrupted by all these people I know from my "other" lives. Once we were seated, the interruptions ceased and we ate a lovely dinner. (Lovely? That sounds so matronly.)

Speaking of small worlds... I attended a bridal shower on Saturday for Don's cousin's fiance, Brigitte (catch that?). Brigitte and I also went to Clark together, so when we all "met" at a family function years ago everyone was surprised that all the new girls were already acquainted. (I already knew Doreen, too, because we went to religious ed together.) Plus, my brother went through most of his schooling with Don's cousin, Aaron. Weird, hu? I guess it was all meant to be. But, I digress. It was a nice shower, except for the games. They weren't as bad as some I've been part of. I just don't care for them, and I know that some of you out there agree. We played the "if you get caught saying wedding or crossing your legs, so and so gets to steal whatever" game. That's one of my least favorites. Why in the world do I want to expend energy fighting over a dot or necklace with women I barely know so I can bring home a doorprize that has been re-gifted more than once? Needless to say, Debbie and I lost our necklaces quickly and were relived to be able to cross our legs at will. I was the only one who gave the bride-to-be lingerie. You have to get at least one or it's just not right! Lisa, you would be proud;it was a pretty, full- coverage nightie in lavender. Hey, can we give lingerie at baby showers, too? That would be fun.

After the shower, Don and I ended up with last minute comps to Hairspray compliments of Marty and Melea. Their two little boys came along and were such a riot. They had us laughing out loud a few times. Marty and Melea have done a wonderful job of exposing them to the arts and culture, so they know how to sit through plays. Hairspray is a fun show, but there aren't many memorable songs and the story is a little thin. They rely too much on having a character in drag to get cheap laughs. Harvey Fierstein was great, don't get me wrong. But, he's only here for a short time, so what's going to happen when he's gone?

Marty is the Senior Manager of Box Office and Show Tickets at the Luxor. Don and I were floored when he told us that the expectation for the show is "100% capacity, 100% of the time". They do ten shows a week for goodness sake! That sheds more credible light on the Avenue Q woes.

Sunday morning came too quickly, but we had to do it. We finally made it to 9:30 Mass, and we sat just like everybody else! My parents were there, so we sat with them. I will admit that it's harder to pay attention to the homily in the morning. The energy is different at 9:30 Mass. I think it fits us better at this point in our lives. It was very nice to attend as a family and see other families that I used to know better when I attended that Mass as a child/adolescent. Don and I even went to breakfast afterwards. We won't get into that habit, but it's nice every now and then.

We capped the day with dinner at Debbie's, which is always a fun and relaxing close to the weekend. Of course, poor Sharon brought her work along. Don has a vocal cameo in her play which opens this week. Yippee! We're going to see it on Thursday. It's not Shakespeare, so we're safe this time.

So, now we're looking at a semi-busy week ahead. Don and I are going to try very hard to keep Wednesday nights sacred for music work, whether it be secular, church or instrumental practice (I should really try to become a better chart player, and Don wants to get his trumpet chops back.). We're going to have a showing of Rent on Saturday night. Oh, I almost forgot. I actually went to the gym today. Can you believe it? One of my friends invited me to go, so I decided to try it out. Of course, the manager tried all his hard sell tactics on me, but I did not sign up. My mom has a treadmill at her house that I can use for free. So, maybe I will.

By the way, welcome to blogger Katie! You better keep us informed of all the NAU excitement and the latest pearls of wisdom courtesy of Grandmama. It's time for me to drift off to dreamland and dream of the day that I no longer am awakened to go to the bank. Have a good week, everyone!

Sometimes No One Wins Really

2006-02-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

I watched an ok movie last night, Godsend with Robert DiNero. The basic premise is that a couple has a child, the child is killed and Robert DiNero steps in and offers them the chance to "clone" their dead child in a new embryo. This post is not about cloning, although that is probably a goldmine of controversy.

One scene that grabbed my attention was the father confronting Robert DiNero when his new child starts to do weird things. The father blamed him, and Robert DiNero threw the argument back at him and said that they did it together. The line that stuck with me is, "What? Do you think you can just open Pandora's Box and close it again." In light of all the controversy that I am on the fringe of, that seems so true. Do people even think of the consequences of what they say and do? Until recently, I never realized how damaging a vengeful person can be. I think we've all had vengeful thoughts in defense of ourselves or someone we love, but typically we don't act on those feelings. They soften with time, as they should. What I fail to understand are the people who are so motivated by hate and misplaced justice that they will destroy everything and everyone in their path to victory. How can one not even consider all the people and good things that they have the power to destroy and not see that it just isn't right? Do some people really find themselves believing lies as truth? Do they make themselves truly believe what they want to see? That must be it, because no psychologically stable person would hurt others with such malice and believe that it is ultimately for good. I also never realized the power of one. It only takes one person to set the world on it's ear. So for all the times we feel powerless, I guess it isn't really true. We can make life a living Hell, too. Ok, sarcasm. If it only takes one person to spread evil, why does it seem like one person doing good isn't quite as effective? Maybe, I should know the answers to some of this, since I'm a shrink wannabe and all. I do have some theories. Maybe someday...

That has me spinning, too. I have spent so much of my life wanting to be "in the know". Now that I am, I realize the burden of information and truth. Sometimes it's better not to know. Like, just eat the hot dog and don't ask how it's made. Ignorance is truly bliss sometimes, especially for people like me who so want to believe that people are inherantly good. I don't want to know that there are snakes all around me. I don't want to be distrustful or feel that I have to watch what I say to whom. I don't like having to remember every detail of every day. I just have to keep believing that God is here and that good does conquer evil. Prayer doesn't hurt, either. Unfortunately, at this point the damage is done and no one really wins no matter what they think. Be good to each other.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2006-02-14T15:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day everybody! I hope that everyone has great, romantic plans. Don and I both have to work late. At first I was bummed, but Josh from Second City put together a dinner for all of us Second City couples after the show. We're going to try out 3 Tomatos and a Mozzerella. I hope it's yummy.

Computer people: How do I get rid of the ugly orange title? I found this nice purple for my post but can't figure out how to change the title color. Argh. Help, please.

Divine Secrets of the CTK Sisterhood

2006-02-12T13:03:00.000-08:00

The Girls' Retreat has officially ended, and I think it was a big success. We ended up with 21 girls, which is a great turn out. Only two didn't show. It was actually a lighter retreat than the one we did last year, but I think it was better that way since we had a younger group this year. I think we finally found the free-time/serious activity balance. That has been the hardest thing to do with every activity. They seemed to settle down and pay better attention when we needed them to because we let them have so much free time with their friends. The girls were very appreciative of all the attention we gave them and left little notes for us in their rooms, which actually made me a little misty. Those are the moments that make all the stress and long hours worthwhile. Aside from a few shock value moments, they are good girls with pretty good heads on their shoulders. I always feel that the proof of what we do isn't in the event but is in the decisions they make years after it. If even one thing we do with them helps them to make a better decision or feel better about themselves someday, then we have been successful. I know we can't save them all from hard times and future mistakes, even though I wish I could. I can't give away all of our secrets in the event that we publish this retreat someday. lol. Actually, Debbie and I would like to tweak the best retreats and lesson plans that have been done lately and work on getting them published. There aren't enough good Jr High resources, so we would like to be in a position to share what has worked for us with other youth ministers. Susan, our old youth minister, has been publishing a lot lately, but most of her stuff is high school appropriate.

As most of you know, everything that Debbie, our volunteers and I have been doing lately has been uncharted territory. After this weekend, I say it's working. We are definitely growing a stronger program that is attracting stronger volunteers (Our Girls' and Boys' Retreat Teams are truly awesome and dedicated) and making more of a difference. I say this because our retreat was so important to the girls that they didn't use other things they needed to do as an excuse not to attend. I did not know that Saturday was Jr. High Solo and Ensemble Festival for musicians/singers. Many of our girls were participating and still came to the retreat. One girl left at 7:00am, performed her solo and came back! Of course, some of the girls had sports games on Saturday, too. They brought their uniforms with them so they could stay with us as long as possible. What a testament to the good that we all have been doing. I am so proud that we have given the kids a postive place where they truly wish to be.

MySpace

2006-02-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

I should be getting siked for the Girls' Retreat, but I'm just not there yet. So, I'll write something in an effort to inspire myself to take a shower and pack my stuff for the night.

I have had my blogger and myspace pages for approximately the same amount of time. I actually did not want to get a myspace account at first, but Lisa convinced us to get on so we could correspond easier and see pics of Lacey more often. So, we complied. I have never liked myspace much, though. I hate the emphasis on appearance and hooking up with people you don't know but think are cute. I was asked to befriend a kid who I think is only inviting blonde girls to be his friends. Sure, that's going to lead to something. Long story short, I prefer this blog to myspace. However, lately I have been paying more attention to myspace because more people are on it. Most of the Second City guys are there, church people are there, plus I 've been able to reconnect with some people from high school. Just last night I found our babysitter from the street we grew up on. That was wild. She is now my friend, of course. I will admit that myspace makes it much easier to network, because you don't have to remember every individual account name. I do write on myspace from time to time, but it's usually really mindless stuff (because everything I write here is highly intelligent and thought provoking. lol.). Unfortunately, my readership there seems to be a lot higher than here. I have tried and tried to convince people to view this page. I even post link reminders every now and then. Some people do make it over, but I'm not sure it's a regular thing. I have even tried to bolster Blogger membership. I did succeed recently with the addition of Andy after many months of Lisa and me bugging him. But, where's Christine? Where's Mark and his musical reviews (I think it would be very informative.)? Sigh. Oh, Blogger I have tried, but even I am forced to pay more attention to myspace. So, please don't be jealous if I start writing more for them than for you. It's not personal. I'll always love you more.

Fashion Observation

2006-02-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

I totally forgot to write about this in my New York vacation narrative. Maybe because it doesn't have much to do with anything else that I wrote. Hmmm. Right before we left, I glanced through a magazine at my allergist's office that showed pictures of celebs wearing jeans tucked into black leather knee boots. They were claiming that this is the new cute trend for Winter. I seem to remember this being a style in the late 80s/early 90s that everyone swore to never repeat much like day-glo colors, large belts and large sunglasses. Hmmm. How are we supposed to keep up in this fashion conscious world when last year's "don't" is this year's "do". I find it almost laughable. It is so strange to see trends that I remember return after being the butt of merciless jokes for so many years. Anyway, back to the boots... I made the personal desicion not to get excited about the jeans in the boots. So, we travel to New York and everywhere I turn, ladies have their jeans tucked into their boots! I couldn't believe it! That means that we have that to look forward to out here next Fall. Maybe it won't travel this way. Could we secretly hope for that? I don't want to have anymore pictures to laugh at. I have enough from childhood. Next thing we'll hear is how great shoulder pads are! Oh, God save us before we get there!

I have complained about this before, but I just can't get over it. What is up with the mohawk? I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! There could not be an uglier hairstyle. Over dinner this weekend we had a conversation with some friends about mohawk versus mullet. Both are awful, but we agreed that the mohawk just seems to be a big flip-off to the world and the mulett is just sad. Also, you can go to a normal job interview with a mullet but not with a mohawk. There are probably only a hand full of jobs in which a mohawk would be an acceptable hairstyle. What I almost dislike more than either of these is the weird faux-mo that is going on. If you haven't noticed, it's for 20 and 30-something guys who are desperately trying to be cool without committing to the full-on mohawk. I think it's awful and sad. The men grow their top middle hair longer than the rest but they still have hair on the sides and they gel it up into the middle in an impersonation of a mohawk. Very ugly in my opinion. It's just a wimpy attempt to hang on to the coolness and rebellion of youth that has passed. Kinda' like the mullet come to think of it. Business in the front and party in the back! Yuck! In summary, stick with the classics and you'll never go wrong.

Even More Tales From the City

2006-01-31T21:55:00.000-08:00

Can you believe there’s still more?! I’m not making any promises, but maybe this will be it. So let’s get to it!

The Sites
Times Square always seemed like a place that you stop and look at. Little did I know that it is the thoroughfare to EVERYTHING. We passed through Times Square a million times. To me, it is really the heart of Manhattan. So, you don’t go to Times Square, you go through it.

After a few pricey cab rides, Don finally convinced me that the subway couldn’t be that bad. So, our first subway adventure took us to lower Manhattan where we got on a ferry to sail out to Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty. I dare say that we took more pictures of the Statue of Liberty than anything else! I don’t really know why, but we did. Some of them are very cute. Did you know that the Statue of Liberty wasn’t originally green? When it came over from France (in “puzzle” pieces) it was actually made of copper. The air and elements oxidized it which resulted in a green coating over the copper. Theoretically, the green could be scrubbed away and the copper restored, but no one’s going to do that. It only took about thirty years for the oxidation to occur. There’s your lesson of the day with Mrs. Wizard.

As you can tell, our trip to see Lady Liberty was very educational. When we returned to Manhattan Island we moved on to the World Trade Center site. They are currently in the process of creating the memorial. It didn’t feel as reverent as we had thought it would, but I’m sure that will be restored when the memorial is completed this spring. They did have all of the names of the deceased posted and a timeline of the events of September 11th.

Our biggest adventure story (kinda’) was our trek to Greenwich Village. We hopped on the subway around 5:00pm with only a vague idea of where the village actually was. We seemed to get pointed in every wrong direction! We were at the “one more block” point when we finally saw some stores that had Greenwich Village in the name and were ultimately saved by a Mexican restaurant. It wasn’t half bad. I had a Kiwi Margarita. Yum. We did walk past NYU on our way to the Village. That was different than expected, too. They had a really awesome costume shop out there, though. (It was run by drag queens, too!)

One of my favorite jaunts was our afternoon in Central Park. We ate lunch at Tavern on the Green, which had beautiful gardens and cutely ornate dining areas. We were in the famous glass window room. I hear that it’s even better at night with all the twinkle lights in the trees. We decided that we would rather catch another show than check out the twinkle lights. The food was good, but not anything to rave about. After lunch we walked a bit and found Strawberry Fields where the “Imagine” John Lennon memorial is located. The area is across the street from the Dakota where he lived and was killed. Yoko Ono actually still lives there. She donated oodles of money to preserve that area of Central Park, because she and John enjoyed walking there so much. I guess she’s not all bad… which leads me to a digression… During Forbidden Broadway they did a spoof of her and her awful singing. My favorite part was when they sang about her being known forever as the woman who ruined the Beatles and now she’ll be known as the woman who ruined Broadway, too. (She owns the rights to a lot of the music that has been included in very mediocre shows lately.) Back to Central Park… After a bit of walking and braving the bathroom, Don consented to a horse drawn carriage ride through the park. I was very happy. It was fun and romantic. I’ve always wanted to do that. It was a very nice day, and Central Park is a beautiful retreat from the craziness of the city.

Our hotel was near almost everything we wanted to see. It was a few blocks either direction from Central Park and Times Square. The Letterman studios were right around the corner. Carnegie Hall was across the street. All the theaters were within walking distance. Rockefeller Center and the NBC studios were very close. I really liked Rockefeller Center. The ice skating rink was cool (no pun intended). We didn’t skate, but Don did think about it for a second. They really like twinkle lights in New York, and so do I!

Sometimes luck was on our side and sometimes it wasn’t. Half of my pictures didn’t turn out, our luggage got soaked on the way home, I got sick but we had great seats to every show, we got into SNL, there weren’t awful crowds and Don got his picture taken with a celebrity. As we were walking back from Forbidden Broadway, we were stopped outside one of the theaters by a barricade. We didn’t understand at first. It was the Odd Couple Theater where Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick are starring. We were outside the stage door when Matthew Broderick was leaving. He was signing autographs and taking pictures, so Don seized the chance and had me take his picture with Matthew. He was so jazzed to get his picture taken with Ferris.

Tips on Food
I will be honest; the food was expensive and not very good. We were very disappointed. We searched and searched for the wonderful New York pizza that supposedly exists and didn’t find anything close until the last day. Oy Vey! The worst culinary experience was at Roxy Diner. DO NOT EAT AT ROXY DINNER IN TIMES SQUARE!!!!! The food and the service royally suck, and they charge an arm and a leg for the crappy experience. Don had nasty baked ziti. I ordered ravioli, but ended up with manicotti on top of a piece of Wonder Bread and covered with cheese. It was gross. I even asked the waiter about it and he tried to tell me that’s the way ravioli is. Can you believe that?! I didn’t just roll off the turnip truck. I told him that it was disturbing and gross. Of course, he didn’t care and we didn’t get it comped, either. I will say that the desserts in New York were very good. We had a milkshake almost everyday! We did so much walking and ate so little, that we felt justified in indulging.

One thing I somehow did not realize was that in New York you walk everywhere. It doesn’t matter what the weather is, you walk. That was a shock to me and my fragile, prissy ways. I was so bundled up you’d think I was expecting a blizzard! I think I got more used to it by the end, though. (Don would probably disagree.)

All in all, we had a really great time. We did and saw a lot without planning every minute. Of course, there were things that we would have liked to do, but I’m sure they’ll still be there if we ever go back. It was so nice to be away from everything, and aside from the cold, I feel refreshed and less stressed. I now know that I am definitely a west coast girl. The east coast is nice to visit, but I’d never make it out there. It’s so different. So, now I’m back to “real” life and trying to jump back into our busyness. It was nice to press “pause” for a little while, though. I could get used to this vacation thing!

More Tales From the City

2006-01-30T18:14:00.000-08:00

Let’s see how far I get today at the great risk of boring you all to tears. Oh, well. It could be worse. As you can imagine, we couldn’t possibly go to New York and only see shows. We definitely had our share of tourist moments and exploration. We didn’t see everything, but did enough that we were pretty pleased with ourselves. We did a lot without scheduling every second and waking up at the crack of dawn everyday, so it still felt like a vacation. So, here’s a whirlwind tour of the more notable things we saw/did:

Saturday Night Live
This was one of the big luck moments of the trip. We had absolutely no idea how difficult it is to get tickets to SNL. I guess the normal procedure is that you have to write in for tickets during the first couple of weeks in August, you are put into a lottery and if you are chosen SNL tells you what date you can come and if you can’t make it that day you go back into the lottery. No wonder people looked at us weird when we said that we were going to try to go. Thankfully, we have a connection with one of the cast members, Jason Sudeikis. He is a Second City Las Vegas alum and is now a featured player on SNL. He has been in a lot of sketches lately, so we’re all hoping that he becomes part of the regular cast next season. He actually left for SNL just as Don was starting with Second City, so we didn’t really know him, but the other Second City guys do. So, long story short, we got hooked up with tickets the first night we were in town without having to worry about lotteries and bad dates.

It was fun and interesting to watch the taping. The soundstage isn’t as big as you would think. There are set pieces all over the room and the cameras and mics are wheeled around to each set. It is amazingly co-coordinated. They really do need those commercial breaks to get things changed and ready. I will never watch the show the same way again. The crew really has to be on top of things. Also, the playing space is smaller than it seems on TV. They use a lot of camera angle tricks to make the area seem larger, especially the main monologue area and the area the musical guests play from.

After the show, Jason invited us to check out an improv show the next night at the Upright Citizens Brigade. It turns out that a lot of the SNL people participate in the local improv community. That night Jason and Amy Poehler were on-stage with a bunch of other really talented improv comedians (I feel awful that I don’t remember their names!). The show was a lot like the S.E.T. which the Second City guys participate in here on Monday nights. It’s a whole night of improv for five bucks. That’s a lot cheaper than their 90 minute show at the Flamingo. Anyway, Don and I thought that it was pretty cool that we got to go to a somewhat underground show. The audience was full of artsy-type college aged kids. We saw a lot of pink and blue hair and a lot of the guys were sporting really scruffy, mountainman-esque beards. I guess we’ll be seeing that here within the year (trends always move slowly from coast to coast). Joy.

Jason was very gracious to us and really made our first few days in town fun. Hopefully, we can return the favor some day.

Shopping
That very same first night in town we ate at a little Italian place on our way to the NBC studios. We met up with a very nice Australian couple who gave us a lot of great tourist tips like: Don’t worry about your purse. It’s not as bad as people make it out to be. (Very true. I carried my backpack all week without a worry at all.) On of the best tips that they gave us was to check out Canal Street for super knock-off deals. We were game, so a few days later we caught a cab down to Canal (which is basically in Chinatown and Little Italy). It reminded me a little of the California beach communities (not in a good way). There were Asian men and women all over trying to entice us with Rolex, Gucci and Chanel. After walking out of the dozenth shop with the same crappy Prada copies marked Pagoda, I was ready to call it a day and wondered what the Australian people were talking about. Then it happened. We were standing in one shop and a man brushed passed us and asked the sales lady for Coach. She took him to a room in the back and he emerged with a black plastic bag. All of a sudden, the sales ladies start yelling that they were closed and that we needed to get out. Weird. We noticed that a lot of store owners were on walkie talkies. It all started to become clearer, so I went on a hunt of my own. We had our very own tour of the backroom and brought back our own black-market souvenir. As far as we can tell it is the real deal. Had I known, I would have tried to score more. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to go back. I know people have strong feelings about this kind of business. We were pretty naive, actually. It’s one of those things that I’ve heard about, but had never really seen in action. It was a very illuminating experience.

One thing I will say about New York is that they take shopping very seriously! It’s not just high end, either. We went to a four story Old Navy with a huge bargain basement. The Macy’s is an entire block with a few stories of its own. It was the most massive store I have ever been in. It made my few years as a sales associate not seem so bad, because it is a big deal out there. It probably would have been a lot cooler to work in that store. We were excited to find a GAP close to us and soon realized that there is a GAP around every other corner it seems. It’s as prolific as Wal-Greens is out here! We also went to a store that Jessica would have loved. It’s called Century 21 and is across from the WTC site. It is also four stories and is all discount clothing. They had $5.00 skirts and $200.00 or less designer suit coats for men. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. I don’t usually have patience for discount shopping, and this was no different. It must be the years spent sizing rounders. Ahhhhhh! Everyone asks if we went to Tiffany & Co, and the answer is, “no”. We didn’t even see it. We have one here, though (as Jessica is well aware.).

Souvenir wise, it was just the same old crap that is in every gift shop in every city. Does anyone really need a mini New York license plate with their name on it? We did buy a few shot glasses and I bought a Statue of Liberty bear to go with my geographical bear collection. We could have bought “I (heart) New York” t-shirts for everyone for $3.00 each, but, again, does anyone really need another t-shirt?

I think that’s it for our big shopping sprees (yeah, right!). Stay tuned for more. (Hopefully, I’m not boring the crap out of everyone, but I decided that this would be the easiest way to catalog our trip.)

Tales From the City

2006-01-29T22:23:00.000-08:00

We have been home now for almost 24 hours and I’m already starting to lose details! I guess that happens when you cram a ton of stuff into a week long vacation. Anyway… New York was a blast! It was a well-deserved and much needed vacation. Don and I did and saw so much. It was amazing. The pictures and stories won’t really do it justice (do they ever, really?). I think the easiest way to share our trip is to break it into sections of interest (hopefully). So, let’s talk about the SHOWS!!!!

Broadway
Broadway was the real reason that we trekked across country and it did not disappoint. We saw The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Sweeney Todd, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Forbidden Broadway. This turned out to be a really good variety. Each show was fantastic. The talent is absolutely amazing. There is definitely a reason why these people are on Broadway and the rest of us aren’t! There wasn’t a weak link in any show. Each and every cast member was immensely talented and well-trained. It made some of the stuff that goes on here look pretty pitiful. For example, Sweeney Todd didn’t have an orchestra. The actors played all of the instruments on stage from memory! That was just awe-inspiring. For those who don’t know, Sweeney Todd is a Sondheim musical and Sondheim isn’t known for being easy. Where in the world do you find good actors who are also accomplished singers and instrumentalists? That wouldn’t happen here. We have a hard enough time finding good actors who can carry a tune! Needless to say, we were extremely impressed with the cast and the production. The story is not one of my faves. It’s pretty dark. Here’s the gist: A man is sent to prison, he comes home to pick up his life and nothing is the same as when he left. So, he becomes obsessed with revenge. He’s a barber by trade, so he starts killing people when they come into his shop and his friend the pie lady grinds up the bodies to use in her meat pies. Fun musical, hu? It was definitely worth seeing due to the talented cast. Patti LuPone from Life Goes On (remember? With Corky and Kellie Martin?) was the Mrs. Lovett, the pie lady.

Our favorite show from the week was definitely Wicked. I was really looking forward to finally seeing it, especially since we missed it in LA last summer. It was AMAZING! It was so worth the wait. I love the score and it means so much more now that the story has been fleshed out a bit. It is such a huge musical. The story is grand, the roles are grand, the sets are grand, the costumes are grand, the music is grand. It is probably my new favorite stage musical (The Sound of Music still takes the cake on film). The female leads were fabulous and Glinda was even an understudy- that’s how good Broadway is! I’d even venture to say that the girl playing Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) was better than the CD. I know that’s sacrilege to some of you. Here’s another potentially controversial opinion: Now that I have seen both, I agree with the people who say that Avenue Q stole the Tony from Wicked. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed Avenue Q. It’s witty and has a cool concept, but Wicked is just “Wow”. Plus, it gave us two great female lead roles to covet. I cannot wait to see it again. It is coming to San Diego this summer. Don already checked on tickets. They go on sale May 5th. We will be ready this time! So, family and friends, if you are interested in trying to do a group thing, get on it NOW. We will definitely be going.

Of course, my mom was surprised to hear that we enjoyed Wicked more than Phantom. I do hate to say it, because I love Phantom and we had great seats (we had good seats to every show, but these were the best). It was pretty cool to see the show right when it was celebrating its new honor as longest running show in Broadway history. However, it is becoming a little dated. It will be interesting to see what new effects they’ll be able to use when it comes to the Venetian this summer. It will be nice to see a tech makeover. This was my second time seeing Phantom and Don’s first and both of us would go back in a second.

The newest show we saw was The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. We hadn’t originally planned to see it but ended up with a deal and some free time. Mark gave me the soundtrack for my birthday, so I knew that it was a cute show. I’m glad that we were able to see it, because it was very light-hearted and laugh-out-loud funny at times. This would be a great show for high schools to do if it weren’t for two songs/parts: My Unfortunate Erection and a song about one of the contestants and her two dads. They are both great parts but probably not public school appropriate. It is a really fun show with a soundtrack worth checking out. Especially take a look at The I Love You Song.

I just have one gripe, one observation and one tourist tip. The Gripe: Where has theatre etiquette gone? It has always bothered me that people don’t dress up and make a big deal out of going to a show. I thought it was just a Vegas thing. Now I know that it’s not. Some people were dressed to the nines and others definitely were not. I guess some people think that live theatre is as casual as attending a movie. I always think of it as a respect thing. These people give their hearts and their lives on stage every night; the least we can do is leave the jeans at home. That isn’t really the worst of it, though. Did anyone ever pass on that it is not appropriate to scream and holler at live theatre and classical music events? I suppose that’s the common form of showing appreciation, but I was taught that you holler at sports events not at the arts. Didn’t we all get that talk from our Choir/ Theatre teachers? I think that someone should educate the audience on theatre do’s and don’ts. Like Do clap, Don’t scream. Do arrive on time; Don’t climb over people during the first Act. Please refrain from talking, rustling candy wrappers and singing the score. Yes, even on Broadway, someone had to sing along behind us and ruin the punch lines with early deliveries. I thought that Don was going to throttle the stupid girl. Also, it would be really nice if people were aware that there are people sitting behind them especially when they are tall and I am short. At Phantom, we were seated third row Center Orchestra and a family of mostly children sat in front of us. I thought that I had lucked out until the father brought over a five to six inch pad for his daughter to sit on. What the hell is that about?! They were in the second row for goodness sake! I did not fly across the country and pay full price to have a bratty kid become taller than most adults by sitting on a stupid pad in front of me! So, in my assertive fashion, I questioned the father about the necessity of creating height for his daughter and pointed out that I am a short adult who would also like to see the show. She didn’t use the pad.

The Observation: People have been saying that Vegas is going to be Broadway-West. There’s even an article in today’s RJ about it. I don’t know how anyone realistically thinks this can happen. Of course, it would be a dream come true. But, New York has a fabulous artistic community and happens to respect art in its intended form. We want to make shows fit Vegas (i.e.: 90 minute condensed versions. Even Avenue Q is getting chopped up, I’ve heard.). I don’t want Broadway-lite. Plus, how can it work when casino managers and owners are more concerned with profitability than the art (and it shows)? I don’t see a good future for such a tradition laden art form in such a tradition less town. I hate to say it, but until our fair city can respect the shows they’ll never thrive. I think that it was totally unrealistic for the Wynn to expect to sell out two shows a night with Avenue Q. That theater is huge! It was bigger than every theater we were in except Wicked’s. They don’t even do two shows a night in New York, so why would we do that here? Did they even research these shows before signing them?

Tourist Tip: If you ever plan a trip to Broadway, be sure to take advantage of the TKTS ticket booth in Times Square. We got half price tickets for most of our shows using this service. The catch is that you can only go the day of the show and not all the shows are available every day. It’s a crap shoot, but well worth the savings. We booked advance tickets for the shows that we had to see and used TKTS for the rest. Supposedly, we have the same thing here in Vegas. We’ll have to research that and give you all an update.

Wow! That was a lot. I think I'm going to have to do installments.

To be continued...

Hair Hell

2006-01-16T22:12:00.000-08:00

That's what I call the week before you have your next hair appointment. It doesn't matter if it has been nine weeks or four weeks. Somehow your hair just knows that it's that time and freaks out on you. I swear that my roots suddenly become more noticeable and my style grows out just enough to be unmanageable about a week before any given appointment. It's amazing. Right now my bangs are driving me absolutely insane. I had this great thought that I would grow them out again. Bad idea. I can't wait to get them trimmed back to where they belong. They keep falling over my eye, and no amount of hairspray helps. For someone who is hair obsessed, this can be quite debilitating. There are days that I am late for work because of my hair. Isn't that awful? I just cannot leave the bathroom until my hair is passable. How do some people just get out of bed, run a comb through and go? I even obsess when I put on a hat! Should I tuck my hair behind my ear or let it be in front? Argh! Unfortunately, my hair woes have nothing to do with length. It is no easier short than it was long. I'll just have to face it: I have high maintenance hair. Figures.

Hey, I just pushed the next blog button and it directed me to www.cynicaldad.blogspot.com . Some of you may enjoy this blog, so check it out. By the way, what is this Best of Blogs award thing and why weren't any of us nominated? Geez.

Relativity

2006-01-15T21:30:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wonder if age is really relative? I had one of those, "OMG, I'm old!" moments last night. I was talking with our friend Sharon's daughter, Taree, about a competition that her government class had competed in this semester. It happened that it was the same competition that I had participated in while a senior in high school. So, I was very excited to share how my class had won local, state and made it all the way to D.C. to compete in nationals in which we won best in the western region. It was the most awesome experience, and we were a kick ass class. We had nine valedictorians that year, including myself (I bet some of you never guessed that one!), and six of us were in this class. Needless to say, we were hard to beat. So, here I am reliving the "glory days" and the poor girl has the most patronizing look on her face. She was trying to be polite, but I knew that my experience was just too far removed from her own. How sad! To me, senior year doesn't seem to be so terribly long ago, but to her it must seem like an eternity! In that moment, I felt so old and out of touch. Honestly, I'm only a year away from my ten year reunion. ( Some of you are probably laughing at me right now, because your ten year came and went long ago!)

Anyway... it got me to thinking about how hard I try to be relevant and relatable to young people. I don't try to be something that I'm not, but I do feel that if I am going to be effective in my job I need to be aware of what young people are watching, feeling and experiencing. I'm not as good at this as I could be, but I know that I am much more "in tune" than some people I know.

Also, I'm not ready to feel "old". I know that I'm really not in the grand scheme of life. However, sometimes it's really hard when I realize that I'm not in the "young" category anymore. No, I'm in the "young family" catagory now. That seems so stupid, too, since I am not the young mommy with three small children in tow. So, what is this time of life? I'm even more displaced now that everyone around me is having children. Where in the world does that leave us? Do we just have to keep finding young, upwardly mobile people to hang out with until they decide that it's time for kids and we no longer "fit" into the social picture? There's gotta' be a welcome place for us somewhere between college entrance exams and diaper genies.

That reminds me of the pseudo-compliment which I received from one of my Jr. Highers. She's giving her own mom a lot of trouble and so one day she looked at me after a tift with her mom and said, "See, you're a cool mom.". Again, OMG I'm old; this kid thinks that I could be her mom! How can I be a "cool" mom when I don't have any children? Is that the key? Only people without kids can be looked up to as cool parents? I'd just like to gain cool aunt status! Those prospects are pretty dim, though. Sure, I think that Dameon likes me pretty well, but Lacey and all the other kids that will come with time won't be around us enough to even know if we are cool or not. We'll just be those aloof relatives in Las Vegas that never send gifts. There are only three possible ways that I see would result in cool aunt status: closer proximity (west to east coast is a big diff), providing a glut of cousins in the same age range and/or spoiling the kids to death. Unfortunately, all of these are about as probable as a cold day in Hell. My only hope is that when the kids grow up they'll feel that it is important to have adult relationships with relatives. That would be nice, but in my experience is kinda' rare. Most of my extended relatives wrote me off after I got married. Even so, I still send them all Christmas cards. (I only send to the cousins that I am currently in contact with, though. The rest can just forget it!) So, did they only like me when I was small and precocious? Oh, well. Maybe my mission in life is to love kids through the times when they aren't cute and no one has a use for them anymore. No one seems to like Jr. High kids, but I feel really awful for them. That's when they need love and support more than any other time. Whenever people ask me why I don't have kids, I just tell them that I have 130 twelve year olds and that's quite enough!

Number 4!

2006-01-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

Today is mine and Don's fourth anniversary. I guess we're not really newlyweds anymore. Oh, well. We did better than Jessica and Nick! There are still days when I'd love to go back and have our wedding all over again. Six more years and we can party again. I'm really looking forward to our evening. Whatever we do will be nice, because we'll be together.

What Now?

2006-01-10T21:35:00.000-08:00

So, we said our goodbyes and wiped away a tear or two. It is so hard for me to let go even when I know that it's better this way. We did all that we could do, and we did our best. Now, it's time for someone else to shine. Even so, I totally resist change, and this is no exception. I don't regret the decision at all. I guess, I'm just a little down about it. I'm afraid of what I'll miss. I'm sure it will pass. I was pretty depressed yesterday, so I welcomed work for a change (not the bank, though. I so wish that I could get out of there!). What I need to do is look forward to all the things that we have missed over the years. We are already much happier, especially since the only things that we ever fought over were musical cues and liturgical philosophy. Now, we'll get to fight over sex and money like everyone else! It's only natural that it would be hard for me to see such a huge part of my life and identity go away. No, it's not all that defines me. I suppose I have other talents, too. lol. I'm not looking for pity or sympathy; I'm just working through my feelings so I can get to the happy place.

Post Christmas Yuck

2006-01-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

Traditionally I really hate this week of the year. I always get so sad to go back to "normal" life after all the Christmas fun and festivities. I just want to prolong the magic moments and Christmas love with family and friends. I know that it doesn't go away, but it seems that the world only understands and let's us slow down to be with our families and loved ones the last two weeks of December. After that, it's back to the grindstone with a vengeance like your paying for your quality time. The bank was bad that way this week. Everyone was twice as ornery as usual. "Happy New Year to you, too!" Geez.

In all honesty, this has been a week of disappointments. Many people who I love and care about are having a rough beginning of 2006. They have tough choices to make, have had their hearts broken and have been dealt awful news. It all makes my little fender-bender seem not so bad in comparison. (Although, it still sucks and I am very embarrassed.)

I feel this swirl of dark clouds coming over us. Maybe it's because I know that this is going to be a very emotional weekend. So much is going to change so quickly. Some things will never be the same. I pray that we all have great faith that God has a reason that we can't see and through a time of "death" and change there will be resurrection for us all. He will be our light and our strength.

So, I Tried

2006-01-04T21:18:00.000-08:00

Some of you may recall that a few months ago I was pondering whether to try to contact some of my old high school friends. I did decide to go out on a limb and send Christmas cards to two of them. It was really a shot in the dark, but I figured that I didn't have anything to lose. Today I received a card from Norma Mayer. I was so excited that I had finally reconnected with my grade school best friend! I opened the card and it turns out that I found a different Norma Mayer who thinks we sound really nice but wonders if she is losing her mind because our names and faces aren't familiar at all. Poor lady! So, now she has a mystery on her hands as to who these people in Vegas are who claim to know her. She doesn't even know anyone in Vegas at all! I'll have to send her a card in explanation. Maybe I'll make a new friend! At least I have a new person to send Christmas cards to.

In With a Bang

2006-01-03T21:45:00.000-08:00

Thinking back to all of our New Year's Eves, I don't think we've spent any of them doing the same thing except maybe when we were too little to do anything more than bang pots and pans! I've had family New Year's, game night New Year's, stupid kids under 21 New Year's, Gingerbread House New Year's, intimate gathering New Year's and now kick ass party New Year's. We went to the most awesome party! It really was the best place to be in town. My description can hardly do it justice. I'll just say that the house was huge, the music was pumpin', there were go-go dancers, there was a bar everywhere you turned (one was actually an ice bar which was a sight to behold), the food and booze were free, there was arena quality lighting for the backyard stage. It was amazing. It put our Fourth party to shame, but if we had a limitless budget it would probably be pretty similar. Don and I had a great time. Here's an idea of how good it was: I gashed my toe on something, it bled and crusted up before I even noticed! I looked down at my foot and said, "Oh, look: I'm bleeding." I still don't know how it happened. I guess alcohol is a great anesthetic! The guy who threw the party says that this is his last. I sure hope not, because it was the best party I have ever been to. I'd go again in a second!

So, New Year's Eve was fabulous. New Year's Day was all right. New Year's Day observed was kinda' low key. Then came Tuesday, January 3rd. I had been dreading going back to "normal" post-holiday life and even remember saying this morning that I really didn't want to do today. Was I ever right about that one! Everyone was pissy at the bank, which isn't out of the norm, but was particularly irritating today. I was so glad when it was finally time to leave! I was only a block from the bank when I rear-ended the car in front of me while trying to make a left-hand turn. Long story short: everyone is fine, it was totally my fault and thankfully there is minimal damage to the lady's car. Unfortunately, I ended up busting my radiator and had to be towed to the mechanic. It should be fixed by tomorrow. There isn't really any body damage to speak of, so that's good. We got a ribbing from the mechanic for even fixing the radiator since my car is so old and worth so little. We figure that it's worth the fix as long as it buys us some time to look for a new one. We knew that we needed to do it; now, it's a little more pressing. I have to say that Don was a good sport. I feel horrible, but he isn't driving it home every chance he gets. Not that he would. It's just not anyone's favorite thing to have to deal with.

There's my figurative and literal bang into the new year. So far, it's been pretty exciting.

Good Riddance!

2005-12-31T14:16:00.000-08:00

In about ten hours we will officially say, "So long" to 2005- Thank God!!!! I have stated many times that this is the year that sucks. Just look around, almost everyone experienced something awful this year. It didn't even give us a few days grace; the brother-in-law of a woman I work with was killed in a head-on collision just three days ago. I know that bad stuff happens every day in every year, but it seemed like 2005 was a little over kill. My plan had been to write up some of the crap, but in the spirit of new beginnings I don't really feel like dwelling right now. (Not that it probably would have mattered, because it doesn't seem that anyone reads or posts anymore. Even so, I'll save the"good" stuff for my diary lest anyone is waiting to ambush.)

Here's some of the postive (kinda'): I learned a lot about people this year. Family is a much appreciated rock. I also have friends who will go to Hell and back with me and some that won't. That stings, but what can you do? I'm less naive than I was a year ago. I am seeing more things and people for what and who they truly are. Some of it is comforting, and some of it saddens me. I learned that we are very loved and very supported. A loving support system is priceless. Faith, hope, love and prayer make all the difference. There is growth and strength through pain. Life's better on the other side if you can just get through the hard parts. I've learned to be patient. I've learned to let go. I've learned to forgive. Most of all, nothing is impossible with God.

Here are my hopes for 2006: Lots of love and laughter! I hope that where God closes a door He opens a window. I hope that we strengthen existing relationships, resurrect nearly dead ones and continue to grow new ones. I hope that we get out of town more often! I pray that we are content. I pray that we all have more happiness and less stress. I hope that we all try to understand and appreciate each other exactly where we are at. Life is just too short. I pray that we will accept God's will for this year of our lives whatever it may be.

By the way, Happy Birthday to Andy and Happy New Year 2006 to everyone else!

"Here's a Story..."

2005-12-30T11:22:00.000-08:00

We don't watch very much TV. We only have a few programs that we attempt to watch regularly: House, er, Reunion (for a little while longer) and the morning news! Every now and then I put in on for white noise. It helps keep me from getting too lonely during the day. Last night was one of those white noise moments. I was waiting for Don to come home from the show and found this really dumb program on VH1: My Fair Brady. It's a reality show featuring Chris Knight aka: Peter Brady and this really dim girl that he's dating. She's a model who is less than half his age. She drove me totally nuts after five minutes. She's vulgar, stupid, clingy and her eyes are too far apart! Not that Peter Brady is a catch. He just comes off as what he is: a middle aged, washed-up former child star. The fact that he's doing the show confirms it. It was kinda' sad, actually. I don't understand why he's trying so hard to please this awful girl and why in the world she wants her hooks in him. I think it's all about sex. Everytime things got tense, they went off to have sex. Ok, that's a really great foundation. I guess you don't have to communicate if the sex is often enough. That was kinda' creepy, too. The girl got in this dominatrix outfit and started spanking Chris with a paddle. I could really do without the adult Peter Brady begging for another. I don't care what they do in the bedroom; I just don't want to see it in my living room! Not unless it's Cathouse. Now, that's a very interesting and enlightening program! One of Don's Second City friends tried to get him a signed picture of Isabella Soprano for Christmas. No luck. I guess you have to visit the Bunny Ranch for that one. I'm kinda' surprised that he didn't! I digress... The Brady show got better when Florence Henderson aka: Ma Brady and the Wesson lady came over. She was not very impressed and neither was I. I'd rather share opinion with Flo than Peter. She's a classy lady! You probably guessed that I will not be planning my social calendar around My Fair Brady! I hope you don't, either.

Fire and Wine

2005-12-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

Merry belated Christmas, everyone! I meant to post before Christmas, but got busy with all the festivities. We had a great Christmas! We had lots of family togetherness and craziness. Don's mom got a chocolate fondue fountain which was quite entertaining. Rumor has it, we may add a chocolate fondue time to the Fourth of July schedule. It was pretty fun and good too!

I learned this year that people really do listen when you tell them what you want. We received more of our wedding crystal, which I am so happy about. China and crystal are great gifts to give us, because we didn't get much of it for our wedding. So, we are still building the collection. Now, silver... we got tons of that!

Don spoiled me this year. We came home from Midnight Mass and he had a gift basket waiting for me. I started unwrapping and found a work order receipt. He had a chimney sweep come out so we could finally use our fireplace! I have been going on and on about wanting to have a fire since we lived in our old house and never used that fireplace, either! So, on Christmas Eve we had our very first fire in our fireplace and it was wonderful! I was so happy. Don did a great job with gift baskets this year. We gave a few baskets to people this year, but his to me were the best. Good job, Sweetheart! My next basket had all kinds of wine/bar stuff in it plus some other cute stuff. The big deal was that Don renewed our subscription to the wine of the month club. Yippee! Fire and wine, what more does a girl need?! Well... He also gave me an LCD flat screen TV and a DVD/VCR combo for my craft room. My big plan is to organize my room in February and make it a really nice retreat/work space. (Hey, Lisa ya' wanna' help?) I have great stuff in there. It's just not put together well. So, I cannot wait to get it together and craft and work away in style. I say "work", because Debbie and I are going to try to work from home one day a week. I get so much more done at home than at church where the distractions are constant.

We had a great time with all of our family and received a lot of great stuff. My dad got us all set to garden in the spring. I can't wait to re-do that whole garden area. Good thing we're freeing up some time! Anthony gave me this really cool mini-digital camera that I can have with me wherever I go. So, now no one is safe! I'll have a camera everywhere! Like I said, we were spoiled by everyone. Next year will probably be semi-giftless. My mom has already made the plea. I really enjoy exchanging gifts, not so much because of what I get but because of what we give. I like coming up with good gifts for people. I think and try hard. I grab things all year round and save them for Christmas, so going giftless will be hard for me because I enjoy the hunt. I rarely give gift cards and am actually offended when people say that's all they want. I'd rather not give them anything then. I realize that people can actually go out and get what they "really" want with a gift card, but it takes all the thoughtfulness out of it for me. That's just my opinion. The gift cards that we gave this year were actually parts of gift baskets or were very specific for self-pampering. Those still required careful thought and planning. I'm not dogging on people who give gift cards. I just don't like doing it myself.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, too. Can't wait to hear all about it.

A Little Magic

2005-12-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

I could use some magic right now! Today is the Winter Solstice ie: the first day of Winter and the shortest day of the year. (Don's happy, because they'll get longer from here.) Unfortunately, Winter did not show up today in Las Vegas. It must have gone on Christmas - oh, excuse me, Winter- Vacation with everyone else. I guess it didn't know that it was leaving a little 26 year old girl very sad to see sun instead of snow this Christmas. Actually, I've only experienced one white Christmas in my lifetime and am aching for another one. I don't ever expect snow here, but cold temps would be nice. I can't believe that we finally got our heater fixed upstairs in time for record highs. Grrr. This morning on the news I was about ready to reach through the TV and slap the weatherman and all the giggly newsanchors who were gloating about the temps. "Oh, it's perfect! What a beautiful day!" Sure, if we were still in October! Did someone forget to mention that it's December. I wanted to call them and cry out that their "perfect" weather is set to ruin my Christmas! Some people get depressed over rain and clouds; I get depressed over perpetual sunshine. I hate the sun. So, why do I live in wonderful Las Vegas? Good question. I didn't have a choice at three years old, so here I am. At least I still have a few days to hope for a cool down in time for Christmas. We all know that the weathermen are seldom correct on their predictions. Come on Santa, bring me some snow!

Even though Vegas is not very Christmasy, the Magical Forest helps me forget about where I live and imagine I'm somewhere much nicer. Here's a totally useless bit of info: I actually volunteered at the Magical Forest the very first day it was open way back when. I was in the 7th grade , and my job was to tell people not to smoke on the path. We went on Monday and had a great time. The Magical Forest is probably my very favorite pre-Christmas event. It's just so... magical! Here some Magical Forest visits from the past:

Jessica being urged to "slap that ass".

Yippee! A gold reindeer!

I don't even remember what year this was, but I know we had Cheescake Factory afterwards!

Gee, who are those girls? lol.

Don and me by a Gingerbread House. How sweet.

This was our Christmas card picture a few years ago.

This was Don's first visit. We went the week after Christmas and no one was there.

I LOVE this picture! The snowmen are so cute. Unfortunately, I could not locate them this year, which made me very sad. :(

Lacey the little doll.

That's Don and his sisters from last year. Neither made it this year. Lisa's stuck in PA with basketball games and Laura is busier than we are!

I don't have my pics yet from this year (yes, I use real film.). Can't wait to see Katie getting rammed in the butt by a billy goat! Oh, the Magical Forest...

Bah Humbug

2005-12-16T16:19:00.000-08:00

No time to write, but here's a picture from the crazy year that I decided it would be fun to do a show during Christmas. What was I thinking?! It was Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and that's my Cratchit family. I was Martha, the oldest. (Did you know that any of the Cratchits had names other than Bob and Tiny Tim?) Speaking of Tiny Tim... that kid was such a brat! During one of our performances he whacked me in the eye with his crutch! I know it was an accident, but let's just say that Tim might not have had much hope if I'd gotten ahold of him! Oh , the joys of children in live theater!

The Brick

2005-12-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

I didn't write this. It was a forwarded email that spoke to me. Maybe it will speak to you too.

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?" The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," He pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother, "he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. "Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy! push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: "Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!" God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

Christmas Eve with some of the people that I love most in the world.

My Favorite Christmas

2005-12-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

If you couldn't tell, Christmas is my very favorite time of year. I love all the music, crafts, parties, food and events. I think the only thing I don't love is shopping. I enjoy finding the perfect gift, but I hate the crowds and browsing when I'm not in the mood or don't have a clue what I'm looking for. Therefore, pretty much every Christmas has been a good memory. But, of course, there is a favorite.

My very favorite Christmas was when I was in the third grade. (That's my favorite grade, too.) I was so excited to be part of what would be CTK's last Christmas Pageant. I was a lavender angel, but I vowed that the next year we would know when the auditions were being held and I would be Mary. Alas, I never got my chance, but being an angel was pretty cool and was my very first taste of doing music at church. A little side note about my angelic experience: I had to hitch a ride home with another angel's family one night and that particular angel was Davina who grew up to kill her husband. Not very angelic, hu?

The pageant was fun, but the real reason that this is my favorite Christmas is because it was the one time that we went "home". Home was Salt Lake City. Most of our Christmases here were just my parents, brother and me, so it was so fun to finally have a big family Christmas with all the aunts, uncles and cousins. My cousin Kristi saved me from the codfish pudding (yuck!) that my grandma plopped on my plate but couldn't spare me from having to sing Christmas carols for the entire family. (I was mortified of singing in front of family even then!) Anthony sang Rudolph, which was probably much cuter than my songs. Grandma played for us both on her out-of-tune piano as my uncle fell asleep (we have pictures to prove it!). I can see the whole scene in my head as if it were yesterday. The big fun came on Christmas Day when we got to hang out with my dad's side of the family. Things were always so much crazier and lively on my dad's side. Plus, I had more cousins around my age to hang out with. Everyone was there. No one had moved too far away, yet (except for us) and as a kidI have no memory of family feuds that would come with the passage of time. We did get a Nintendo from my uncle which bugged my parents, because they didn't want us to have one at the time. That was it for bad feelings. I'm sure that there had to have been some sadness and upset, because it was only two years after my grandad and brother had died. Even so, I couldn't tell. I was just so excited to be with all these people that I loved so much. I'm glad that children can't usually perceive how things change over time . The world was so small and perfect in my eyes. It couldn't get any better.

But, it did! It SNOWED!!!!! I was in seventh heaven! I know that lots of people hate the snow, but snow has always been so magical to me. I have always felt that the snow falls just for me, because God knows that I love it so much. There are even embarrassing pictures of me as a kid bawling my eyes out because we had to leave the snow. I can't explain it, but I have always had a very special connection with the snow. I love the way that it brings peace and serenity. Everything has to stop for the snow.

As a snow lover, I am definitely in the wrong town! But, to my great pleasure and surprise it has snowed here in Vegas the past two years during the week or two following Christmas. I had spent so many years adding "White Christmas" to my list that it was a dream come true to see the white stuff in my own backyard! I'm not holding my breath for a triple, although it would be nice. I guess, I would hate to lose my snow mysticism by it becoming too normal. I'll just trust that God will send it to me when I need it.

I've never made a "real" snowman. This was my mini version from the snowfall two years ago. He had peppermint eyes (they bleed, so I don't recommend them), a wire mouth and palm leaf arms. He lived in the freezer at the bank for a good month or two. I visited him everyday, but finally had to let him go. At least, I got a picture.

The Christmas Hubcap

2005-12-12T21:12:00.000-08:00

Long ago, in Christmas 2002, I received the most heart-warming gift that I will never forget. It was late Christmas morning, and we were all assembled around my parents' Christmas tree eagerly awaiting our Christmas joy. I believe the honor of Santa was bestowed upon my brother that year. Slowly, he began distributing the piles of presents to each family member. Six for Mom, five for Dad, six for Don, ten for Anthony and one for me. I looked down at the wrinkled Victoria's Secret bag held shut with many pieces of scotch tape and wondered what treasure this glorious bag held for me. I just hoped that it wasn't too embarrassing! I waited as everyone opened their gifts. Don received jumper cables, Anthony received a Palm Pilot, stereo and Hummer cologne, Dad received various video cassettes about the space program and Mom received her jewelry cleaner, again. I could hardly contain my excited anticipation! It was finally my turn! I careful ripped each piece of tape individually from the bag and slowly removed the multi-colored tissue paper which hid the bag's contents from easy view. Finally, my eyes caught a bright silver gleam from beneath the last piece of tissue. They began to well with tears of great joy as I pulled a bright shiny hubcap from its temporary home.

My dad was so proud to tell me the story of two hubcaps. I won't do it justice, but it goes something like this: Once there were sister mini-vans who lived in the garage together: one white and one blue. The white one had been well cared for and didn't have many cosmetic problems. The blue van was adopted from a caring family, but had only one deformity: one of its hubcaps didn't match the others! It was a source of great shame for the blue mini-van and its drivers. Years went by and one day the white mini-van had a blow-out on a major freeway and lost one of its perfect hubcaps. The blue mini-van had moved away and was not aware of this great calamity that had befallen its sister. Once again, there was great shame in the garage. Ever observant, my dad noticed that the blue van's defect hubcap was an exact match for the white van's missing hubcap. Hurray! So, he did what any loving mini-van owner would do and drove down to Hubcap Annie's to find the blue van's long lost matching hubcap!So, a few days after Christmas the hubcap transplant took place and we have two very happy mini-vans to this very day.

So, every year around this time, I spare a thought for that hubcap: the best gift a girl could ever receive!

*This story was based on fact. Some of the details have been changed due to lack of memory.

Don, the Hubcap & me

Ok, so my dad gets a bum wrap in this story. In all fairness, this was the Christmas after our wedding, so I'm sure that my parents felt that they had spent more than enough money on us for one year! I know that Christmas isn't all about presents and money, but you have to admit that it's a funny story.

Advent Prayer

2005-12-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder if moms and daughters encapsulate all the strength of the earth.

I know that I have made no secret of my feelings that this has been a less than fabulous year so affectionately deemed 2005: The Year that Sucks. (I can't wait until it's the year that sucked.) Considering that the year is coming to a close, I thought that all the bad news would be finished, but illnesses, personal tragedies, natural disasters, bad blood and other inexplicable goings-on don't care that the rest of us are on holiday. It is so sad and unfortunate to me that almost every person that I know or have come into contact with has had some awful thing happen in their lives this year. Almost no one was immune. Maybe it's just what we Psychology types call the Availability Heuristic in which a judgement is made based on what we remember rather than complete data. So, I say that's it's been a crappy year, because all I can recall are crappy things. But, one of you might say that's it's the best year ever, because all you recall are great things that have happened. Psychology lesson over. That being said, this week I was once again reminded of what a topsy-turvy, evil world this can be at times. I have been left with the nagging question: Why do people feel justified in hurting or destroying others for their own gain? (Disclaimer: This has nothing to do with me.) It hurts my heart to know that good, sincere and truly generous people are being sacrificed to a selfish and distrustful society. What do people really think they are going to gain? Are hearts so hardened?

I am so often asked why we don't have any children (as if it's anyone's business), and sometimes I wonder how could I bring an innocent child into a world that is so confused? I don't want to have a child in a society that doesn't respect my parental choices in how to educate, discipline and even love my own child. A parent shouldn't need be afraid to scold or hold their child. (I'm not passing judgement, just relaying my opinion. I am also not saying that I don't want children. Ok ,that should cover everyone. lol.)

One thingI have learned from my experience and observation of this year is that there is great strength and truth in all of us if we call upon it. Maybe this has all been God's way of waking us up and making us realize our strength and the importance of faith. I may be sad and a little changed, but I have not lost my faith. I hope and pray that no one else has or will. Good will always conquer evil; we just need to be patient and keep watch, right? Isn't that what Advent is really about? We don't know the day or the hour, but we do believe that it is coming...

The following prayer was emailed to me. I feel that it is very appropriate for this time:

"Shine in my heart," the place where I experience God, the heart where I experience the God-hunger. I long for the light of Christ to shine in my heart, nurturing and sustaining my spirit.

"Shine in my heart" -- illuminate the dark places in my heart: the sadness, grief, anger. Illuminate the dark places in my mind: the resentments, the frustrations. Illuminate the dark places of my spirit: the depression, the anxiety, the fear. Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus, and lighten the heaviness that paralyzes my action. Heal the wounds and sins that keep me separated from God.

-- Beth A. Richardson

Thoughts Provoked Today

2005-12-06T21:39:00.000-08:00

Tuesday started bright and early at 6:15am (I know that's sleeping in to some of you. ) and a warm shower. Another day of double duty at the bank and the church. Usually, Don and I watch Fox5 News while we get ready. Sometimes I wonder why we even bother with that newscast. The anchors bug us, they offer way too much personal commentary and some of them are, frankly, quite dim. This morning was a perfect example. One of the female anchors was interviewing the station's legal analyst about the Saddam Hussein trial. The big deal was that Saddam says that he never directly killed anyone. However, his orders resulted in the deaths of many. So, the bubbly blonde anchor makes the comment that Marilyn Manson never killed anyone either but convinced other people to do it. She didn't even stop to correct herself. I'll admit that I'm not a Marilyn Manson fan, but I wouldn't accuse him of murder. Now, Charles Manson maybe... I wonder if anyone even told her what she said.

So, the morning moves along and I get in my fun little van and start the drive to the bank. I ended up behind a sparkling white jaguar going 35mph in a 45mph zone, of course. This caused me to pause and wonder why people buy high performance vehicles if they have no intention of ever really driving them. The way the lady was driving, she might as well have had an old Geo Metro. It sure was a shocker when she turned into the Suncoast. Now, if I had a car like that, I'd be the queen of the road! No one would be waiting for me to drive.

Once my mind was off the white jag, I turned my attention to the other morning media that I don't know why I still listen to: Mark and Mercedes. Sigh. The topic today was pictures and things of exes. I didn't catch the entire story, but someone's girlfriend was upset that the boyfriend had kept gifts and pictures of his ex-girlfriend. I know that I used to care about this, but after a while that crap isn't such a big deal. I think there would be a problem if there was a framed picture of the ex hanging on the wall like a shrine to the past, but I am in a place now where I respect that which came before. I'm glad that it's over, though! I used to get pretty bent out of shape over Don's ex-girlfriend, but the important thing is that he married me and if she had been so wonderful he'd be with her right now. We actually joke about some of the stuff she gave him. (I'm a much more thoughtful gift giver. :) ) Don and I also subscribe to the every other school of thought. We can't be friends with the most recent ex, but the one before that is free game! I really enjoy Don's first girlfriend, Amy. She's married now, too, and there's no competition or resentment. We've visted them in Indiana and they have visited us here. I'm glad that we all get along well. Here's a picture from when they visited last Christmas:

This evening I received very sad news: Fox has cancelled Reunion. I can't believe that I got hooked on a show that is being yanked before the end of the season! The part that really sucks is that it's a whodunnit series, so we aren't ever going to find out who killed Samantha. I am so bummed. I thought that it was a great premise for a show. The acting wasn't great, but who expected it to be? They'll probably release the entire series on DVD in a last ditch effort to make money on the show from suckers like me who want to know how it ends. From now on, I'm sticking with Days of Our Lives! It's been on the air for 40 years. I don't think it's going anywhere.

Grandma Would be Proud

2005-12-04T00:30:00.000-08:00

Another jam-packed weekend is beginning its end. Friday night we played at the church auction. We had a slightly crappy attitude about doing it, because it was moved to the gym this year where sound was going to be a very difficult situation. Honestly, the sound wasn't what we are used to, but it wasn't really that bad. Plus, the Community Center was getting too cramped to hold the auction comfortably. The gym gave everyone plenty of room to walk around and had space left for tables and chairs for people to sit at during the live auction. The food was better this year, but the wine has been better in the past. Anyway... Don and I usually play background music during the silent auction and when the live auction starts I switch gears and become "Vanna". I get to model all the jewelry and hold up stuff. It's kinda' fun in a goofy way. Well, this year there was a mink jacket being auctioned off, so I put it on and strutted the stage. No bids. Fr. Bill said, "Ok, do I have an opening bid of $200.00?" No one moved. Then, Don raised his ticket. Of course, my next move was to convince someone to go for $210. Not one hand, so the jacket became mine! I couldn't believe it. Don said that he was just trying to get the bidding started; he didn't necessarily count on taking it home! It is a nice coat and very warm, so it will be great for our trip. As the night went on, Don was told by many women that he got a steal and that more people would have bid if the jacket hadn't been so small. I guess there really were only a handful of people in the room that it would have fit. I had all the women telling me how good it looked and how it was made for me (Our Fourth of July friend told me that, too!). I don't know since I didn't actually see it on! Oh, well. Every girl wants diamonds and furs, right? Now, I have both and a cute story to go along with it.

Yesterday was the 6th Grade Retreat. I won't spend too much time on this other than to say that it was probably the smoothest retreat experience I have had during my Jr. High adventures. The kids were great and very responsive. Plus, Debbie and I had a good plan in place and ample team. I was impressed. I love the 6th graders. I wish I could just pause them at this place in their lives where there's still a willing innocence and the cynicism and "cool" factor haven't taken over yet.

Last night was the bank Christmas party. It was much improved from past years, especially in location. We went from Sam's Town to the Suncoast. Big difference. It was the same ol' mingle, eat and gift exchange game. Don rigged up his ipod, amp and speakers to provide some much needed Christmas music. Most people probably don't realize what a difference music makes in setting the mood for things. We walked into a room that was oppressively quiet and turned it into a warm and festive atmosphere. All they needed was better lighting. Maybe next year. One unexpected moment came when we walked over to the bar and the bartender happened to be a guy that I went to school with from 6th grade through high school. I haven't seen him since Graduation. It is so strange that within the last six months I have run into so many people that I haven't seen for seven or so years. It really is a small town. My friend Barb joked that I can't go anywhere in town without knowing the bartender. He seems to be doing well and is actually the co-founder of a theater group in town (Cockroach Theater for anyone who is interested.). I'll probably check out his stuff, and he encouraged me to spread the word and send over my resume so he can put in his contact files for future shows. So, we'll see... Mark, we need to talk about that one. (Where's your blog? :) )

Now, I'm just chillin' before getting ready for Mass. Only four more weeks after today. Wow.

Christmas Pic of the day:

That's Doreen, Laura and me last year in our Christmas feet PJs from Lisa.

What's New Pussy Cat?

2005-11-30T22:22:00.000-08:00

This is probably my fourth favorite Tom Jones song. Ok, so most of you probably don't even have a favorite Tom Jones song. Hey, it's a guilty pleasure. My favorite song is either Delilah or You Can Leave Your Hat On. Those are both pretty fun little ditties. Don even took my to a Tom Jones concert on our first Valentine's Day. It was great, but he (Tom Jones) really shouldn't try to dance. He should just croon away wiping sweat from his brow with menopausal women's panties. This post isn't really about Tom Jones. Actually, it's not really about anything, but that's what we do best in blog world.

Let's see... Our trip to NYC is official (Yippee!). We booked the plane tickets and hotel last week. We also booked tickets to see Wicked and The Phantom of the Opera. I think that we will wait until we get there for other shows. Those are the two that we're super excited to see. We have second row Orchestra for Phantom. Our Wicked tickets are good, too but not second row. Now, we only have seven days and five nights to plan! I'm sure that it won't be hard to fill the time. I've heard that there are some nice day tours of all the touristy landmarks. We'll have to look into that. I think that Lisa and Dave are going to come up to see us while we're there. That will be fun, too. We just need to figure out which day works out best. There are also a few dinner cruises on the harbor. Maybe we'll do that. Everyone says that we need to have lunch at Tavern on the Green. Ice skating in Rockafeller Center would be fun, but knowing our luck one of us would end up with a broken ankle! Maybe, we'll just watch other people on the ice. We might be able to sit in on an SNL taping. That's not for sure, yet, though. We could always check out Martha. I really do enjoy her new show. That would be a very good thing. (ha, ha)

We have also made a lot of progress on our Christmas preparations. We decorated over the weekend. Of course, I always have ideas that I never complete, but I'm pretty happy with the outcome this year. I don't really care if I add anymore to it. My ornaments are half done which is great. I'm never that far this early! I'm also 75% finished with our shopping. That's a great feeling, too. I'm not trying to rush the holidays; I'm just trying to buy myself down-time to really enjoy the season while I'm in it. Sometimes, I stress so much that Christmas comes so fast that I forget to do the things that I really want to. We still have to finish our Christmas letter and take our picture, but that's not too bad. Hopefully, we'll do some of that over the weekend. I can't wait to go to the Magical Forest! There are other festive things that I would like to do, but our weekends are pretty packed with Don's gigs. Well, he's busy, but I'm not... Anybody want to check out the "snow" at Lake Las Vegas or the carolers at The District?

Hey, Mark, did you start your blog yet? Your public is waiting... :) Hey, Christine, have you found us yet? Don't give up!

Oh, yeah! I almost forgot. I was going through my pictures the other day, and I have so many Christmas ones that I love or at least have some memory of that's worthwhile. So, my plan is to feature a different Christmas Past picture with each post. I hope that you enjoy. Here's #1:

This is one of my favorite pictures ever! Magical Forest Baby! Lisa was home for Christmas from England, Katie was in Jr. High and I was in my theater faze. Good times.

"So long, farewell, auf Weidersehen, good night!" Rest in peace, Mr. Miyagi! (His funeral was today. One of my high school friends lived in his neighborhood, and we used to walk past his house for fun. Sad day.)

Why I Don't Go to the Movies

2005-11-27T13:48:00.000-08:00

I know that it is probably one of the most popular national past-times and most people's choice for a first date, but I hate going to the movies. I guess, I don't hate it enough to never go, but my two movie going experiences this week have reminded me why I'd rather wait for movies to be released on DVD or HBO and view them in the comfort of my own home. It's cheaper that way, anyway. It's a small fortune to go to the movies these days! Most of you know that my biggest movie theater issue is the popcorn factor. I'm not going to explain my phobia at this time, but I will say that the smell of it drives me nuts, and it takes all the inner strength I possess to sit in disgusting seats that I know people have gotten popcorn all over. Yuck. My heart is beating faster even thinking about it. I try not to touch the seats with any part of my body that isn't clothed- like my hands, and I never put my purse or jacket on the floor or on the seat next to me. It's too risky. So, that part alone is enough to keep me away. I will say that Don is very considerate but does his best to remind me of the huge sacrifice he makes for me.

In choosing where to sit in the theater, I try very hard to find a section where almost no one is sitting. One, I don't want to be near other people's gross food, and two, I don't want to be near people in general. So, we try very hard to find an uninhabited area of the theater only to have people sit behind, in front of and beside us by the time the movie begins even though there are a ton of other seats they could have chosen. We must look like nice people. Last night we saw Rent and I had the seat kicker behind me and the musical's biggest fan next to me. Joy. I think after I rocked back really hard on my seat the person behind me got the picture, but the girl next to me insisted on singing the entire score even after we'd glared at her a few times. I totally understand loving a show and a lot of people do already know all the music by the time musicals make it to the big screen, but that does not give someone the right to make the experience a sing along! Shoot, Mark knew every song and he didn't open his mouth once! I knew every song when we saw Phantom, but I didn't insist on letting everyone hear that I could have been a wonderful Christine. It is just so rude! I paid to hear the actors sing. If they had wanted Jane Las Vegas to sing in the show, they would have cast her. Some cities do have sing along showings of beloved musicals. I remember hearing about a really big one for The Sound of Music. People were encouraged to dress in costume and sing their little hearts out. I would love to do that, but this showing of Rent was not billed as a sing along although my experience sure was! Oh,well. It was a good movie even still. I just seem to have the worst movie theater luck. It's a good thing that I only get it in small doses.

Back to High School (Ahhhh!!)

2005-11-26T13:51:00.000-08:00

I stole this from Katie’s MySpace, so thanks Kate!

Hey, do you remember high school?Well lets hope so!Okay, put in your own answers and repost!

Ready...Set..GO!

Where did you graduate from and what year?
Clark High School ‘97!

Did you have school pride?
Hell, ya! I was Miss Good Morning Clark High School!

Who was your "group" senior year?
Student Council people

Was your Prom a night to remember?
Yeah, I’d rather not though, since I didn’t go. See my April or May posts for more on that one!

Most memorable moment the night of Prom?
Seeing Star Wars (the first, I mean fourth one) at the dollar theater with my mom and brother.

Do you own all 4 Yearbooks?
No, I don’t have my Freshman one. I wish I did, though.

Do you remember the First CD you ever bought?
Garth Brooks Beyond the Season- Country and Christmas. That pretty much sums it up!

What were your favorite movies in High School?
The same ones that have always been my favorites, although Evita came out my Senior year and I totally loved it. (I still do. That role was made for Madonna.)

What was your number 1 choice of College in HS?
I didn’t have one. I was all about who would give me the most money. UNLV won out. It would have been cool to go to Belmont in Nashville at the time. I was accepted and got money from them, too, but it wasn’t enough to lure me from home.

What radio station did you jam out to in high school?
95.5 KWNR and KFM102 when it was still Country

Were you involved in any organizations or clubs?
OMG! That’s all I did! Bravo! Jazz Choir, Madrigals, Exec Council, I know I did other stuff, but those were the biggies.

What was your favorite class in Highschool?
Bravo, Government, English

Who was your big crush in Highschool?
Wesley Nelson. I had a big thing for Mormon boys back then. It took me a while to realize that I was not an option.

Would you say you've changed a lot since highschool?
I think it’s a night and day difference. I was extremely conservative, closed-minded and insecure in high school. I’d like to think that I am more confident and open these days. I guess it’s a maturity thing.

What do you miss the most about highschool?
Student Council crap and all those big social things we had to do. Travel opportunities. High school kids have so many good and cheap opportunities to go places through music and clubs. I saw San Francisco and Washington D.C. for way cheaper than I could now. I miss a few of my friends, too.

Your worst memory of HS?
I think I’m repressing them. I know that there were a lot. I think that it was just the general feeling that I didn’t fit in especially with my small choir peers.

Favorite memory of HS?
All of our Christmas gigs in Bravo! And Mads. We sang everywhere. It was non-stop for two weeks. I loved it. I loved my Mads dress, too. I loved working on Homecoming my Senior year. Our float was a blast!

Did you have a car?
I did my senior year. Go Ford Tempo!

What were your school colors?
Black and Gold

Who was your favorite teacher?
Ms. Little/Schauer; Mr. Owcerzak (whatever); Ms. McGarvey; Mrs. Neel

Did you own a cell phone in highschool?
No one did. They were bricks! Some of my friends’ moms had them.

Did you leave campus for lunch?
Sometimes. It was open campus, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.

if so, where was your favorite place to go eat?
Taco Bell

If you could do one thing differently what would it be?
Been more open-minded and been a cheerleader. I had a chance my Senior year and chickened out.

Were you always late to class?
Not too often. I was always smart enough to have a pass.

Did you ever have to stay for Saturday School, or detention?
Nope, I was perfect.

Did you ever ditch?
I’m not sure that I ever “really” ditched. I had so many opportunities to legitimately miss class due to council and choir. I was never in class Senior year!

when it comes to a reunion will you be there?
Shoot, I’ll probably have to plan it! I think I’m the only one left in town!

Happy Birthday, Lacey and Happy Thanksgiving, too!

2005-11-23T12:24:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that she's two already?! Plus, as of today, she's going to have a younger cousin to share her birthday with. That will be pretty cool unless she becomes a birthday diva like me! You might have trouble on your hands, Lisa!

I'm sure I won't be writing tomorrow, so Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I'm so thankful for the love and support of family and friends this year. I'm going to miss those of you who aren't here this year. If anyone needs to find us, we'll be at my mom and dad's.

Stop the Train!

2005-11-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is next week! I know it's not a lie, because you can't argue with the calendar. Mentally, I'm still at the end of September/beginning of October. The cooler weather is starting to push me into the mood, but I'm just not ready for the holiday rush. I totally love the holidays, but for the first time the thought of decorating, addressing cards, wrapping presents, etc. seems so daunting. Maybe, I'd feel differently if we hadn't taken down last year's Christmas decorations in March! I know that we are busy, but that was ridiculous! I did finally start my ornaments for the year. I think they'll be nice. They turned out a little different than I had expected, but I like them. The one thing I will say is that they will be my first ornaments that probably aren't breakable. Debbie suggested that I make them for our entire Youth Ministry Team. I just about crapped my pants! Obviously, she doesn't realize how long it takes me just to do them for family and friends. We'll see how motivated I feel...

On a related note, I am so pissed off this year about the early push into the holiday season. Did you know that Santa set up shop at the Galleria Mall last Friday? That's just wrong. Whatever happened to waiting until the day after Thanksgiving? The Festival of Lights at Sunset Park is also up and running already, I believe. Not only do I think it's a waste of money, but it's crappy that it's already open. My favorite community activity is still the Magical Forest. I love that they start the day after Thanksgiving and don't close until New Years. It would be fun to go up to Mt Charleston for a sleigh ride (hint, hint) and some warm cocktails. Hopefully, I can get all my Christmas "chores" done early so that I can enjoy all the other festive events closer to the holiday. Maybe, I am getting into the spirit after all!

One Step Forward and Two Steps Back

2005-11-08T22:21:00.000-08:00

Sigh. Ever have one of those days when you don't know if you should laugh or cry? That is today to a tee. I tend to dislike Tuesdays as it is, because they can be so frenetic and I never see Don for more than ten minutes in the morning (if I'm lucky). We both seem to run in opposite directions on Tuesdays. I guess, for some people that's everyday. But, that's not the point of my post. The day started out ok enough. I got a bonus at the bank (Surprise! Surprise!) and I got to draw docs all morning which is my favorite bank task. I came home and worked on some stuff for our 6th grade retreat at church. Things were nice and peaceful. Then I left for church... We got a last minute "DVD" from an Army recruiter for our session on Veterans Day that was to take place tonight. So, here we are at 5:15 checking out a DVD that's supposed to play around 6:30. I don't do well with this kind of stuff at all. I like to have things planned and ready way earlier than this. The problem was that the recruiter didn't give us a DVD. He gave us a CD with a music video on it. Needless to say, we couldn't play it through the DVD player as planned. Thank goodness I had my lap-top and Chaz was there for a few minutes to walk me through hooking it up to the projector. (You learn something new everyday.) It projected through to the screen just fine, but we didn't have any audio output, so I had to crank the volume on the laptop so that there was actual music to go along with the images. Kinda' goofy, but problem solved and my stress began to subside.

Next the kids start showing up. Usually, they spend the time before class playing the games in the Youth Lounge and visiting while the team gets organized. I walked to my office for two seconds and returned to a broken ping-pong table in the corner of the Youth Lounge. Those of you who know the Tuesday kids probably only need one guess. If you can't figure it out, check my post entitled Full Disclosure. Of course, I was livid. Supposedly, it was a tripping accident. Unfortunately, no one actually saw what happened. Sigh. So, now we have a broken ping-pong table, a High School Youth Minister demanding a replacement, angry parents and a kid in a lot of hot water. Joy. Thankfully, Debbie was there to take care of calling the parents. I'm not very comfortable with that yet. I did gain some insight into the student tonight, though. I can share that later with anyone (Lisa) who may be interested. Other than that, the class went very well. Fr. Jerry came to talk to the kids about veterans and his experiences in the military. He took it so seriously, that he actually came in his uniform that he hasn't worn since the early 90s. That was a great moment. Of course, we got pictures.

Finally, all the students and team were gone, so I could go home and chill. I had an eighth of a tank of gas left, so uncharacteristically I decided to fill up before I made it to E. In my frazzled state from the day's events so far, would you believe that the next appropriate thing to do was to lock my keys in the car?! I couldn't believe it. There I was pumping gas and holding my cell phone, ATM card, church keys but no car keys. Big deal, right? Call your husband and have him unlock the door with your spare set of keys. Wrong. Don has Second City on Tuesday nights and was in the middle of his show. Thank God for dads! My dad actually helped with class tonight and kept feeling like he wasn't much of a help, so I was glad to restore confidence in his usefulness. He didn't actually have a key for my car, but did happen to have an old slim jim that my great grandfather had bought eons ago. After ten minutes or so of playing around with it, the lock finally popped. Yippee! I could finally go home! At least the dogs were there. A few swigs of libation didn't hurt either. I'm still stewing over a few things, but I suppose I will live to see another day. Let's hope that tomorrow is awesome.

(The) Jewel Lives!!!

2005-11-08T13:20:00.000-08:00

Senior citizens all over the valley are jumping for joy; their radio station is back! Well, kinda. It's on a different frequency now: 104.7FM So, everyone tell your grandparents to dispare no longer Frank, Dean, Barry and the Carpenters have a home again. I am not a senior citizen, but I am glad that the standards format survived. Some of our customers at the bank were pretty upset. I heard it rumored that they were actually picketing and protesting. I'm not sure if that's true, but I wouldn't be surprised. They have the time and the bucks to do that kind of thing. I do know that a lot of angry letters were written to the newspaper and probably the radio station too. One thing I learned a long time ago was not to mess with old people. They're feisty as hell, have been around a lot longer than the rest of us and will get ya' every time! Viva la KJUL!

Dancing, Drinks, Film, Family, Friends and Famous Folk

2005-11-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

That pretty much sums up my weekend. It was one of the busiest weekends I've had in a while and probably the most complete that I can remember. We did so many different things and saw so many different people. Usually, only a birthday results in that. We did have Dameon's birthday on Wednesday, but technically that wasn't the weekend. Saturday morning, we filmed our goofy video section for the Conference slide show. It is going to be hilarious. I could hardly keep from laughing the entire time we filmed. Maybe we'll end up with a few stills that we can post sometime later. I forgot how much fun those videos can be. I'm glad that opportunities are popping up outside of Youth Ministry.

What else...? I don't think we had a single meal this weekend that didn't involve a few friends. I went to lunch yesterday with some friends and the Toxic Audio singers. They are great on stage, but I was a little disappointed that they weren't more personable off stage. I'm sure that it was just downtime for them. Plus, I'm not the first person to jump into gushy small talk. It would have been nice to talk about what they do, but none of them seemed too interested in talking about "work". The food was good, though. lol.

Yesterday afternoon, I took my mom to the Second City Benefit of Laughter. I figured that was fair, since my dad got to be in our video the day before. (He was great, too. Thanks for the idea, Lisa.) The benefit was for Habitat for Humanity and their effort to rebuild homes in New Orleans. The cast was comprised of lots of Second City alumni and our regular Vegas cast (Don got to play, too.). Some notable names were George Wendt (Norm on Cheers) and Tim Meadows (from SNL). There were a ton of other people that I recognized, but I'm not a celebrity or TV watcher, so I can't tell you what shows they were on. Don will be posting pics on his blog, so maybe some people will look familar. There was one guy who I think was on Spin City and some other stuff that looked really familiar and was really good in the show. All in all, it was a really good cast and show, and there was a reception afterwards which is always nice. I just parked my butt with the other Second City wives while Don and crew mingled around. He's much better at that than I am. I never know what to say. I don't want to bug people about things they are tired of hearing, so I just opt not to say anything. However, Don's mingling may have hooked us up with SNL tickets when we go to New York in January. That would be so cool! I hope it happens. So, there are the highlights from the weekend. Next weekend we'll have family in town for the Nellis Air Show. Fun! Fun!

Another Locals' Tip

2005-11-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

Here I am in the midst of another jam packed weekend, but I wanted to share this info really fast before I forget: Last night a bunch of us went out to the nightclub Plush at the Rampart in Summerlin. I have wanted to go there for a while, since it is so close to my house. Maybe I would be more willing to go out if we didn't have to go to the Strip for everything (what a pain!). I am reporting back to all of you that I had a very good time. The set-up is nice. They have seperate lounge and club areas, so that if you don't want to dance but still want to enjoy the atmosphere there is somewhere to sit. The lounge area has big wall sofas and tables. It's very inviting. Also, you can hear the music from the club but it's not so loud that you can't have a conversation. Of course, the tables in the club are reserved. Thankfully, we had a hook-up in the club and did end up with one. That is probably one of the biggest reasons that I don't go out much. I really don't look forward to getting all dressed up with heels and all just to end up standing in a crowded nightclub with no where to sit and astronomically priced boozes. I won't say that the booze were cheap here; alcohol was just as expensive as everywhere else. The difference was that they did a really great job of comping drinks for ladies. We were free to get in, too (sorry guys.). The hospitality was great, too. The bartenders, Djs and managers seemed genuinely happy that we were there. It was nice to not feel like the bartenders and bouncers were looking down at you. Another selling point was the crowd: it was "normal" people. I was probably one of the youngest people there. The emphasis wasn't so much on seeing and being seen. What a relief, because I hate the meatmarket feel of clubs, too. Most people there were probably in their 30s and not "perfect" by any means. So, if you are a local and enjoy dancing and having a good time but are put off by the crap on the Strip, check out Plush on Friday nights. (I don't know what it's like on other nights, but if any of you go, let me know.)

Don't forget my last tip: BJ's bar behind the MGM. Check out my early October blogs for a recap of that one.

Halloweens Past

2005-10-31T16:54:00.000-08:00

This is Katie and me in our Trick or Treating heyday. I was Agent Scully from the X-Files and Katie was a teenage something or other.

This is the last year that my almost fiance would allow me to Trick or Treat, so we made it a good one.

This feels like a million years ago....

This was Friday night at our Jr. High Midnight Madness. That's Grace, one of our awesome catechists.

That's all the pics I have on this computer. Sorry, I didn't get a chance to scan more. Plus, my mom has all the good ones from when Anthony and I were little. Maybe I'll grab some of those for next year. As you can see, I love Halloween and dressing up. I miss the kid fun of it, but at least I get to celebrate through my job. We are going to a party tonight. I'm going as a sexy Fraulein. That one wasn't going to fly at Midnight Madness. Well, I better go before all the little ghouls and goblins get here. I can't wait to give out all our candy, especially since I keep eating it all!

Happy Halloween Everybody!

Full Disclosure

2005-10-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

In the wonderful world of Youth Ministry you never really know what your gonna' get. For example, I have about 50 kids signed up for our Halloween party tomorrow, but I don't know if I'm really going to have 35 or 60. With time, I am learning to go with the flow with this stuff. In general, most of our kids are great and just a joy to work with, but for every 10 or 12 good kids there is one "wild card". They couldn't be more different, either. For instance, we have a young man who is truly a juvenile delinquent, a very emotionally troubled young woman who we have to coax into class every week and watch every second because she will leave if no one is watching and a handful of kids who seem to have no clue about social norms and appropriateness just to name a few. I won't lie and say that they aren't a challenge, but my job is to minister to all the kids not just the good ones.

Here's my issue: there is a young man in our Tuesday class who constantly misbehaves, makes inappropriate noises, can't focus and throws things at other students. Sounds fun, I know. What makes him different than the other students is that through observing him I believe he has some kind of mental disorder which is causing the misbehavior. However, no one said anything when he was regsitered in the class. Not that we would kick out kids with mental problems. On the contrary, we try our best to accomodate all students. A few years ago, two Downs girls that many of you know were a mainstay in the program and the other students included them in everything. Students with disabilities actually help the other kids develop compassion and caring for people who are different. My question is whether parents should be expected to disclose their child's issues or disabilities? Of course, some cases like Downs are pretty obvious. But, a perfect example of my not having a clue happened just last year. A young man came with us on retreat and behaved strangely and inappropriately most of the time. He couldn't focus. He barely participated at all. I spent half the retreat yelling at him before I was informed that he was mildly autistic. Then it all made sense, especially when I caught him mesmerized by an icicle outside. (That was a scary moment. All I could imagine was the stupid thing stabbing him in the eye! Thank God it didn't.) I couldn't help but be irritated that the parents sent their kid off with us never thinking to inform us of his special needs. I feel the same way about the young man on Tuesday night. Yesterday, I caught him running back and forth on the dark side of the Activity Center as if someone was chasing him, but no one was there at all. Who are his parents and where are they? If he does have a mental disability then we need to find appropriate ways to engage him in activities and discontinue the normal punishments and yelling. They don't work, but with a little information I could figure out what could work which would save a lot of grief for us and our catechists who have all been wondering about him. With my Psych background it would be easy, but I'm not sure that I should spend a lot of time worrying about it until I find out for sure what his issue is. Do I call his parents and risk offending them if he isn't actually disabled? Do I just hope it comes out some day down the road? I feel like I'm in a very awkward position. I really wish that parents felt it was their responsibilty to fully disclose any issues that we may need to be concerned about whether it be mental, emotional, physical or behavioral. It would sure help a lot.

BOO!

2005-10-23T00:51:00.000-07:00

As you can see, Andy and I survived the haunted houses- barely. Actually, we had a really fun time but only ended up going through four out of the five haunted houses we paid for. The reason for this was that the line was too long for the last one and we were sufficiently freaked out after the fourth tour. Now, going into it we knew that it was just a bunch of kids dressed freaky jumping out at us. Although, before we went through one of them the carnie briefed us by saying that the actors won't touch us,if we don't touch them. That made me nervous, so I countered with a timid "Am I going to want to touch them for some reason?" I guess some stupid kid went through with his girlfriend and tried to show-off by punching one of the actors in the eye. What a jerk. Of course, as I was going through I knew that half the kids had to be in Junior High because most of them were shorter than me and I'm pretty short! So here I am screaming and jumping every time a twelve year old comes near me! (That sounds about right. lol!) Andy didn't seem too terribly nervous until the last one. That one freaked us both out. He kept slowly side-stepping around corners (of course, I made him go in front of me!) and we both worked hard to anticipate every opening that someone could jump out from. Like that helped! I still screamed away(Andy did too). I would never make it in a high stress job in the FBI or police department. The nerves alone would kill me by 30! So, we finally emerge from one trailer with our stomachs in our throats to find a dark maze with all these Jr High ghouls coming at us. I kept telling them to go away which only made them more eager to follow us. Sigh. I ended up so disoriented in trying to find my way out that Andy and one of the ghouls had to show me where to go. Then I was thankful for our little stalker. We thought we were out of the woods, but no; there was still a trailer ahead. We were totally ready to go and I kept saying, "I really don't want to go in there. I really don't want to go in there." I have decided that I really hate strobe lights. Half of the hallways were lit with them, but this last trailer had a completely dark hallway which didn't make either of us very happy especially when this huge guy jumped out in front of Andy and all he could say was "You're a giant!" It was hilarious. After that, we ran into a monster who wasn't ready for us. He was busy looking out a crack in the wall, so Andy tapped him on the shoulder. That was pretty funny, too. We were almost done, but still had to endure one more spook which we both screamed like crazy over and ran out the door and all the way to the parking lot to go home. Some other highlights were my choice words at a kid dressed as Jason who kept following me around ("Get away from me. Get the @*%# away from me!!!"), my running dialogue of "Stay the hell away from me. Don't jump out at me. Don't follow me. Leave me alone." (I'm sure the actors were laughing at me. I was pretty freaked out.), the stupid kid who crept up behind me in line and made me jump more than anything else and the evil clown in a wheelchair that neither Andy or I could look at due to an intense fear of clowns. Of course, Lisa had to point out the fallacy in our fear of the disabled clown: "How fast can a clown in a wheelchair really go? That's not very scary." Ok, so she's right, but that didn't really matter at the time! All in all, we had a really fun time, but I think we did get it out of our system for a while. Lisa and Don are breathing a collective sigh of relief. So, thanks Andy for being my haunted house date.

Here's something really scary... While I was sitting here writing this, I heard a big crash outside. We didn't have a clue what it could be or if it had anything to do with our house. So, we went outside and found that someone had crashed into our neighbor's truck parked across the street from our house. I know that I am not the most gifted driver at times, but how in the world do you run into a parked car?! All we could figure was that the driver was speeding around the bend of our street (which is not uncommon, unfortunately.) and wasn't paying attention. Geeze.

Humbled

2005-10-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

This morning Don and I attended the Music Ministry Retreat at church. It was a very nice experience that hopefully will continue to grow. It was definitely over-due. We didn't really do or hear anything that we haven't before, so if that's what people were expecting they probably would be disappointed. However, it was nice to hear it from a different voice. The only parts that I didn't particularly enjoy were when some of the participants dominated the conversations with stories and anecdotes that were simply way too long. Sure, details are nice to an extent, but I'd much rather have someone get to the point and let me ask questions to fill in the missing pieces.

A lot of the retreat ended up focusing on what a receptive and wonderful community we minister to. The participants kind of steered it this way, and I kept thinking, "Who in the world are these people singing to?!". Because, any given Sunday, I don't feel particularly supported by the community or even my peers. Yet, they went on and on about these miracle stories of church songs turning people around and how blessed they all are to be a part of the groups they are in with such wonderful respective leadership. Needless to say, no one from our group was there, and even if there had been, I'm not sure there would have been much love to share. Even the retreat leader went on and on about the very first Mass she attended and how it was the music that cemented her choice to become a parishoner. She went a step further to say that it was really one song, Be Not Afraid, sung by one person. She said that she felt the singer's heart and prayer through that song and in the midst of hundreds of people believed that it was sung just for her. So, right then she decided that this was the parish for her.

Many of you know that I have spent a lot of time recently questioning why we do what we do. Does any of it matter to anyone? When I see the the front row filled with slouching teenagers who I know masquerade very differently on-line or the throngs of people who come in late and leave early or smile my way through a Psalm that only a handful of people sing along with it really causes me to lose heart and faith in the ministry that I have given so much of my life and love to. I have a tendency to dwell on the negative. I spend more time worrying about the two people in the group who just can't seem to get on-board or the back row of giggling trouble-makers than anything else. The unfortunate thing is that years of feeling this way have clouded my perception of the truth. I don't think that anything we do is any more than white noise or simply background music for a social hour. Does anyone really pay attention enough to realize that 8 times out of 10 the music we have chosen complements the readings of the day? Shoot, most musicians don't even seem to get it! I could go on and on with my disgruntled feelings... So, our quitting the 5:00 group is probably a really good idea, although it didn't become real until today. Today was the first time that we really felt the finality and sadness of our decision. Up 'till now, we've been counting down the days. Today, I wanted to stop the clock.

So, what does the preceeding paragraph have to do with today's retreat? A few good points were made today in that no one ever said that we would be appreciated or compensated for what we do and that we all need to remember to play/sing for God first, the people second and ourselves third. Well, I have spent so much time feeling ineffectual, worthless and dispensable that I have completely forgotten that there are people out there who "get it". Referring back to the music minister who sang Be Not Afraid, it had to have been Debbie or Gina or Cathy; one of those old-timers that seem to have everyone from "Hello". How floored was I when it was revealed that that person was me. I could hardly believe that I had actually touched someone so deeply through my song. Here I am obsessing over everything that people don't like or all the things that go wrong when something has gone very right. I know it's not all about me; it was a Holy Spirit moment that I obviously didn't control. I was so humbled at that moment. I guess we really don't know how God works through us and our song but that He does. I hope that I never forget or question that again.

Trade-in

2005-10-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

We do it to our cars and right about now I'd like to do it to my body. I am so tired of always having something wrong with me. I don't want to take anymore drugs or have to worry about Cranberry juice and pills, Vitamin B, water, cotton underwear and hypo-allergenic lotions just to mention a few. I'd like to be normal for just once. Of course, at 4:30 this morning my body had other plans. Apparently my latest UTI did not go away as I had hoped. Sigh. I was so excited Monday, because it was the first day in about two months that I wasn't on some prescription med. It looked like I was finally out of the woods. I should have known better. I know that in the grand scheme of life these aren't really big deal problems. They are annoying at best and painfully uncomfortable at worst. What has me down today is that my entire life has been one doctor visit and prescription after another for a whole host of ailments. The older I get, the less patient I am with this stuff. I don't want to take antibiotics anymore. I've always hated taking them due to the resistance factor: the more often I take them, the less effective they are in small doses. I wonder if this is what has happened to me with my recent issue. I can't imagine using drugs recreationally. I don't even want to take them when I need them! Maybe the drugs weren't strong enough to knock it out completely. So, here I am three weeks later feeling worse than I did before. It doesn't make sense: I have been doing everything I'm supposed to do, and I have been eating healthier than any other time in my life. I've always said that my body has a mind of it's own! Plus, the bank is irritated with me because I called out. As if I'd be getting a whole lot of work done between running back and forth to the bathroom. Of course, they don't see it that way. It's not like I'm getting paid to stay home. Oh, well. There are people there who would come in to work during a heart-attack if they could. Bank martyrs- what a worthy cause.

I know that this is just a whine fest, so thanks for indulging me. Maybe I'll get all the physical problems out of my system now so that when I'm old I've used them all up. I do think I'm going to have arthritis in my knees, though. If that's it, it won't be so bad.

Passive Agressive

2005-10-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

It started out small. Just a scratch. But, she picked at it and picked at it. Infection spread. This isn't right. I'm right. They're wrong. They did me wrong. What about me? They're going to pay. Fingers point outward never in. Soon, the world revolves around the gaping wound. Anyone who could have helped has long since been demeaned and discarded. She cut them down to feel tall. Her misery is their fault. Now, her pain is her purpose. She snakes and she slithers, stalking her prey. A smile on her face and a knife in her hand never knowing that she is killing her chance for all that she's wanted.

Say what you mean and mean what you say; life's too short to live it this way.

Giggles

2005-10-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that we have all had that mortifying moment when you erupt into uncontrollable giggles at the very worst time. Without fail this used to happen to my brother and me during our family bedtime prayers. We'd all stand in a circle holding hands, recite the Hail Mary, the Our Father and take turns adding our personal litany of petitions at the end. Anytime that Anthony and I had to hold hands it was just too much for us. All we had to do was look at the other out of the corner of our eye and the shaking would start. My dad would get so mad at us! We just couldn't control ourselves. Sometimes, we even got my mom going. I'd like to think that I have outgrown this giggling weakness, but this weekend I discovered that I have not. Don and I had finished our set at Saturday's Cabaret Night, so we decided to visit with some friends and family who were attending. I ended up sitting next to my friend, Mark, which I should have known was a bad idea, because we are notorious for getting each other in trouble and embarrassing Don in public. Don was actually across the room, so we just embarrassed each other. So, Mark and I ended up sitting next to each other during a few sets which included one very difficult one to sit through. This particular singer started out ok, but very soon we all discovered that each song should have been dropped 2 steps at least. Unfortunately, the memorable thing about the set was the painful screeching that we were all forced to endure. Of course, Mark and I could not have been sitting in the back; oh, no, we were right in the line of fire, and the person performing kept looking at us the whole time! I did my very best to be an adult and gracious fellow performer. I plastered a very pleasant smile on my face as I clenched my hands in my lap and kicked Mark under the table. We would have made it through if during a particularly screechy note Mark had not been drinking and spit it out! Then, we lost it. It could not have been better comedic timing if he had planned it. I couldn't even look at him. My abs and hands hurt so bad from trying so hard not to laugh. I hope no one was watching us, because we really were trying to be polite. Oh, well.

As always, there are tons of things going on for us. Some are the same ol', same ol'. But, these are the things I'm really starting to look forward to: Haunted Houses! Andy and I have never been, so we're going to check them out this weekend. Pretty fun. We'll get it out our system and probably never have to go back. Holiday stuff: I love all the Holiday preparations. I'm working on a village house right now and will start my ornaments after that. Wow! The Auction: I'm really ready to start working on our Standards set again, so this will be a great thing to get us back into that area. Christmas stuff: I can't wait to go to the Magical Forest and all the Christmas parties and such. Midnight Mass: For the last few years, I have not wanted to do Midnight Mass, but I went along with it. I'm actually excited about it this year, though. I hope it goes well. January 8th: Our last 5:00 Sunday Mass. January 12th: Anniversary #4! Yippee! End of January in New York: Yes, I know it's gonna' be cold... I am so looking forward to our first "real" vacation since our Honeymoon. It is long overdue. We haven't planned anything yet, but hopefully we will get some things booked in the next week or two. We've had a lot of good advice, so it's starting to seem more do-able now. So, it looks like we have a lot coming together to help usher us into a new chapter in life.

In the general vein of much needed change and the imminent close of 2005: the year that sucks, I want to send out some prayers, good wishes/vibes etc. Please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers: Jessica and her mom; Laura, Doreen and "the Boy"; Debbie and Dottie, Antonio and Jane and my sister-in-law, Lisa, who has learned the unfortunately familar lesson regarding My Space and the power of interpretation. I guess there really isn't a safe place to express one's views/life without coming under personal attack. Sorry, you had to deal with that.

Now, I'm off to work up my WW Monday dinner. Tonight's menu: Tequila and Jalapeno Chicken and a garden salad. Yum! (Plus, I get to try out my George Foreman grill for the first time. Double the fun!)

Quandary

2005-10-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

Like some of you who shall remain nameless (lol), I am also an on-line snoop. I admit that I have checked out just about everyone on the County Assessor's web page and the White Pages. Let me tell you what a wealth of info that is! Leave it to the County to publish all kinds of information that people go to great pains to keep private. You really can find out just about anything you'd want to know about people. It's just a puzzle that you have to put the pieces together. Here is my quandary: I think I found a few of my friends that I have lost contact with over the years. Of course, I'm thinking way ahead to Christmas and wondering if I should add them to my card list on the off chance that I have actually located them? Or, is there a reason why we're not in each other's lives anymore? Nothing ended badly at all. We just drifted apart. People move, get married; I guess that's just what happens. But, I think of them and all the great times we had together often. Maybe we aren't even the same people anymore. Has too much time passed? I think that one of my friends is at least seperated from her husband. She sends forwarded emails from time to time, but no personal notes. Recently, she sent out a new email address with the request to keep in touch. How would I start that conversation: "Hey, I was snooping around on the County website and have some questions about what I saw."? Probably, not a good idea, although I am soooo curious. You can look up marriage licenses (Yup, Brit and her oops wedding are on there.) but not divorce decrees. But, then again, there is a reason why we keep our dirty laundry private and that should be respected. Would you want to receive a card or email from someone you hadn't heard from in a while, or would it just be really weird? I think that I would be happy, but I usually don't see things the way everyone else does.

Holy Windstorm, Batman!

2005-10-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

One thing I learned this weekend: you can't count on the weather to cooperate (not even in beautiful Las Vegas). And if you do bet on good weather, make sure to have a contingency plan. You may be asking yourself where these thoughts have come from, and you're in luck, because I'm about to tell you! We attended a wedding at the Lake Mead Marina on Saturday night. On paper, it sounded really nice: a mild October dusk overlooking picturesque Lake Mead. Sigh. We enjoyed a leisurely drive from one mountain range to another.

Over the Spaghetti Bowl and through the barrio to a Lake Mead wedding we go...

The wedding was actually a Jewish ceremony, which was very interesting. I'd never been to one before, so it was educational. I really liked how eloquent the nuptial prayers were. The wording was a lot more beautiful than the Catholic counterpart, although I love Catholic weddings. It just seemed more intimate but not in a spectator "us" and "them" kind of way. It was very nice. The breeze started up during the ceremony, so we were pretty excited to take shelter in the reception tent. It was shelter for a while. I'll illustrate my point in song:

(Think Wizard of Oz)
What happened was just this:
The wind began to switch- the tent to pitch
and suddenly the wall flaps started to unhitch...

And O, what happened then was rich.
The tent began to pitch. The buffet table took a slitch.
Full wine glasses crashed onto the floor as we waited for those who'd been hitched, which was not a happy situation for this girl who had an itch...
which began to twitch and almost made her more than a stitch
of what could be a Wicked Witch.

Hold your applause, please. Fortunately, the wind did die down after it had destroyed the hair we had painstakingly perfected at home and force-fed us literal "sand"wiches. Everything I ate after that had just a hint of earthiness that did not please the palate. Oh, well. I think the bride and groom had a good time. They seemed very happy. I don't know them very well, but Don has been in bands with them seperately at different times, so it was cool to say that we were there for both of them.

Ok, here's the vent (other than the wind): Why are female vocalists so self-important? Please try to stifle your laughter or the urge to utter the phrase, "Well, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?!". If I have ever behaved this way (recently) please shoot me: the end of the reception became open mic/band night because a third of the guests were "band" people, which was cool. Don even got up with his former bandmates to do a Beatles tune. That was great. No one was showing off; They were just having fun like old times. Enter the gaggle of female vocalists: Other than the bride, there were at least three super diva, mostly middle aged women vying for the big reception spotlight (big, flippin' deal! Anyway...) They all over-sang everything. I'm not sure that they knew how to do anything but belt. It actually pained me from time to time to think of how much their singing had to be hurting them. They weren't bad singers... they were just so over-the-top with ornamentation and unnecessary hand gestures. One of the best moments was when one woman made the band her personal karaoke vehicle and did an impromptu key change during Black Velvet and visably tried to make it look like the band's fault that they weren't together. They weren't a crappy band; she was a crappy vocalist for trying to use them as a scapegoat, and we all saw right through her. Other women took their turns screaming their way through Classic Rock tunes, and I was struck by the thought of how laughable they all were. It's funny how instrumentalists are so easily "cool" while female vocalists so easily slip into a caricature that isn't anywhere near cool. In their quest for the lime-light, they kinda' cheapened it. Do "non-musical" people eat this stuff up? I don't know. I wasn't impressed. Their vocals were all right, but their attitudes ruined it for me (not to mention the fact the no one seems to know anything about dynamics and nuance anymore, but that's a topic for another day...). No, I was not jealous that it wasn't me and no one was begging me to sing. I didn't really care. There's a time and a place and this sure wasn't it, although Don did prod me a little to do a song with him to show them up (we didn't). It was actually nice to be anonymous for a change. It isn't very often that I'm the face that no one knows. I wouldn't want that all the time, but for one night it was refreshing.

Des and Dobby Sickness Update: We both went to our respective doctors today, and we are both suffering from extreme allergic reactions to something in the air. I'm suffering from hives (Joy!) and Dobby just has a really sad looking, itchy rash. My doctor thinks it's weed pollen for me, and the vet didn't speculate much further from grass pollen for Dobby. We both got a supply of Prednisone to help curb our itching, and we are to re-evaluate in a week. Dobby sure is my dog! He has allergies like me and now we're both taking 'roids! So, if we look more buff next time you see us, that's why (not really). lol. He's my perfect little hairy child. I guess God didn't really want me to have a cat, either!

Strange Days Indeed

2005-10-07T14:57:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, I thought that my itching problem had finally gone away. My legs were almost back to normal and I had stopped taking most of my drugs. Then last night happened... I went out with the bank crowd and when I got home I felt like someone had thrown me in a barrel of itching powder. My entire body itched uncontrollably: my back, my head, my belly, my neck, my legs... I think the only body parts that didn't itch were my hands and feet! To make it all worse, everywhere that I scratched became huge ugly welts. I think something is definitely wrong! I took a shower, slathered myself with lotion and knocked myself out with Benadryl. I felt better when I woke up this morning, but all the itching has come back. It takes every ounce of restraint I possess not scratch all my skin off. Unfortunately, I really don't know what to do. If I go to the doctor, they'll just tell me to do everything that I already have been doing. I already saw two doctors about my legs, and they didn't have too much to offer. Nothing seems to help, so I guess I'm doomed to an undetermined period of excrutiating itch. That sucks. I'm not alone, though. Poor Dobby, my dog, has a red rash on his belly that he keeps scratching and biting. I'm taking him to the Vet on Monday to check it out and update his shots. I'll get shots that day, too, so we'll be miserable together. He is my dog after all, so why should it surprise me that he's probably allergic to something too?! lol. Actually, we are wondering if he got into something in the backyard that is irritating both of us. Don is going to give him a bath and see if that helps at all. Plus, he stinks. Both dogs do. I was going to bathe Dobby myself, but Don had a really good point that if there is something about him that is creating this problem for me, it probably isn't smart to be in that much contact with him. Good thinking. Hopefully soon both of us will feel a lot better.

Maybe you heard that this week the Jewel died. I never thought I would see the day when FM104.3 KJUL no longer existed on the airwaves. It's been around as long as I can remember. I'm not embarresed to say that I actually liked the Jewel. For those who never got that far up the dial, the Jewel played mostly Standards and 50s/60s music. It was the one station that thrived on Sinatra and Barry Manilow (Yeah, I like Weekend in New England, so there!) and gave us hope that a Standards act could actually work. Of course, the residents of Sun City are in shock. I had many conversations with Seniors at the bank about how much they loved the Jewel. At the time, that was the only station that we played, and honestly I did get really burned out on hearing the same songs two or more times a day! If I hear Blue on Blue one more time... Burn-out aside, I am really sad to see the Jewel replaced by another Country station. I have no bad feelings toward Country, shoot that was my life for many years, but I do love the Standards and believe that there is still a place for them on the radio. There's a reason why we still like Unforgettable, At Last and Fly Me to the Moon. Songs just aren't written that well anymore. We need to celebrate the good old classics that were more about emotion than marketing. Unfortunately, Marketing is trying to send them to an early grave. (The demographic that listens to "new" Country buys more than the demographic that listens to Standards.) Goodbye, KJUL. I hope your music finds a good and happy home somewhere else.

Autumn Arriving

2005-10-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day that feels more Fall than Summer, and I am so happy. 90 degree temps can go away for a while. Here are the things that I love about Autumn (even in Las Vegas): brisk air. cool evenings. Standard Time. leaves falling. caramel apples. pumpkins. 3/4 length sleeves. light jackets. boots. Chai Tea. Spiced Cider. Halloween. Thanksgiving. family gatherings. hay rides (I've never been on one, but I am assuming that I would like it.). festivals. darker colors. crock-pot meals. soups. light blankets. feeling cozy. nesting.

This has nothing to do with Autumn, but I thought that it was important to share. If any of you use Ebay and are signed up for PayPal, be very careful about opening emails that are supposedly from PayPal. I just received one, and thankfully Don warned me about this or I might have taken it seriously. Scammers are sending very official looking emails with a supposed link to PayPal's sight in order to gain credit card and bank info from normal PayPal users. You can't even tell that it's a bogus sight. When I logged in I purposefully used a bogus password. If it was really PayPal it shouldn't have accepted it, but this sight did accept my bogus password and directed me to a screen asking for my credit and bank account info to verify my PayPal account. Pretty sneaky. The other clue that this was a scam was that none of the logins were over secured connections. You probably already know this, but whenever you are logging into a sight that you have given sensitive info to, make sure that you see https not just http in the address. There's a lot of dishonesty out there. I guess the key is to be smart and stay alert.

Weekend Wrap Up

2005-10-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

We just finished Don's big birthday weekend, and boy was it packed! Friday we had dinner with my parents which was nice. Anytime we get good chips and salsa it's great! After that we headed to a bar called BJ's. No, not the place in Summerlin. You've all probably passed it many times and didn't even know it. It's on Tropicana behind the MGM next to the gas station on the corner of Koval. This place has been in existence for around 40 years, and none of us even knew that it was there! The reason we ended up there was because the Second City guys had heard that all the wait staff wears lingerie and Fridays are Sexy School Girl nights. Need I say more? We walked into the place and it wasn't a dive but it sure wasn't the polished bar glam just up the road. The refreshing thing about it was how friendly everyone was and that at 10:00 on a Friday night there were plenty of places for us to hang out. One of the waitresses actually met us at the door and introduced herself. What a difference from the usually snotty waitresses and bartenders at the trendy Strip bars. Of course, the girls knew that they were being oggled at, but they didn't have the "yeah right; I'm so much better than you" attitude that we have gotten so used to when we venture out. Our cocktail waitress actually took pictures with us as if she were our oldest friend. This must be what old Vegas hospitality was like. The drinks were moderately priced and they comped Don's drinks all night because it was his birthday. What Strip bar would have done that?! I'd have to say that BJ's is one of the best kept secrets in town. Every now and then we stumble upon these cool little holes in the wall.

We didn't really know who was going to meet up with us that night. We figured that the usual Second City suspects would make it, but Don was very surprised when just about everyone in both casts showed up and stayed. Anthony even joined us at Midnight. It is so nice to see Don so respected and enjoyed by them. I'm really happy that they are part of our life. You'd think that as "theater people" there would be a lot of ego and drama. Of course, there is business drama, but they all really view themselves as a team and are so down-to-earth. They are good people.

Needless to say, Friday was a very late night! We slept most of Saturday away until we had to get ready for dinner with Don's fam. It was nice to catch up with everyone, since we've barely seen each other recently due to all of our hectic schedules. (It's not just us anymore, ha!) Doreen's b-day is next! What are we doing?

Saturday night, Don got his b-day present from me which was tickets to Avenue Q. I had listened to the soundtrack a few times, but was not into it as much as Don. OMG! It was hilarious! Seeing the show put a lot of the songs into better context for me, so now I'm finding that I have become a fan. You haven't lived until you've seen full puppet nudity live. lol! I really enjoyed the Bad Idea Bears, too. They cracked me up! "Why don't you order a Long Island Iced Tea?" I would definitely go and see it again. We ended up seeing the cast that didn't have John Tartaglia in it, although I called ahead and the board outside the theater said that he was supposed to play Princeton/Rod. They must have made a last minute cast switch without letting the hotel know. It would have been nice to see the originator of the role, but the other cast was really good, and Kate Monster was stronger than the girl on the CD. After the show, we ran into Sharon, Taree and the rest of the Liberty High Performing Arts Department. It sounded like they had last minute tickets, so we had no idea that we were all going to the same show.

I'm going to depart from the narrative for a second: I really don't care for the Wynn at all. The people employed there that we came into contact with were total jerks and even a majority of the patrons were rude. I'm so sick of walking down aisles and having people bowl me over! Am I so small that no one sees me?! Do they think, "Hey, I'm bigger than you! Get out of my way!"? This is happening to me more and more frequently. I guess people are just rude. It's all back to my selfishness argument. It's all me, me, me, me, me. Last night we had an interesting conversation about the difference between decadence and hedonism. Based on my last two weekends, I would say that the Bellagio is decadent but that the Wynn is hedonistic. It seems that they couldn't decide if they wanted to be the Palms or Bellagio, so they tried to meld the two. The atmosphere was much more Palms than Bellagio. I see Bellagio as a more elegant property while the Palms and now the Wynn are arrogant properties. How could they not be when the owners' names are plastered all over them? You'd have to be pretty full of yourself to put your name on the sign, (Yes, the Palms does refer to it's owners on the outdoor sign.) and it shows.

We closed out the festival with more sleeping in, Mass and dinner at Debbie's. Debbie and I tried new domestic things just for Don. Debbie made meatballs from scratch, and I made a very yummy Weight Watchers Key Lime Pie for dessert (the meatballs were yummy, too.). 3 points a slice and you wouldn't even know it!

So, that was the birthday. I hope he had a good time. I know that I did. Next up, Doreen!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DON!!!!!!

2005-09-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Can't wait for another party weekend! I Love You! ~ Des

Firsts

2005-09-22T22:23:00.000-07:00

Today is the very first day of Autumn (I like when the Summer is over. It's time.) and the very first week of the first year of our new Jr. High Explore! program. Wow! Everything went very well, and the buzz is good. I hope that the kids really take to the program. Of course, I'm fixated on the handful of trouble makers. I need to learn to deal with them but not let their misbehavior color how I view the entire group. For the most part, we have wonderful and thoughtful kids. It's been a lot of work, but I believe it will be leaps and bounds better than what they've experienced before.

If any of you have the unfortunate experience of listening to Mark & Mercedes in the morning, you may have already heard them talk about Blender Magazine's Top 500 Songs Since You Were Born (circa 1980). Well, we actually have a subscription to Blender, so what you missed on M&M is my very own commentary on the Top 10. Here goes:

10. In da Club 50Cent: Ok, maybe I am "older" than my peers, but other than a sampling on itunes just now I don't remember ever hearing this song before. So, I really can't agree with it's spot at No. 10 when songs I do know and love like You Oughta' Know and Nothing Compares 2 U are at 149 and 113 respectively. So, I'm a chick song girl.

9. Baby, One More Time Britney Spears: Yeah, this is a guilty pleasure for me, too. I love this song, and I have danced to it in front of a mirror more than once (now you know.). How come I didn't look that good in a plaid skirt at 16? I am not at all implying that Britney is a good musician/vocalist, because she isn't. So, it must be a great song if it can catapult a precocious (for lack of a better word) girl with mediocre talent into a global superstar. The other Brit song that I like, Toxic, makes the list at No. 110.

8. Sucker MCs Run-DMC: (Sigh) I think that I missed the whole rise of rap. I suppose that this is old school, but it's new to me. Should I know this song? Do I really know this song, but itunes had a crappy sample? Well in any event, this song is not in my CD collection. Maybe, it's a classic and I just don't know it. Is this the song that started it all? So many questions that I'm not sure if I care if I get answers to...

7. Love Will Tear Us Apart Joy Division: I have an excuse for this one: I was only a few months old when it came out in 1980! How in the world can we be expected to know this one, especially those of you who were born way after 1980?! I'm really batting a thousand here! lol.

6. Like a Prayer Madonna: Ok, now we're talkin'! I'm a little surprised, but I totally agree. I loved this song the first time I heard it on KLUC 98.5 during the 5th grade and I still do. This is the song that made me a Madonna fan. I don't know if it was the Catholic ties or its appeal to my developing secret inner wild girl, but I couldn't get enough of it. I wasn't alone: in the 6th grade, seven of my girlfriends and I performed Like a Prayer in the school talent show. We had killer outfits of Batman pants, vests and black felt hats and our dance was, well, very literal. If you're lucky, someday when I'm drunk I'll show it to you. We had a great one to Papa, Don't Preach too. (BTW: That's No. 468 in case you were wondering.)

5. Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana: Wow, I know two in a row! I'm not a huge fan of this song. I like it fine, but (surprise, surprise) I didn't really "get" the grunge thing when it was at the height of its popularity during the end of Jr. High/beginning of High School. I wanted my Madonna glamour, plus I was entering my country faze ( Garth did make the list at No. 207 with Friends in Low Places- I'm partial to that one.) However, I can't hear this song without being reminded of my Freshman year, and we spoofed that video quite a bit back then. That janitor was a riot! It always takes me back...

4. One U2: I must admit that I am a late U2 convert. I have only recently discovered that I really do enjoy a lot of their songs. I just missed the buzz. This is a great song. Did you know that it's actually a break-up song? I didn't.

3. Sweet Child O'Mine Guns N' Roses: 80s Hair Band! Yeah, embarrassingly enough I do a pitiful Axl Rose impersonation to this song. My childhood bestfriend and I used to take an old rag mop and turn it upside down saying that it was Axl Rose. We thought that we were hilarious. I am discovering that I really do like 80s Rock. I just missed it. What was I listening to?! Must have been Disney records and Tiffany.

2. B.O.B Outkast: I know one Outkast song and this is not it! It's that whole Poloroid picture thing... Speaking of shaking things, that hideous Milkshake song actually made the list. Unbelieveable. That song is not better than a lot that were omitted. I digress, I'm sure that Outkast has done something that the Blender people think is important for our pop culture lives, but I can't tell you what it is. They did help us come up with "Hey, God" at church. Probably not what they were shooting for.

1. Billie Jean Michael Jackson: OMG! I love this song! As long as I'm in the confessional, I am actually a closet Michael Jackson fan (no pun intended). Let me clarify. I am a fan of Michael Jackson's music, not Michael Jackson the man. I wouldn't be caught dead crying outside the courtroom or pledging my allegiance to the King of Pop, but every time one of his songs plays through the ipod I can't help but dance along in my seat. And the quintessential Michael Jackson song is definitely Billie Jean. If I were only allowed to like one MJ song, that would be my choice. In light of his recent troubles, what a different song it would have been if Billie Jean had actually been a prepubescent boy or if it was just BJ... oh, never mind. He may be a freak, but he has some great songs!

Songs I'm Glad Made the List Somewhere: Livin' On a Prayer (Go Jersey Boys!), Losing My Religion (Quirky R.E.M., but I like it all the same), Creep (I didn't think that this was mainstream enough, but I love this song!), Freedom (Go pissed off George Michael! Great video.), Building a Mystery (The F-bomb probably moved it way up the list.), Time After Time, Ray of Light

Songs That Surprised Me: Islands in the Stream (love the song; classic Kenny & Dolly, but I wouldn't think that it was cool enough for Blender.), I Touch Myself (One of these days I will sing this at a karaoke bar.), Jump (Who remembers Kriss Kross? I remember the clothes...), I Need to Know (this has got to be the whiniest song ever.), Macarena (stupid dance, annoying song... No. 198?), The Humpty Dance (the video and nose ruined this one for me.)

Whew! That's a lot. I thought that I would be totally out of touch, but I didn't do too bad. How did you all do?

Gute Hausfrau

2005-09-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

In honor of Oktoberfest, I am dusting off my very rusty German skills. Today I attempted domestic goddess status. It all started with my morning dose of Martha. I really enjoy her new show. She's a lot more personable than she was on Martha Stewart Living. She's very upfront about the jail time, too; she doesn't try to hide it. I am by no means a Martha, but I do get excited about crafts and baking and at least trying to be domestic. After Martha and some office time, I set off to find a comforter set for our bed. We've had our new bed for almost a year & have been using not so great sheets and stretching a Full sized comforter over a King sized bed. Surprisingly enough, it works ok. Don and I have looked for a set but couldn't find one that we both liked or that wasn't too expensive. I finally bit the bullet and bought a set that is mostly rich purples. I'm not sure that Don is too keen on the color, but it will serve its purpose fine. I even bought little pillows to put on the bed. Big excitement.

After my bedding shopping, I came home to cook a "real" dinner. My recent goal is to cook something new or involved every Monday for dinner since I am usually home and have time to do it. This was week number two. I'm really enjoying this plan so far. It feels like a good start to the week, and we end up with just enough leftovers for Don to eat during evenings when I'm not home. Tonight I made WW friendly baked beef ziti. Since I am not the most graceful cook, the kitchen was pretty disasterous as I tried my best to manage boiling pasta, sauteing garlic and draining meat. I had sauce everywhere and ended up dropping a measuring container into the boiling water. That was fun! However, I cleaned up so well that if I hadn't told Don he would have thought that it was effortless. The ziti tasted great; you couldn't even tell that it was a WW recipe and low in points. Most of the meals I am attempting are WW recipes. So far so good.

I can hardly believe that tomorrow is the first day of our new Jr High program! I am excited and nervous at the same time. I think that we have been blessed with an awesome group of catechists, and everyone has been working so hard to make this a success. Now, we just add the student X-factor and leave it up to the Holy Spirit. Of course, my nervous self plagued me with dreams of unprepared teachers and hideously behaved students last night. I know that neither will actually happen, but it was enough to keep me tossing and turning! I can't wait to find out what tomorrow brings!

Itching Update: It seems to be subsiding. I still itch every now and then but it's not such a compulsion anymore. I guess I won't have to put socks on my hands after all!

I also need to start working on songs for Cabaret night. It always seems to sneak up on me. It looks like this year will be no exception. Oh, well.

Less than two weeks until Don's birthday! Yeah! No plans yet, but I'm sure that the schedule will fill itself very soon.

Well, that's it for me. Time to start settling down for the evening in anticipation of a very busy tomorrow.

The Itch that Rashes

2005-09-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been to the doctor this morning and that's what they call it. Isn't that pleasant? It appears that my itching problem is allergy related and not uncommon for severe allergy sufferers like myself. Sometimes you just end up itching like crazy for no discernable reason. They gave me some more drugs (joy) and all kinds of tips for ways to banish the itch. Some of them I have already been doing; I use Dove soap and I changed to a milder detergent. Interesting thing about detergent, though- they said that a second rinse in the washer is more effective than changing your detergent. I'll have to do that for a while. Of course, I need to go back to Target and buy more lotions to add to my growing collection. I'm supposed to encourage water absorption in my skin. What I like about this idea is that the doctor actually told me to take long showers and baths. I have never had a problem with that. I take forever in the shower! Now I have an excuse. The other day the women at the bank made me cut all my fingernails so that I can't hurt myself as badly anymore. That has helped a little. On top of it all, my doctor has advised me to minimize stress in my life (Ha! This has only been the most stressful week in recent memory! Go figure.). Anxiety, anger and frustration (all very appropriate for this week in Hell) provoke and aggravate my problem. So, go away! My mental, emotional and now physical health can't take anymore. Doctor's orders.

Dissonance

2005-09-07T23:56:00.000-07:00

Lately my whole life has had a very obvious lack of harmony. Confrontation is around every corner. No wonder I am having such troubled sleep! I am so stressed about all the confrontation around me. Some of it is full blown war and some of it is unspoken and just plain passive agressive. All of it is unnerving. At least, I can always feel that at the end of the day I am true to myself and the things I believe in. So, maybe that makes me a hard pill to swallow at times, but I will never apologize for standing up for what I feel is important. It would be a lot easier to pay lip service to people, but I respect others enough that I don't ever want anyone to question my motives or my feelings. When dealing with me, you know exactly where I stand. I have integrity, which seems to be a forgotten virtue in the "keep yourself and everyone else happy" world we live in. So, call me what you will. I have big shoulders; I can take it. But respect me enough to be honest with me and yourself.

Boring Stuff

2005-09-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

This is super geeky, but today I got my hands on Spirit and Song 2. I spied it on Mary's shelf, and could hardly believe that it was real. We have been waiting for Spirit and Song 2 for years! A lot of the songs that they have included are old news to us now like Breathe and If Today. That's a little disappointing other than the exciting prospect of throwing out 40% of our sheet music. I'm all for that! There are still a lot of songs that we don't know, so I'm excited to listen to the CDs when Mary gets them. They are on back order right now. Other news: there is going to be a Gather 2 as well. That's so cool. I am so sick of doing the same music over and over. Hopefully, we'll find some cool new stuff.

This is kinda' gross. For six weeks or so I have had an insufferable itching problem all over my legs. I don't have a rash. I've changed my detergent, so we can rule that one out. I have used just about every itch lotion possible, and nothing has helped. I have scratched so hard that I have scabs and bruises all over my legs. It's kinda' embarrassing. I had meant to call my allergist today, but got called into an impromptu meeting. It's been really annoying.

Today the battle over the Youth Lounge culminated. Debbie and I did a great job of standing our ground. I was really proud of us. For those who don't know, the "battle" is really about symantics: are Jr High kids considered youth and by extension eligible for ownership and usage of the Youth Lounge? We didn't really get a concrete answer, but the important thing is that we didn't lose any ground. We represented our view very well, which made it very difficult for there to be a compelling argument in opposition. For now, things will be ok, but we'll see what happens in a few months.

I had really troubled sleep last night. I tossed and turned all over; I was hot and cold. It totally sucked. I remember talking, too, but I don't know what I said. As a result, I have had a very groggy day. Hopefully, that means I will sleep well tonight. Don will be leaving in about a half hour for the show. Maybe I'll cozy up to my pillow after he leaves.

Is anyone else interested in the new TV show Reunion? It sounds like a really interesting concept for a show. Each episode is a different year all the way to the present. Supposedly, they are going to use soundtracks appropriate for each year. That will be so cool. The premiere is Thursday night on Fox. I think I'll check it out.

Don and I are trying to plan a vacation for January of next year. At first, we thought that we'd go on another cruise, but now we're thinking about going to New York instead. We're really jazzed about the chance to see a lot of shows on Broadway. Our wish list includes Phantom and Wicked. Both trips would be a blast. We had hoped that another couple would join us on the cruise, but we aren't having much luck. So, maybe New York would be the better bet. Plus, I love snow, and I'm sure there would be a lot of it.

Well, that's my really busy yet kinda' boring Tuesday.

Labor Days Past

2005-09-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day everyone! Don's working and I slept in pretty late, so our holiday is half over without much fun to show for it. Maybe I'll go swimming later. We'll see...

Once upon a time, my Labor Day was always a big family trip to Zion National Park. My parents usually took us out of school on Friday which was great since it was usually the end of the first week. I always hated the first week of school. My grandparents usually had been at the park for a few days before any of us got there, so we didn't have to worry about finding a good site. But, back then Zion wasn't as crowded and had a lot less rules and regs. All my aunts, uncles and cousins would converge on the park sometime on Friday or Saturday. We spent countless hours playing and tubing down the Virgin River. That was the best! It was always pretty cold, but we didn't care. I've heard that they don't even allow people in the river anymore. That sucks! We'd usually hike the Narrows or the Emerald Pools together. Both were fun, because the hike would make you so hot and there was a refreshing river or lake that awaited you. I don't think that we were supposed to swim in the Emarald Pools, but we did anyway. We painted rocks, played with bubbles, played badmitton, hit pinatas. It was so fun!

Our Labor Day trips to Zion are the true origin of my festival birthday. My aunt would bring a birthday cake for me from Salt Lake, and I'd get all my family cards and presents then. It made waiting a week for more celebration well worth it. Of course, our family got older and busier and the Labor Day tradition faded away. Zion changed too. It is no longer the fun place that we rode bikes around and explored for hours on end. The area has gotten so commercialized. It's really sad that a huge Imax theater competes with the natural beauty of the area. Even worse, the increased patronage of "serious" hikers and campers combined with the Gestapo park rangers has made Zion a place that just isn't that much fun anymore. It really saddens me, because I have such fond memories of all of our Zion trips. It will always be a beautiful natural wonder, but I'd rather go to Lee Canyon or check out Panguitch so we can have fun that includes campfires and sing alongs that don't have to end at 10:00pm.

There had been talk of resurrecting our Zion family tradition this year, but with cousins leaving for boot camp and all sorts of rifts in the family it obviously didn't happen. I haven't had a bad weekend. It has been nice, but uneventful compared to the Zion trips of old. I always looked forward to that trip. Now, I hardly see my family at all. I guess it will just be weddings and funerals from now on. I suppose that's what happens to extended families. I'd like to start some family events like our Zion trip. The Fourth of July is a great new tradition, but it's not really a true family event. We don't have many traditions right now. Maybe it's time to start some of our own.

Twilight Zone

2005-09-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

Last night we had such a surreal experience that we couldn't believe that it wasn't a dream. For the first time, we made the treck out to the District at Green Valley Ranch. Of course, we had heard a little about it, and finally we had a real reason to check it out. As the night progressed, we could hardly believe that we were still in Las Vegas. It felt so much more like a utopian California village. It was very strange. Don and I joked that we were waiting for the stroke of Midnight when all the vampires and prostitutes come out and take over the square. I guess it's a sad comment on society when seeing people in a wholesome and family friendly atmosphere seems so strange. Tons of people were actually walking their dogs everywhere. What was even stranger was that they all seemed to have red leashes. I hope that was a coincidence! We were actually there to see a band and much to our surprise the green was totally packed with families on blankets and lawn chairs. Parents and kids were dancing and singing along to Beatles tunes all over the square. No one was dressed to provocatively or tacky. It just seemed too good to be true. There was even a clock tower for goodness sake! Adding to the strangeness was the fact that people actually own condos above the shops. I had heard about this in real estate circles, but the concept is so foreign to me because it has never really existed in Las Vegas. We've never really had any true urban centers. Honestly, we've been a very suburban town in which you rent an apartment or buy a house with a yard. So, it was really weird to be dancing around to The Magical Mystery Tour and look up at a woman working on her computer in front of a huge window.

We had a very nice time, but it is far enough away that I don't see us frequenting the District especially since so many of the stores and restaurants that I would be interested in are right down the road from our house at Boca Park. The talk is that the new Red Rock Station will have an area like the District. I could see us going there fairly often, because it would be so close to home. Thankfully, developers are doing a really great job of creating comparable areas in different parts of the city, so that if you live in Summerlin everything you want and need is right there. You don't have to go to Green Valley or the Strip for anything. I love where we live. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the city. Whenever the day comes that we feel we want another house, I'd like to stay in the same general neighborhood. We are so close to so many great things, and far enough away from the Strip that it doesn't influence us much. Plus, we actually have a backyard and a pool which is getting harder and harder to come by these days. Honestly, the only thing we are missing out here is a really good mall. But, I hear that is coming too. Once we get all this out here, it is going to be really hard to convince us to drive anywhere else. The only reason we'll have to go to Green Valley or Southern Highlands will be to visit our friends. Thank goodness!

Bend Over

2005-09-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

I've got to tell you that in general 2005 has been the year that sucks. It's not just me, either. It seems like every time I turn around someone new has proclaimed this as the suckiest year in recent memory- not to mention all of the awful global disasters. A guy at the bank said that this year has been so bad that on New Year's Eve he's going to tear down his 2005 calendar and crap on it literally! Pretty crude, but you get the point. I have felt much the same way as everyone else has been sharing: helpless, sad and wondering if God is trying to get our attention. What makes me even more depressed than the actual events that have occurred is the pitiful condition of the human race in reaction. Maybe it's our media obsessed society that seems to like to show ten awful images to scarcely one positive one. There's more news in the bad, right? Or have we really become such a greedy and self-serving people that we don't know how to help anyone except ourselves? What happened to group identity, pride and the greater good? I know that I'm preaching to the choir. It's just hard to tell a bunch of kids that they can make a real difference in the world when I'm so easily disheartened myself.

I'm going to sound like a big whiner, but hear me out: this gas situation is totally out of control! I don't want to hear about how much they pay in Europe and my argument isn't motivated out of being a tight wad. I'm pissed at the greedy gauging that is going on. Last night in two hours we witnessed a six cent increase at a local gas station. This morning, it was ten cents in three hours. You cannot tell me that there has been such a huge demand for gas in the last 24 hours that the stations have purchased barrells twice. You might say, "Well, it's just gas." But it's not! This is just the beginning of what could be major economic problems. We are so dependant on gas to transport ourselves and just about everything in our lives that we are going to end up paying more money for everything. We won't just feel it at the pump. We'll feel it at the grocery store, in our travel, at the post office (I smell another postage increase)... it goes on and on. Are our cost of living raises going to keep up? Hell, no! And it's all because of the immense selfishness and greed of the wealthiest one percent of the world's population. Wouldn't you think that there would come a point when wealth is just obscene and one more billion really doesn't matter? It makes me sick.

Let's go back to that whole making a difference concept. Last night I expressed my upset about the gas station's increase to the surly woman behind the counter and of course she countered, "What do you expect me to do about it?" How awful was that?! I said, "Tell your owner that I'm never coming back to this station because of the gauging! I'll get a bike." True, alone my little outburst doesn't mean much, but what if we all refused to buy gas on Fridays and Tuesdays and limited unnecessary driving. If thousands of us organized ourselves, it just might hurt the pocket book and send a little message that we won't just take it. It would be a great lesson in supply and demand. Right now we have a supposedly low supply and a high demand, which means the prices are free to continue rising. But if we decrease our demand, theoretically, prices should decrease too. That's a really simple way of looking at it, and I know that there are a lot of other factors to consider. But, it could work if people weren't so convinced that they are powerless. That's the even bigger tragedy. If we don't fight the good fights and exercise the power we do have than we deserve to be screwed.

Toxic Audio

2005-08-31T22:37:00.000-07:00

Ring a bell? Yeah, me either- until tonight. Toxic Audio is a new show at the Luxor that unfortunately you'll probably really have to pay attention to realize that it's even here. The only reason that I had heard about it was because we have some friends who work at the Luxor who have been bugging us to go and see it. Finally, we took them up on their offer and boy am I glad that we did! The show was phenomenal! It is an acappella quintet, but these aren't your high school Madrigal singers. In a nut shell, the premise is showcasing all of the amazing things that you can do with the human voice and the art of amplification. Yes, I said art. The sound man is just as much a part of the group as the singers from controlling dynamics to reverb and vocal loops. They did amazing renditions of popular songs that if you closed your eyes and listened you would have a hard time telling that there was absolutely no instrumentation. I was so impressed with the talent, skill and creativity of the group. The soprano was awesome at scat and the alto could belt almost effortlessly. Don't even get me started on the tenor who puts most women to shame! They did a great number honoring their sound man which was very original and appropriate. There wasn't a weak-link in the group at all, and I'm usually very critical! There are lots of shows on the Strip and as locals we usually miss them all, but if you are a serious singer/musician do whatever you can to go see this show. Shows like this can't survive without word of mouth and a few butts in the seats. Do your part to let hotel owners know that we'd rather see real talent and ability than silicone jigglers slutting up the stage in bras and g-strings (although, that does have a place of it's own.). For more info check out www.toxicaudio.com and call the Luxor for tickets. (No, I did not get a third job in promotion.)

Greetings From my Brand New IBM ThinkPad

2005-08-31T18:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've had it almost a week, but with all the festivities it's been crazy around here! So, you've probably figured out what Don gave me for my birthday. He said that I proved to him that I'm actually becoming more computer literate, so I needed a better machine. Awww. I had wondered how long he would be able to make it without using his friends and family priviledges! Six months isn't too bad. Wow, six months... it seems like forever and a blink of the eye all at once. I can't wait to get all of my stuff up and running. He actually transferred all my files and pictures from our PC before he even gave it to me. That was thinking! I'm set up to burn CDs, make slide shows, watch DVDs and all sorts of other groovy stuff. Andy, eat your heart out! lol. It is a really great computer for which I am very appreciative. Jason would be proud, because one of my first thoughts was how to write it off on our taxes since I use it at church. We'll see... That was my big gift this year among lots of other great stuff. Thanks to everyone for everything.

I finally got my coveted calzone Thursday night during my family b-day dinner. OMG was it to die for! The cheese just melts in your mouth. Anthony's present was his presence, so I'll have to remember that one come March 1, 2006 when he makes us go to Hush Puppy (Don's favorite!).

Katie returned to Flagstaff on Saturday, but we made it to Bonnie Springs on Friday when she probably should have been packing. I have not been there for twenty years, and it will probably be twenty more before I get that burr up my butt again. Don't get me wrong, it's a great value for family fun ($7.00 for a car load of people during the week.), but maybe they should charge a little more so that they can paint the buildings and repair some of the walkways. That would be a great service project for the Boy Scouts or some other youth organization (Are you listening, Laura?) I swear that it hasn't changed a bit since the first grade. Although, I don't remember the pictures of naked women in the saloon or the petting zoo being quite so sad. It was pretty much a ghost town, but I've heard that they get really big crowds during the weekend. I guess that's when everyone works, because I think we only saw three or four people working throughout the entire place. If you've never been, you should go just for the experience, but wait until October. It was sooooo hot! All I wanted to do when I got home was go swimming, so I did.

Lisa and I went to the craft festival at Cashman Field on Saturday. That was nice. I spent money; she helped carry my stuff. Thanks for taking me out there! It doesn't have anything on the Blueberry Festival, though. Are they going to have triple the fireworks this year? I guess Amy would have let us know if something special were going on. We should go back some time family people.

Saturday night Don and I decided to check out the piano bar at Harrahs. I think we both thought that it was better than New York/New York's. Probably because it was free! The players were ok. There were blonde twins playing part of the time and they had everything keyed so low that even altos would have a hard time! It was nice to see girl players, because they played more "girl" songs. My big complaint about piano bars is that they only seem to play sing along songs for men. Let's just get out the Elton John and Billy Joel anthologies and start a piano bar of our own. So, I was relieved when the girls played Walk Like an Egyptian along with Joy to the World. We got a late start, so other than dinner that's all I can talk about.

Sunday morning brought a great breakfast spread at Laura and Doreen's where we learned that Don and Dameon share an adolescent bond through calligraphy. Whoda thunk it? Actually, Dameon wrote a very nice card for me. I'm really glad that he's part of our family. We came home and watched Phantom of the Opera which Don gave me but hadn't seen yet. I wasn't sure if he would like it or not, but he did. Can't wait until it comes to the Venetian, although I can't imagine what they'll cut out to keep it 90 minutes. I saw the play in Salt Lake while I was in high school and prefer it to the movie, but it's a good substitute for now. We ended the evening with Gary's yummy burritos that took an hour and a half to cook, because we only had the oven on 225! Don and Antonio entertained us with adoring looks at a phallic squash as we waited. I wonder if Debbie has eaten it yet? All in all it was a great birthday- a little more mellow than I had hoped, but nice all the same.