In The Home Stretch
So, the vacation is nearly over, but it's picking up speed. Tonight is Ruth's Chris with Ryan & Kana, and tomorrow we head into the desert for Palm Springs.

The wedding.

It was beautiful. It was wonderful. It was very Chris & Ashley. The day was kind of gloomy, no sun, and a slight breeze. It was in the backyard/garden of a Victorian Tea House, with lovely flowers, a gazebo, and a waterfall. The ceremony was short, Jake got teary giving away his daughter, and Chris & Ashley looked so happy. Ashley's dress was simple, her hair was perfect. The wedding very much matched the garden in it's look & feel. Chris picked out a John Denver song that Dana sang, and it was beautiful. After the ceremony, we had the best hors d'oeuvres, beef on a stick with a peanut dipping sauce, and bbq chicken pizza. MMMMmmmm. I was hanging out in the backyard by the kitchen, so Kate and I scored tons of them. :)

After some mingling, we went back outside where they had set up the tables, and found our table. Then we had the toast from the best man (which was pretty funny), and the thank you from the groom. I didn't like the taste of the champagne (shock!), but Geoff drank his. A salad was served, and I noticed a menu on the table. The meal coming sounded great to me. After salad, a cleansing of the palate with a Cabernet sorbet. I tried it, not bad, but I couldn't eat the whole thing. The main course was served family style, chicken breast in a white wine sauce (super tasty sauce!), beef medallions in a peppercorn sauce, wild rice, and mixed vegetables. I'm telling you, this white wine sauce made the chicken the favorite dish at our table. Following dinner the couple shared their first dance, to some rendition of I Can't Help Falling In Love. It was sweet, then the father/daughter dance. Then Chris & Ashley went inside to cut the cake, letting everyone know they aren't dancers, so they didn't really want a dance. The cake was cut, then they rallied people into a sitting room for the money dance. After everyone's chance to dance was done, there was the garter toss (only 4 or 5 single guys got out there), and the bouquet toss. The bouquet toss happened so fast, not all the single girls had a chance to get out there. The best man had caught the garter, and one of the bridesmaids caught the bouquet. To Jake & Cindy's delight (I'm sure), no Krolik caught it. At Allison's wedding last June, Ashley had caught her sister's bouquet. But I don't think they thought it would happen so fast. Cake was served, as well as coffee. There was more mingling, then the couple prepared to leave for Fiji. We ducked out before they left.


For a wedding that started at 6:30pm, we left about 10pm. It flowed well. It had an intimate feel, like a small family wedding. We got to chat with some church friends, everyone looked great, it was a good time.

We hit Laguna Beach yesterday before the wedding. I thought it might be cold, as I said, no sun. But it was a perfect day to walk on the beach. I let the ocean kiss my feet, I bought a Christmas gift for Russ (Mom he's going to love it! It's from you-know-where), and I took a picture of Geoff with the ocean in the background.

I probably won't post again until we get home. I don't think there will be opportunity. I had wanted to post pictures from the wedding, but silly us, we forgot to pack the cord for the camera. You'll just have to wait. Looking through the photos, I noticed I don't have one of my dress. But I washed it, and I'm going to wear it to dinner tonight, so I'll try to get Ryan to take a picture.

I'm going to close with a quote from PCU.

Tom: What's he doin?
Droz: He's finishing his senior thesis. Pigman is trying to prove the Caine-Hackman theory. No matter what time it is, 24 hours a day, you can find a Michael Caine or Gene Hackman movie playing on TV.
Tom: That's his thesis?
Droz: Yes! That's the beauty of college these days, Tommy!

Busy, Busy, Busy
So Geoff and I hardly have time to have a conversation, we've both been so busy doing our own thing. I've practically been living at Cindy's, I'm there every day. Geoff is away at UCI, so bedtime is our time. I'm up early, unable to sleep in, and then I'm off going to Cindy's before he goes to work.

Today I did get to have a pedicure. I didn't go to my regular place, I went somewhere with Cindy, and it wasn't as good. But hey a less than perfect pedicure is always better than no pedicure. I want to take a picture tomorrow of it so you can see.

Tonight we went to the Bible Study potluck, mmmm yummy potlucky food. We got all caught up with more friends, made plans to see the Merritt's on Saturday, and got talked into going to church on Sunday am. Cindy says we'll head to out Palm Springs in the afternoon.

Geoff made reservations at Ruth's Chris for Saturday with Ryan & Kana. Lunch tomorrow with Erik at In-N-Out. I have a playdate with Abbie tomorrow morning, but we have the evening free.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is on right now, so I'll end with a quote from that. I love this movie!

Mr. Shickadance: Ventuuurrraaa.
Ace Ventura: Yes, Satan? Oh, I'm sorry, sir. You sounded like someone else.
Mr. Shickadance: Never mind the wisecracks, Ventura...
[coughs in Ace's face]
Mr. Shickadance: ... you owe me rent.
Ace Ventura: Mr. Shickadance, I told you - you're my first priority. I'm on a very big case right now. Check this out.
[shows him a flyer]
Ace Ventura: That's a true Albino pigeon. Some rich guy lost it. He's offering a $25,000 reward. As soon as I find this bird, you're paid.
Mr. Shickadance: I heard animals in there, Ventura. I heard 'em again this mornin' scratchin' around.
Ace Ventura: I never bring my work home with me, sir.
Mr. Shickadance: Oh yeah? What's all this pet food for?
Ace Ventura: Fiber.

Having Such A Time
I am having such a time here. That means I'm having fun. It's such a break from my regular routine, which is neat. Church on Sunday was everything I had hoped. We surprised everyone! I hugged more people in that day than I have in months. Sunday night we had dinner with Jen & Greg, and after dinner Jen and I played Crib. Greg was in a bad car accident on Saturday, but he's fine. He's better than fine, he had the Hand of God on him, and he walked away from a totaled car with minimal damage to his person. We're very thankful.

Yesterday I saw Rachelle and we talked for hours. It was so much fun to be with her. Then I was off to Cindy's to hang out with Abbie. I took Alexis to get a dress for the wedding, and today Amy, Alexis and I will get shoes and a dress for Amy. I've also got a lunch date with Kevin (KUCI).

Last night I had dinner with the gang from KOWCP. Donna, Michelle, Cindy, Sharon, Ildiko and I went to the Elephant Bar. I love these ladies! My throat is sore from all the talking I did, repeating everything to everyone I meet.

Marci invited us to the Bible Study potluck on Wednesday night, and we're going to go. It'll be great to see & spend time with that group. After 7 years, Marci has completed the Old Testament. Next year they'll work on the New Testament. I've decided to make a commitment to tackle Marci's lessons. I made that agreement before we moved to Colorado, but with all my free time, what excuse do I have?

I'm not sleeping so well, or rather I'm not waking up well. I can sleep great, but I'm waking up way to early (for me). I miss my Honey cat.

Well, gotta fill up the last of my few hours with dinner plans, so I'm going to sign off. I'm closing with a quote from The Birdcage.

Albert Goldman: Whatever I am, he made me! I was adorable once, young and full of hope. And now look at me! I'm this short, fat, insecure, middle-aged THING!
Armand: I made you short?

We Made It!
So we made it to California, safe and sound. Friday night we stayed in St. George, Utah. The tv didn't work so I was glad I'd brought a deck of cards. We left Saturday morning at 8am, and made it Irvine by like 2:30pm, PST. We did stop in Barstow to eat lunch at In-N-Out. I don't have much to say, we'll be heading to church soon to surprise our friends.

I guess I'll sign off. I'm closing with my favorite line from Batman.

The Joker: Never rub another man's rhubarb.

In Mourning
I'm all sad today, with the series finale of Angel (which was amazing!!!), and the Flames advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. :(

I watched the movie Se7en today. I'd never seen it, and how do I put this? I wouldn't go so far as to say I liked it. It was gripping, it was horrifying, but I had to know how it ended. I didn't hate it, but I don't know if I would watch it again. I feel like I should watch something cheery now, like Red Dwarf.

I'm half packed for the trip. I have accomplished most of the last minute jobs. Made another lunch date, with my friend Sara. I hope to get in a lunch or dinner with Erik, he's a hoot. And I'll have to buy a wedding gift sometime next week. Money permitting, I hope to talk Geoff into treating me to a pedicure. :)

We finished our puzzle. I suspected we would finish before we left on the trip. I still have not made any mix cds for the drive. I'll have to get on that.

We finally saw Matrix Revolutions. It was pretty good. Better than Reloaded, but not better than the original. It was nice to know how the trilogy ended.

I'll try to blog while in California. I will certainly be checking my email.

I'm closing with a quote from Much Ado About Nothing.

Beatrice: Against my will, I am sent to bid you come into dinner.
Benedick: Fair Beatrice, thank you for your pains.
Beatrice: I took no more pains for those thanks than you take pains to thank me. If it had been painful, I would not have come.
Benedick: You take pleasure then in the message?
Beatrice: Yea, just so much as you may take upon a knife's point. You have no stomach, signor? Fare you well.
Benedick: Ha. "Against my will I am sent to bid you come into dinner." There's a double meaning in that.

Viva Las Vegas!

I can't say my fella doesn't take me anyplace. He booked a room in Vegas for our trip back from California (no not at the Bellagio. Like we could afford that!) We're getting excited about this trip. We sure are packing it in. My friend Erik went to Vegas with his folks, and I asked him to make a bet for me. He forgot, until he was walking past a roulette table and heard them call out the number I asked him to bet on. I was born under a lucky sign, my birthdate is a full house. I will have to let my brother-in-law know that the hotel we're staying at has a restaurant called Terrible Mike's. :)

Jeff pretty much said the summer job is mine. Even with me going to Scotland, he says we can work around that. Now we just have to wait to hear back from the INS, which isn't called that anymore. They call themselves USCIS, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

I know way to many people going through physical ailments. From Jesse who has an enlarged spleen and lymph nodes, to Russ with Osteoporosis, to Marty at work who has been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Crazy!

I'm closing with a quote from Ocean's 11.

Rusty: Why do this?
Danny: Why not do it?
[Rusty shakes his head]
Danny: Cause yesterday I walked out of the joint after losing four years of my life and you're cold-decking teen beat cover boys.
[pause]
Danny: Cause the house always wins. Play long enough, you never change the stakes. The house takes you. Unless, when that perfect hand comes along, you bet big, then you take the house.
Rusty: Been practicing this speech, haven't you?
Danny: Little bit. Did I rush it? Felt I rushed it.
Rusty: No, it was good, I liked it. The Teen Beat thing was harsh.

Wedding Bells

Ryan and Kana got engaged last week! We're super excited for them. They are such a great couple. We can't wait to celebrate with them next week. I know they'll be more successful than Martha and Whitman.

Just trying to prepare for our trip. Nothing else is going on. It's a weekend of travel, as the other Armstrongs are going to The Big Easy, New Orleans.

USA Network is running an ad to promote the return of new episodes of Monk & The Dead Zone. It features Mr. Monk & Johnny Smith at a Detectives Convention. I don't watch The Dead Zone, but I saw the movie, and read the book, so I get the humor of it. Also, USA has a new promo just for Monk, which parody's Parliament's Give Up The Funk. "We want the Monk, Gotta have the Monk"

I'm going to close with a quote from Galaxy Quest.

Jason Nesmith: What? What was that?
Alexander Dane: Uh, nothing.
Jason Nesmith: I heard some squealing or something.
Gwen DeMarco: Oh, no. Everything's fine.
Teb: But the animal is inside out.
Jason Nesmith: I heard that! It turned inside out?
[the pig-lizard explodes]
Teb: And it exploded.
Jason Nesmith: Did I just hear that the animal turned inside out, and then is EXPLODED?

Go Sharks Go

My Problem With Catholicism
I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. I believe the Apostle's Creed. But I have a beef with Catholicism. Don't get me wrong, I know great Catholics, and I know a lot of twice-a-year Catholics/Christians. The kind who go to church twice a year, Christmas & Easter. The ones who like the rituals. but who are not about having a relationship with the Living God.

What brought this on? This article in the Denver Post where a Bishop has decided that if you support John Kerry or any candidate who supports issues the Catholic Church is against, you don't get to take Communion.

"In a pastoral letter making waves nationally, Colorado Springs Bishop Michael Sheridan this month declared that Catholics who vote for candidates who support abortion rights, euthanasia, "illicit" stem- cell research or gay marriage cannot receive Communion until they recant and repent in the confession booth.

It continues later on to say "Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput last month suggested Catholic politicians whose positions conflict with church teachings against abortion aren't really Catholic, and urged voters to hold them accountable."

Here's the thing, before you take Communion, you have to set your heart right with God. You cleanse yourself and repent any sins you have. Now I talk right to God, I don't go through anybody, I don't think you have to. When Christ died on the cross, the curtain that separated man from God in the temple was two in two, broken like the body of Jesus, as a sign that we can go to God ourselves. Now these people want to have their congregation answer which political party they support before they take Communion? That's ridiculous. The truth is God is the only who knows your heart (Christian or not). If your taking part in Communion with wrong intentions, He's gonna know. Should John Kerry be denied Communion? The bible calls me not to judge. Should John Kerry be proclaiming he's Catholic, while supporting abortion? Probably not. Are Christians & Catholics called to be accountable to one another? Absolutely.

No one is perfect, no one is sinless. I pray that Mr. Kerry gets himself right with God, if he is indeed a Catholic. I pray for President Bush to seek God's will on all the decisions he makes.

It just bugs me when we get caught up in being legalistic, and forget it's about a personal relationship with Christ. It may seem cheesy, but you have to ask yourself WWJD?

I'm closing with my favorite quote from Futurama.

Fry: So what's the deal? You guys don't believe in Robot Jesus?
Jewish Robot #2: We believe he was built and that he was a very well programmed robot but he wasn't our Messiah.

Weird World
I posted before about a band that I had once hated, and was winning me over with an infectious song. So I got their album out of the library, and it's pretty good. Here's where we find out how weird the world is. I saw this band play at UCI while I was at KUCI. They played in the courtyard where we would sign up new volunteers. But they were going by a different name. I often wondered what would become of these bands, and I guess now I know. If you're lucky (or unlucky depending on how you look at it) you end up on MTV.

I have to start on my packing list this weekend, as well as put together instructions for the cat-sitter. I think tomorrow we'll go to Peet's and pick up some more tea. Or at least go have some. It suppose to be nice this weekend, so we'll walk to Peet's.

Not much else is going on. Diane sent me an email that said "Go Flames Go". I'm sorry, I can't root for them. Born & raised in Edmonton does that to me. :)

I'll close with a quote from Enemy Of The State.

Fiedler: *Please* let me follow the nanny. She doesn't shave her legs. Women like that are so... HOT.

Joke Of The Day
When I was younger, there was a joke I heard once, that I have always found to be humorous.

What's the difference between a bra and the Calgary Flames?
A bra has two cups, the Flames only have one.

I really hope the joke doesn't become obsolete. Calgary can not win the Stanley Cup. Isn't there enough wrong with the world?

;)

Cajole Me
It's still raining. I can't complain, we need the moisture, and I have nowhere to go. I did walk to my libraries, put down the umbrella and enjoyed the kind of rain where there is no wind. My favorite.

I had the impulse to call my dad yesterday, or this morning. I don't remember. It was a fleeting thought. For those who have lost someone, do you get caught up in playing the "this is what they would have wanted" game? I try my damnedest not to play. And I try even harder not to get mad at those who do. Most of the time, they are playing for selfish reasons. To justify the way they behave. But I hope there are times when you can say it and it would be true. Whether it is cutting ties, or spending money, or moving on, there has to be times when it is indeed what they would have wanted. My wounds are still fresh, so I guess I'm sensitive. I just really miss my dad.

On a lighter note, I had a thought cross my mind while I was out walking. My iPod played Coax Me (sloan), and I recalled the first time I heard Sloan was on Street Cents. Okay here's the thought that crossed my mind. And you are going to laugh, because I'm sharing a very embarrassing secret...I had a crush on Jonathan Torrens. Y'know, as in Jonovision? I'm blushing from embarrassment right now. But it made me smile, and laugh to myself. Obviously my taste has improved ten fold since then, no offense to Jono. :)

I'm going to close with a quote from The Mexican.
Samantha: I have to ask you a question. It's a good one so think about it. If two people love each other, but they just can't seem to get it together, when do you get to that point of enough is enough?
Jerry: Never.

Rainy Days
It's raining again. Work today was a hoot. It was just me, Rich, Tracey & Jen. We took a leisurely coffee break, since there was so little work to do. Rich was surprised to learn that I was up for his job. He confided his biggest fear is he'll be replaced. I assured him, I was only looking for a summer job.

I had to rush out of work today. I called the doctor's office, and they said they could fit me in, if I was there by 11:20. If I was ten minutes late, they couldn't guarantee I'd get in. I look at my watch, it's 11:00am. So I race out of the building, and I go there at exactly 11:20! I felt pretty good about the new doctor. Actually I saw a resident, and I really liked her. I kept thinking about Scrubs (because J.D, Elliot, and Turk are residents). I get to have an ultrasound. I haven't had one since I was 15. This is what I remember, I drank a lot of water, I thought I was going to die. They let me get rid of some because I had actually drank too much. And the jelly was warm, and the device was cold. So I have to wait to hear from them about when I can get in for my ultrasound.

I did not sleep well last night. And I deliberately didn't nap so as to sleep better. Today again I skipped napping, maybe I'll do better.

I watched Malibu's Most Wanted yesterday. It was pretty funny, I like Jamie Kennedy. I wouldn't pay to see it, but it was a free rent from the library. If they showed it on tv, it would be alright to watch on a rainy afternoon. Today's rainy afternoon, I watched Runaway Jury. I'm very fond of John Cusack. It was good. I don't think I'd read the book. I don't mind John Grisham, I know Dawn really likes him. I've read some of his stuff, I've seen a few of his book inspired movies. This was a good one.

I guess I'll close out with a quote from Malibu's Most Wanted.

Brad Gluckman: I got sumtin' to say, and I need the world to hear it. I'm a lyricologist. I can rap about anything. Shrink, shrink. Blinkity-blink. Tried to make me think. Wanna go to my sink. And vomit. Clean it up wit' Comet. Earth is my plah-net. See? I'm the shiznit.

Yet Again With The Random Button Fun
1. Open your MP3 player
2. Put all your music on random play
3. Write down the first fifteen, no matter how embarrassing.

Into The Fire Sarah McLachlan
Bring Me Some Water Melissa Etheridge
You're The First, The Last, My Everything Barry White
Walk Away Bree Sharp
This Time Tomorrow Captain Tractor
Girls Just Wanna Have Lunch Weird Al Yankovic
Bonny Bog Dunmorgan The Splendourbog
Brilliant Disguise Bruce Springsteen
The Flame Cheap Trick
Rain King Counting Crows
The Best Tina Turner
King Of Wishful Thinking Go West
Romantic Karyn White
Invisible Clay Aiken
White Flag Dido

Sleepless In Denver
Yesterday I had a nap for nearly 2 hours, and I paid for it last night. I couldn't fall asleep, I tossed and turned for hours. I woke up frequently. My mind was racing as I tried to fall asleep, thinking any weird thought that popped into my mind. I can't recall all it, but I remember that I was reliving some nightmare. I have a recurring nightmare. I have it at least once a year. You're going to think it's funny (or really scary), but I have the dream that I'm still in high school. Or I dream that I never finished. I think that's part of the reason for hanging up my diploma, it's proof that it's been done. To some people maybe that's not a nightmare, but to me it is.

Don't get me wrong, there are parts of high school I enjoyed, but mostly it was... you know... high school. I wasn't much of a joiner, Drama being the exception. I had a few different circles I hung out with. I disliked almost all of my classes.

Okay, I'm compelled to share more about this. In 9th grade we get to choose where we want to go to high school. Nearly everyone in my school were headed to Page, but I didn't want to go there. I wanted either Vic, or Scona. But Vic was too far away, and my friends Mandy & Marc were going to Scona. My mom wasn't keen on that, so I settled on Harry Ainlay. I don't entirely know why. I had one friend going there, Lisa. Three weeks into September, my dad took Colin & I to Nevada, which would turn out to be the trip from hell. By the time I got back (3 weeks later), I was so far behind in school work and making friends. No one knew me, not even the teachers. I didn't recover scholastically. But I did manage to make some friends (Cynthia, Adam, & Eddy). At the end of 10th grade, I had 21 credits. This will mean nothing to my Yankee readers, just go with it. The reasoning for only 21 credits? I never went to class and spent way too much time with my boyfriend. My mom decided I needed to switch schools, to where she knew the principal, McNally. I got to make friends all over again! I met up with an ex-boyfriend of a friend from H.A.(Nathan), and hung out with him and his friends. That's how I got hooked up with Young Life, and where I learned to play Bridge. 11th grade went better, 12th grade was a disaster (skipping classes again), and I got to watch all my friends graduate, while I did not. I had to go back. To make a long story short (too late) I did eventually graduate. But because I made such a mess of my high school years, I have nightmares that I never finished. That I'm still stuck there. You'd think this would make me not want to go to a high school reunion, but it doesn't. I would love to see what became of former classmates. (James says one of our classmates came out of the closet!) I guess because I'm so different from the person I used to be, I'm open to going back.

I left out all lot of the gory details of those years, because who wants to read that?! Was there a point to all of this? Oh yeah, I was thinking about high school last night while I was trying to sleep. I nearly got out of bed to touch my diploma to be sure it was still there. I was thinking about the day I left for Malibu (Young Life Camp). A bunch of my friends came at 6am to say goodbye. They gave me a gift, which I still have buried in a box. It was a pendant for a necklace with my initials on it. The trip was a pretty good time. I bonded with some people, I learned that I have a fear of water-skiing. When I got motion sickness on the bus ride back, Gary let me sleep on his shoulder. When I would wake up, we would sing Weird Al together. The night I got back, my mom ordered KFC for dinner. I still remember how good it smelled. I can still see it on my plate if I close my eyes.

Okay, I really should move onto something else. Um... there were tornados last night. Not here, but in Elbert County. The weather was odd yesterday, but I didn't see the signs. Hey, it's been a while since I lived in tornado country. Our Irvine trip is almost turning into an Edmonton-type thing. Meaning, I am booking up my meal times. :) I have dinner plans for the Sunday night, Monday night, Tuesday lunch. And I still haven't emailed some people yet. I joked with Geoff that I was going to spend everyday at the beach. Sigh, Laguna Beach.

I called my doctor to ask about a prescription he gave me a few months ago, only to find out he's not doing the patient thing anymore. He's only teaching (health reasons). So now I get to go through the trouble of getting to know a new doctor. What a pain in butt. But what can you do?

I'm having fun this week finding out that Chris knows the same people I know. It's always neat when that happens. I am also amused to see how people are finding my blog. I get a lot from people googling "perogy statue". And a few of people I think who are specifically looking for me (they google Melissius).

I've been stewing on making my next Top Five "debut albums", but I'm not sure if that includes EP's. I wouldn't count demos, but EP's? Any thoughts? Also, I feel like I should make a separate list for Canadian bands. Otherwise Canadians would dominate the list. Not that that's a bad thing.

I have to say how very very very disappointed I am that they cast Nicole Kidman as Ulla in the remake of The Producers. She is no Ulla. She could never be Ulla. Man, that movie is going suck because they cast her as Ulla! They do have the Roger DeBris (played splendidly by Gary Beach) whom I saw in L.A. and was also in the Broadway version. But Nicole Kidman?!

Alright, I should sign off, get dressed and go to the library. I rented a really cheesy movie to watch (Streets Of Fire). Geoff, I can hear you rolling your eyes. :) Hey, it has a pretty good soundtrack. And I freely admit it is cheesy. I'm closing with a quote from Kissing A Fool.

Max Abbitt: This is not a toothpick, okay? It's an Australian chewing stick. See, I know other countries in Europe!

Keeping Myself Amused
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.

We did all our grocery shopping on Friday night, so it left Saturday completely open. We drove to Washington Park, and walked around the lake, then around the whole park. There were a lot of ducks (it was better than the last duck incident Mom. None of them tried to attack me), and tons of beautiful homes, some were even for sale. We figured we walked about 3 miles. Then a lazy afternoon of sitting. Geoff voted to watch Return To Me last night. It has some very funny moments in it.

Skipped church this morning. Frankly, I just didn't want to be somewhere where the focus is children or people who are expecting them. I get enough of it every week anyways. Regular Sunday stuff, we cleaned the house. I watched While You Were Sleeping, cause I was in the mood for a romantic comedy, and I love Sandra Bullock & Bill Pullman. Geoff even sat and watched a bit of it, making sure to reference other movies the actors had been in. :)

Jeff is going to NY this week, so he'll be at the museum on Monday but not Wednesday. I really hope Marty & Jen will be there on Wednesday, because it isn't the same without them. Last week, I had seniority, and they were all nervous when I was late. I tried to assure Tracey and Erik that they've been there long enough (2 months), and that they should be more confident of their talents. I think Tracey felt better about it in the end, but I'm not sure about Erik. He's the most talkative guy I've ever met, and he's super friendly so he makes it a fun environment. When Geoff met Rich & Jeff at the picnic, he said he pictured them differently. He pictured Jeff to be more like Rich, and vice versa.

The weather is still really really hot, and we are suppose to get a reprieve on Wednesday. I'd love it if it could rain at night, cooling everything off.

I started to read Out Of The Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis), which I bought Geoff for his birthday. It's a space trilogy, and he's on book two. We bought books two & three a few weeks ago. It's moving pretty fast, and it's really good. I am curious where it is going to go.

My friends Rod & Diana Longenberger are on a cruise right now. They left April 15, and they don't get back until July. Rod is sending me emails & pictures every other day. It sounds amazing. I'll try to put up a picture. The last email I got they were in Tuscany, and the day before I think it was Corsica. Rod & Diana are retired from the IRS, so they get to travel a lot. Rod hopes to come visit in November, and we decided we'd check out The Fort, which serves beef, buffalo, and other game. Rod's been there before, he says it's pretty good. I dunno, the thought of eating buffalo...

We bought a puzzle today. We thought it might be something fun we could do that would allow us to sit under the ceiling fan on hot evenings. It is a picture of Yosemite. Ah, I've missed doing puzzles.

No big plans for this week. I'm emailing my west coast friends to let them know what dates I'll be in town. I may try to get together with my friend Shannon. I don't know if I'll drive out there, I may vote for meeting in town.

I'll close with a quote from While You Were Sleeping.

Jack: You suck!
Peter: I suck, or the outfit sucks?
Jack: It's a toss-up.

Which Scrubs Character Are You?

You are...Turk
A.K.A. "The Jock with a God Complex"

Who's da man? You are! (Or, "da woman" as the case may be.) You're cool without trying. Confident, caring, loyal. Do you ever make a wrong move? Okay, perhaps your enthusiasm for life can get you into trouble with those more inhibited than yourself, but you've got the skills to get yourself out of any sticky situation. The only problem with leading such a blessed life is jealous peers. Don't let them rile up your competitive nature to an unhealthy level! And don't let your good looks drag you down a dangerous path, either! Those infros are tough to treat.

Go Google Yourself
I love to google my name to see what comes up. I rely on Google to help me find old friends, or at least find out about them. I have been looking for a friend from my Harry Ainlay days, Adam Wasserman. I have not found him, nor do I know anyone who knows him. Every time I hear Mary Jane's Last Dance I think of Adam's grad. He asked me to be his date, so I went. It was fun to see some old friends, whom I hadn't seen in years. But the point of this story is all my googling has not helped me find him. I'd just like to know what's he's up to.

Killing Time
It's 1:00, here's what I've accomplished. I watched half of Hamlet, it wasn't as entertaining as I had hoped. So then I watched Star Trek: Nemesis. This was more entertaining, and as good as I expected. Being a fan of ST:TNG, it was pretty good. Not my favorite ST movie, but it held my interest. I also went for a walk. I have a movie (Runaway Jury) waiting for me at the library, so I'll go pick that up. I may watch it this afternoon, or I'll wait until Monday.

Yes, I watched the Friends finale. I've been watching Friends since day one, and I did get a little teary watching it end. I pretty much knew how it was going to end, but it was still fun to watch. I don't know if I'll tune into Joey, but I may check out an episode or two. Rumor has it Matthew Perry will guest star in an episode, and that would be worth tuning in.

Punk'd is back on MTV. I really like that show. I like the concept of celebrities being duped. Touching Evil is moving to Monday nights. I hope it isn't permanent, I love the idea of Monk & Touching Evil on the same night.

Yesterday I watched The Full Monty, so it's fitting to close with a quote from that.

Dave: Anti-wrinkle cream there may be, but anti-fat-bastard cream there is not.

Melting, I'm Melting
It's 86 Fahrenheit today. I think I'm going to die. That's 30 Celsius for my Canuckian friends. And since I'm on the topic of heat, we'll be going to Palm Springs during our California visit. The Kroliks invited to join them there. I think we may end up going through a whole bottle of sunblock on our trip. I am looking forward to seeing all our friends, seeing Ashley & Chris get married, wading in the ocean, and having dinner at Ruth's Chris. Mmmm. My favorite restaurant. If we get the chance to do Disneyland, that would be awesome. Can't go overboard, have to save some money for Scotland.

The picnic was fun yesterday. Geoff came and met some of my coworkers. Sadly most of them couldn't make it, so he didn't get to meet everyone I'd hoped. We got presented with certificates of appreciation, which was weird. I wasn't expecting that. I didn't go to the zoo since no one I knew was going. If Geoff didn't have to go back to work, we would have. But it was so hot yesterday, I was exhausted after the picnic, so I had a nap.

Not much is going on here. Just normal day to day stuff. Scrubs had it's season finale on Tuesday with the "Turkeltons" getting married. It was another great episode, and I hope the summer passes quickly so we get to the fall and new episodes. Angel was outstanding last night! Chock full o' Buffy references. Andrew wasn't as geeky as he usually is, but that may be because the episode talked of moving on, so he's obviously moved on/grown up from the nerd we once knew. Only 2 episodes left of Angel (that sound you hear is Geoff cheering). I read online what they had originally talked of/planned for Angel had it been picked up for a sixth season. Plans they had for this season & next. Like bringing both Oz & Willow to the show for a few episodes. How Fred would not have died, but Illyria would still be a storyline. Perhaps for the movies, if they ever happen.

We've been watching Futurama on DVD, so I'm going to close with some quotes from it. Frankly it's way funnier than the Simpsons.

Fry: [offscreen] Space. It seems to go on and on forever. But then you get to the end and a gorilla starts throwing barrels at you.
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[Bender and Fry in Benders apartment]
Bender: [while sleeping] Kill all humans, kill all humans, must kill all hu...
Fry: [shakes him] Bender wake up.
Bender: I was having the most wonderful dream. I think you were in it.
Fry: Listen, Bender, uh... where's your bathroom?
Bender: Bath-what?
Fry: Bathroom.
Bender: What room?
Fry: Bathroom.
Bender: What what?
Fry: Aaah, never mind. [Bender shuts himself down to sleep, Fry lies on the floor]
Bender: [while sleeping] Hey, sexy mama... Wanna kill all humans?

Learning Collection
At the start of the day yesterday, while Jeff was frustrated at the job that some people had done last week, I reminded him of his catch phrase he always tells us, "It's a learning collection". Ha ha, little did I know what the morning would hold. First off, something I was supposed to take care of last week, I had forgotten, causing grief to people who thought it was lost. Then not even ten minutes later, I was on the ladder and sent 2 drums falling to the ground, at least 10 feet, nearly hitting Jeff. His first words once the clatter had stopped, were "Are you okay?". I was, but my ego wasn't. One drum was a tall wooden one, the other a beautiful metal one, now with a hole in the skin. To prevent this from happening again, we moved all the drums off the tallest shelf and found them better homes. We replaced them with baskets, which I also dropped off the ladder. :) I may have inherited my dad's nickname, Butterfingers. (Once long ago, when we lived in Burnewood, we had the whole family over, and my dad & his brothers were tossing a football around in our backyard. And I remember them teasing him, calling him Butterfingers.)

We're having a museum group picnic tomorrow in the park beside the museum, then we're all going to the zoo. It should be fun, and Geoff is going to try to join us.

I watched Heathers yesterday, and I still laugh at that movie. I couldn't resist getting it out of the library. I also got the Ethan Hawke version of Hamlet, which I haven't seen. Actually, I've never seen any version of Hamlet, but I did read it in junior high.

We saw the trailer for The Village, the new M. Night Shyamalan movie. It looks so good. Geoff summed it up well, "I'm scared and it's just the trailer". It scared me a little too. I always get scared watching Signs, but once it's over, I feel better.

I'm closing with a quote from The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Tom Ripley: Well, whatever you do, however terrible, however hurtful, it all makes sense, doesn't it, in your head. You never meet anybody that thinks they're a bad person.

I stole this from Roland. You have to answer the questions about yourself using song titles from one artist. I chose The Tragically Hip:

Are you male or female? Highway Girl
How old are you? 38 Years Old
Describe yourself: Daredevil, Looking For A Place To Happen, Courage, Grace Too
How do some people feel about you? Yawning Or Snarling
How do you feel about yourself? I'm A Werewolf Baby
Describe your ex girlfriend/boyfriend: The Bastard, Thugs
Describe your views on significant others and crushes: Butts Wigglin', Fireworks
Describe what you want: Music@Work, Fifty Mission Cap
Describe how you live: At The Hundredth Meridian, Apartment Song
Describe how you love: Boots Or Hearts, Let's Stay Engaged
Share a few words of wisdom: Don't Wake Daddy, Bring It All Back, I'll Believe In You (Or I'll Be Leaving You)

Crazy Weather
Wednesday it was hot & sunny. Thursday it rained. Friday it snowed all day. Today, sunny with a cool breeze. But no trace of snow. What a crazy town this is.

We took advantage of the nice weather and walked to Hobby Lobby. It's a huge store, that will merit more visits. We left with some fabric and some batten. Then we walked to the grocery store. We replaced the fabric on our dining room chairs, and they look brand new. I'm very pleased. I feel like I'm on HGTV or TLC. :)

I've been getting books on Scotland to help plan for the trip. I hope to be able to put together a budget soon. We have a rough idea of how much we think we'll spend on our Irvine trip, and I hope to take advantage of Priceline.com and get us a cheap place to stay on the way out there & back. Our friend Shad sings the praises of getting cheap hotel rooms from Priceline, so it's worth looking into. We talked about trying to do the drive in one day (16 hours), but it may be more than we want to take on. We'll see what unfolds. It's my job to talk Fiona into watching Honey, and I hope she'll say yes. Maybe I can offer her a trade, taking care of Honey, and I'll do favors for her like watching Robin. This may work.

Nothing else is going on. I think we're going to watch Gladiator tonight, as Geoff has been wanting to since we got it. I watched Reality Bites, which I really liked, and the commentary on The Goonies. That was very entertaining. I finished reading The Quiet American, and it was pretty good. I liked the ending better than the movie. Also the characters come across better in the book. On Thursday I read The Little Prince, since I'd never read it before. It was very cute.

I'm closing with a quote from Dead Poet's Society.

[after hearing "The Introduction to Poetry"]
John Keating: Excrement! That's what I think of Mr. J. Evans Pritchard! We're not lighting a pipe! We're talking about poetry. How can you describe poetry like American Bandstand? "I like Byron, I give him a 42 but I can't dance to it!"