For another thing, I got to meet some very nice people, including said neighbors. I like meeting new people, though it usually scares the hell out of me. Typical Aquarius fashion, I am a bit standoffish, and need to be invited in. Otherwise, I just stand around and observe from a distance. These people were all quite friendly, and I never felt awkward or out of place. (I wonder if it helped that I felt like I was in an alternate reality version of my own home.) I got my palm read. (Someone else was reading auras, but I skipped that.) Twas interesting.
Finally, the food was plentiful and tasty (said the food-digger). There's just something about party food.
Really now, I must invite them down to my place sometime. Do I have any excuse for a party yet?
<ok, starting to sound like a freak now. backing off....>
Wanna go wanna go wanna go.
Say it with me now: chess-LEV-ich. Go Dave!
Ok, someone was throwing out a dead plant in a perfectly good, very large terra cotta flower pot. Yoink! Mine, all mine.
<bum-dum-bum>
Police have arrested a 56-year-old man in connection with the blaze which was started during the morning rush hour on Tuesday....
According to eyewitness reports, a man started the fire in a carriage by setting alight a milk container containing flammable liquid.
"When the man tried to use a cigarette lighter to light the box, some passengers tried to stop him. Apparently a scuffle erupted and the box exploded into flames," Kim Byong-hak, a police lieutenant in Daegu, told the Associated Press (AP) news agency.
Terrible. Not like that sort of thing couldn't happen here.
I have to admit that it was nice to see Liv Tyler sailing off to parts unknown. The blonde wench is much more Aragorn's type, anyway. I still very much appreciated the attention to detail in the make-up and costuming. The unwashed hair, the cracked and dirty fingernails, the threadbare clothing...excellent. (But my goodness, Legolas' hair always looks great.)
Following that three hour adventure, I got out of the theater in just enough time to partake in an old American tradition: theater hopping. I was able to take in a showing of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, which I doubt I would have *ever* paid to see. A cute little chick-flick, see it as a matinee, wait till it gets to a second run theater, or rent the video. Or theater hop.
I saw many really forgettable trailers for movies I'd rather never see (including Bruce Almighty which preceded both films—save me!). On the up side, I got to see the trailer for X-Men 2 and Down With Love, which looked wierd, funny, and promising.
You could send your sweetie some virtual chocolate or just give her/him a kiss. If you are feeling adventurous, there's always chocolate body paint.
Why chocolate? Well why not? Many view chocolate to be an aphrodisiac. Some even find it to be better than sex (though others might argue against that).
When is comes to chocolate, everyone has their own favorite brand or style. (Except those people who don't like it or can't eat it. I pity the latter and to the former I say: more for me.) Some prefer dark, some prefer milk. Some prefer it straight up, some mixed with other candy (like caramel), and some prefer it in baked goods. There is no one right way to have it.
In case you have the urge to write one yourself, here are some hints (circa 1882) on how to proceed. The three things to remember, it seems, are grammar, spelling, and dignity.
Send your own...er...Valentine. (Courtesy of NPR's The Annoying Music Show.) Maybe something sexy?Or maybe something a little more kid-friendly? Finally, e-cards from my favorite London-based blogger.
If e-cards aren't your speed, sit back and enjoy some Victorian Valentine cards while you get out the red paper doilies, gold glitter and paste. Go to town, my friend!
I have to admit, I have a long-standing awkwardness with the holiday. It was fun as a little kid, but there is something in a gradeschool Valentine's party that can be utterly demoralizing. Multiply that by eight, then tack on four years of high school and by the time I'd reached adulthood the day had really soured for me.
I am slowly regaining an appreciation for it though. Who can resist the lure of candy conversation hearts (though what's with the new ones that say "Fax me"?) or red hots? Then there is all that half-off chocolate the next day. Besides all that, it can be fun to give out cheesy little cards to all your friends and relatives. I still squirm a little about the goofy, gooey stuff but I'm wearing red today.
Bring on the hearts...I cantake 'em.
Well then, meet St. Valentine.
Of course, like many Christian holidays, the traditions of Valentine's Day trace back to older rituals. In this instance, the most visible is the festival of Lupercalia.
Hey, when you are up to your knees in snow and the windchill is 30 below, why argue with an excuse to cuddle up?
I attended the opening reception of the UW Art Dept. Quadrennial at the Elvejhem Museum. It was quite fun and I ran into a lot of my former professors (big surprise there). The hors d'oeuvres where not what they were at the last show in 1999, but the art certainly was up to scratch. I even "won a prize" at an installation piece. Now I have my very own screen print of a toy soldier. Joy is mine.
I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the Sunroom Cafe. ended up without a birthday cake this year, but I was so full after dinner that it wasn't really an issue.
Finally, I topped off the night seeing Spirited Away once more, as it was playing at the Memorial Union Play Circle. Yippy!
By the by, there is no doubt: I am most definitely and Aquarius.
On that note, putting a dab of cold cream around your nostrils will help reduce the burning.
*Sigh* What can I expect for free? I guess I'll give it back.
The only other fly in my ointment today is that the washing machine in my building has stopped working mid-load. It isn't unbalance or anything...just off. So I have a load of laubdry sitting in a machine full of icey cold water. I'm not sure if it got through the rinse cycle, either, so I think it is dirty water. Needless to say, I am watching vigilantly for my landlord (and upstrais neighbor) to come home. I stuck a note on the front door for him, too, in case I miss him. Blah! :P
I'm having a pretty good birthday so far.
In a world full of snotty and rude "customer service" people, it is great to find those that actually go the extra mile, and do so cheerfully. It is good for their businesses, also. I know I will go back, and I will recommend them to others (as I'm doing now).
The fact that Macromedia just came out with new versions of all these things matters not a wit to me. I am excited to be able to add them to the list of things I am learning: studio lighting, Photoshop, illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, HTML, typography.
I like learning stuff. I also like free stuff. This is a match made in heaven. Rock on.
BITE ME!!!
That is all.
can it be that the movie musical is really making a comeback? First there was Everbody Says I Love You back in 1996. (Ok, it sucked, but in a fun way.) 2000 brought us Love's Labour's Lost (which I haven't seen). In 2001, Baz Luhrman wowwed us with Moulin Rouge. And now there is Chicago.
I went to the theater expecting to enjoy myself, and I was not disappointed. As many times as I have seen Fosse's A Chorus Line, I was unfamiliar with Chicago.
The casting was solid. I particularly loved Queen Latifah's turn as Matron 'Mama' Morton. I have never thought the term "ample bosom" so appropriate as when she sang "When You're Good to Mama". Even the cameos were fun.
The cinematography was very MTV, but in a positive way. It doesn't hurt the film. In fact, the flashy jumpcuts and sparkling color give it a vitality that the old Hollywood style of stationary, head-on shots (made necessary by the technical limitations of early filmaking) would have lacked. The fact that it covered any shortcomings in anyone's dance skills is also a plus. I'm sure that Richard Gere is not the tap-master that was Gene Kelly.
Also of note, the movie was directed by Rob Marshall, who was born in Madison. Local boy!
All in all, quite fun, and something I'd be tempted to see again.
Friday night, a friend and I went to Edo for sushi. I ordered the sushi combo: an Alaska roll, plus eight pieces of sushi. It also came with miso soup and salad. It was surprisingly huge, and in the end, I couldn't finish. The waitress boxed it up for me, but as I stared at it in the fridge the next day, I wondered if I could still trust it. I have no problem eating fresh raw fish at a good restaurant, but there is just something about raw fish that has sat on my plate for awhile, then in a box in the car, and finally in my refridgerator for over 12 hours...I couldn't trust it. Two big, lovely slices of salmon and yellowtail—how could I eat it? How could I waste it?
Suddenly I had my answer. I grabbed a skillet and a wee bit of flour, salt, and pepper. I sauteed the fish in some olive oil, and they made a delightful little snack, sprinkled with fresh lemon juice. I feel a little barbaric, but I didn't waste anything and I don't have food poisoning. Go me!
On a side note: I also discovered that I am not a big fan of squid. That rubbery texture makes me shudder.
Whether I am working on the computer or waiting for something, I usually have bouncing legs or swinging arms. If I have to stand around, I jump from foot to foot. Overall, I try to keep in constant (or at least frequent) motion. Probably not the world's greatest workout, but it is definitely better than nothing. When paired with a decent quanitity of running up and down stairs, and parking in the farthest spots and walking when I've driven somewhere, I think it will at least keep me from getting to soggy and sad this winter.
