Andrew Bird is Terrific

This new album (does anyone but me say "album" these days?) by Andrew Bird is truly amazing. It is lyrical, symphonic, and textured. Thank you to my wonderful writing group for choosing to meet at Third Place Books Pub on Sunday night so that I could hear it. The best new music, new to me at least, that I have heard in a very long time!

Bikini Body

So this is the new body of Valerie Bertanelli. I haven't read the article, I'm sure that it is scintillating, but I have heard that she lost weight by eating 1200 calories a day and exercising of course. The exercise part is easy for me, it is the calorie reduction that seems challenging. That is not very many calories. I envy the discipline it must take to accomplish that, I would love to have that discipline. Now that she has done it, will she be able to keep the weight off? Hmm...it would be encouraging to all of us forty-something women if she could manage to do this. Sometimes I think about dieting, I do try and eat healthy and I exercise, but 1200 calories a day, that means that I would probably have to reduce my wine consumption more than I would like, I am just not sure that I would ever have the willpower to accomplish that.

Who is the "Other?"

I recently read this book for my book club. We had the discussion last night, a more rousing discussion than we typically have, this could have been because everyone present actually read the whole book. It also could have been because we didn't all agree on every point.

The book is about a friendship between two men, Neil Countryman and John William Barry. Neil is from an average, middle-class family and John William is a rich kid, with rich kid family problems and a mentally ill mother. The story starts when the boys are in high school in the 1970's and follows their friendship until John William's untimely death in the early 1980's. I say "untimely" death, but at that time John William had been living as a hermit in the Hoh Rain Forest on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state for seven years. He probably wouldn't have lived that long if it hadn't been for Neil's forays into the hermit camp with necessities from civilization. In the end Neil is left with a huge surprise from his friend twenty-one years after his death.

I am Tired of Forking out

Today at work I noticed it, I hadn't seen one in a while, but there it was, the good old "save the date" for a double wedding shower for two of my co-workers. Now, don't get me wrong, I like my co-workers, they are fun to go out to lunch with and talk with during the workday, on some occasions I have become very good friends with a co-worker and the friendship has outlasted the co-worker relationship.

Now, back to the "save the date" poster in bright red tacked there by the copy machine. My first thought is will I be invited to the wedding? I don't love going to weddings, but if I am going to fork over the coin for a bridal shower gift for someone that is not a close personal friend, I sure would like to get something in return. This may sound selfish, but we have three kids to support and close friends and family whom we may choose to buy gifts for and most definitely do buy gifts for at special times in their lives, like bridal and baby showers.

I feel a bit bad saying this as I have been the recipient of bridal and baby gifts in my lifetime. However, at the place I worked when I got married and had my kids we didn't schedule weekend showers for employees. It was a pool based system, each employee contributed some money that went into a pool and I was presented with a work gift, sometimes at a potluck during the work day. If I was good friends outside of work with any of my co-workers, and I was at the time, I invited them to the bridal/baby showers hosted by friends outside of work on the weekend.

Just a few months ago I finally had to bring what I called "the birthday debacle" to the attention of my boss. It seemed as though every month, sometimes more than once a month, we were celebrating the birthday of a co-worker. Our office used to be quite small, it has now grown tremendously, and I felt nickled and dimed at every turn being asked for contributions towards yet another birthday gift. We have since changed our policy and do a card and monthly potlucks. I like this, it seems more work appropriate.

I have now decided that I won't be setting aside any of my valuable weekend time with friends and family or forking over unnecessary sums of money for these work based bridal/baby showers. With the bridal showers, I will consider it if I am invited to the wedding. This may sound selfish, but two of my kids have a birthday party to attend this weekend, there are a slew of family and close friend birthdays coming up and I am on a budget. The budget is not going to include co-workers that are not out of the office friends or generous in their wedding invites.

Honoring Benito Juarez

I looked at my calendar today and realized that I had missed Benito Juarez birthday. Every year I celebrate the birthday of this great man with two of my friends and we MISSED it. Fan Girl and Silver Fox are you up for a belated celebration?

Fondue Party

I went to a fondue party in my neighborhood about a week ago. What a great idea, fondue pots bubbled throughout the kitchen while the guests sipped beverages, dipped their food, and milled about. It was a great Melting Pot experience without the price. I loved it, hopefully we can create an annual tradition.

So Many Movies, So Little Time

I visited my favorite local video store today. I swear is there nothing that Scarecrow doesn't have in stock? Even very far fetched and out-of-distribution movies have been found there. I don't make it into the store as much as I would like, When in there, I feel like I am a kid set free in a candy store, "I want to see that and that and that!" It never ends. This is today's list.

1) 9 1/2 Weeks (uncensored and unrated version, much better)

2) Aerosmith Live, Texxas Jam '78

3) Bottle Shock ( I have hear that it is just as good or even better than Sideways)

4) Lennon Legend ( I tried to watch it today, makes me depressed, even thirty years later, that John Lennon was shot down by a lunatic in his prime. I love his music)

5) The Stones in the Park (I will be renting more Stones videos, as there are so many and I do love them)

6) That Night in Toronto (I am in love with the Tragically Hip all over again)

So that's a wrap, I am on a movie roll. I wonder how long I can keep this up. Sometimes I am on a book roll, sometimes a writing roll, sometimes an outdoor roll, now a movie roll, hmm... I wonder what will be next.