A Moonlight Mile Down The Road

Happy Fathers Day

2010-06-20T12:07:00.002-04:00

If my daddy was here, I'd tell him how much I love him, and thank him for everything he did for me.

My dad not only brought me into the world and gave me a home, he took care of me, gave me everything a little girl could want and always wanted the best for me. My dad was a great example of committment to promises, of hard work and of taking care of people.

If you still have your daddy around, be sure to love him today and let him know what you appreciate about him.

Happy Fathers Day, daddy.

I miss you every single day.

To my Mommy

2010-03-29T19:33:00.003-04:00

Dear Mommy: We never went a week -- hardly ever went even a few days -- without talking, and now here it is, four years since I've heard your voice and your laugh, or seen your smile, even the tired one.

Except in my dreams.

So much has happened that I want to tell you about. I still think, all the time, I need to call mom. But you probably already know what's been going on, right?

Maybe from where you are you can see everything. That's what I hope, anyway.

I wish I could give you these flowers, but this will have to do.

I love you, Mommy.

Snow day!

2010-02-13T13:20:00.003-05:00

Snow! We got snow at the beach! Of course, it's almost all melted off now, but it was gorgeous to watch it fall last night, the big, wet flakes.

It was a perfect day for it, too. I'm actually really beginning to feel better, except I still have this awful cough -- I've now coughed so hard I sprung a rib yesterday, and cannot bend or stretch or really do much with my right side. In fact, I've been coughing so hard my entire torso hurts. My left side hurt so much yesterday I wondered if it was my heart, but no. It's just muscle pain and the screwed up rib, which I heard/felt pop yesterday as I was standing at the sink, coughing.

But I managed to make some delicious "Chocolate Puddle" cookies yesterday, and Jen and I ate snacks and watched the Olympic opening ceremonies last night.

I thought about making orange slice cookies, which were one of my mom's great treats, in honor of my brother's birthday today. He would have been 57 today.

But he liked all kinds of cookies, and was a really good baker, so I feel like he would have appreciated these.

Want to try? They are easy. You don't even need a mixer -- just a big bowl and a wooden spoon. Here's the recipe:

2 cups chopped pecans (or any nuts you like)toasted and cooled completely
4 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
1/2 cup plus 3 TBSP. good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
4 egg whites, slightly beaten
1 TBSP real vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees, and place the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together the sugar, cocoa and salt. Stir in the nuts. Stir in the egg whites and the vanilla. Mix until it forms a thick batter and all the sugar and cocoa is incorporated.

Spoon dough mounds onto the cookie sheets, about 2 TBSP each. Make sure there's plenty of room between the mounds -- don't try to fit more than 6 per cookie sheet -- because they spread.

Bake 12-15 minutes, until the tops of the cookies are shiny and somewhat cracked.

Carefully slide the parchment paper onto a cookie rack so the cookies can cool on it. The cookies are very fragile until cooled, so keeping them on the paper helps.

The finished cookies are delicious -- meringues meet brownies. The outsides are crispy and chewy at the same time, and the middles are soft and chewy like brownies.

Buon appetito, and happy birthday Drew. I miss you.

Seven days and counting

2010-02-05T21:20:00.002-05:00

Still sick. Wish I had somethng substantial to say, but even if I did, it would be supplanted by coughing fits.

Hope everyone is well and avoiding the South Carolina Death Flu-Pneumonia.

Cheap Trick cures a bronchial infection...

2010-01-30T22:51:00.002-05:00

... at least for a couple of hours.

I am sick as a dog, but my voice held out long enough to vocally show my appreciation for my favorite band, which still rocks hard after all these years.

They opened with "Way of the World," which I have never, in all my 43 shows, seen them perform live until tonight. They played "Heaven Tonight," which is a rarity, and "Baby Loves to Rock," also not usually on the set list. They looked great, sounded great and seemed like they were super energized.

It was truly an awesome, awesome show.

But it's freezing outside, and I'm freezing inside -- like to my bones -- and need some hot tea and cold meds.

Where, exactly, is that?

2010-01-25T01:24:00.002-05:00

Usually I hate typoes, but once in a while, they are kind of funny. Oh sure, people always chuckle when someone leaves the "l" out of public or the "o" out of county, but those are pretty common.

Today's might have been the writer's opinion coming through subconsciously.

In a story about an Army unit learning about helping in Haiti after having been at war, the reporter wrote that the unit had been "in Iraq and Afghanisatan."

More flowers needed

2010-01-22T13:48:00.003-05:00

For my Uncle Doug, who, I just learned, died a day ago. He was my dad's second cousin and a dear, sweet man who always treated me like his own daughter.

I'm sure he's with Aunt Clarice and Wendy now, and that would make him happy.

Happy birthday, Daddy

2010-01-22T13:04:00.002-05:00

My dad loved the beautiful protea my brother raised in Hawaii, and today, Hawaii seems very far away because it's so cold and rainy here, so I thought it would be nice to remember the flowers and the warm Hawaiian breezes.

Today is my dad's 87th birthday. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him and my mom and wish they were still here.

But I hope my dad is surrounded by the flowers he loved, somewhere where he can work in a garden and watch things grow.

Happy birthday, Daddy!

Unfathomable

2010-01-20T14:33:00.003-05:00

Haiti says it has recovered 72,000 bodies, post-earthquake, and estimates 200,000 people have died.

Can you even grasp 72,000 bodies? Or 200,000? I cannot.

If someone made a chart showing the amount of devastation, the amount of aid needed, it still wouldn't make sense to me. And there's no visual that can help us understand the limitless grief in Haiti now.

Oh, man...

2010-01-17T19:32:00.003-05:00

When your vegetarian roommate calls and says your bedroom smells like beef, you know something has gone terribly wrong at home.

But this is reason the first why I love my roommate Claudia: She is OK with cleaning up hideous messes.

I will forego relating the exact ircumstances that led up to her having to clean up several mounds of cat vomit this evening. Suffice it to say Lucy the Shit-Snacker was involved, and the evening's tension apparently made my little Vivian feel she needed to gobble up every bit of dinner she could fit down her gullet.

A stress eater, just like her mama.

The additional stress, or perhaps the horfing of Friskies Beef and Gravy led to some insta-vomit -- in my bedroom, of course. Under the bed, at the foot of the bed and, oh joy, on my sweat pants.

Claudia called me at work to let me know that when I get home, I will find my window open and the fan on.

If I ever have to get rid of a body, Claudia will be first on my list of people to call.

Feeling frustrated

2010-01-16T23:54:00.004-05:00

OK, yes, I know I'm 45, not 15, and yes, I know it's just a game, but there's another Team Trivia league team I am dying to beat because they are so rude and condescending.

Every week they beat us by one or two points, and I just want to kick their chairs out from underneath them.

Or something.

Also, I'm frustrated because my little cat just does not like me.

Vivian was my girl until I brought Lola home. Now, she wants everyone except me to pet her and hold her.

Tonight, I gave her a few licks of cherry ice cream, which she loves, and she tried to bite me when I picked her up.

I'm doing something wrong, I guess.

And I have a headache.

Just grumpy I guess. I'll be happier tomorrow.

Right?

Everyone's got their favorite snack

2010-01-12T22:02:00.002-05:00

Jen's dog has a habit that I've only ever heard of, never lived with.

Lucy likes to eat some cat poop. With the crunchy litter coating.

She went into the cats' room tonight when we were at trivia and ate up the leftover cat food and had a little after-dinner poop snack.

Now, I don't get that, but equally as puzzling, Vivian decided she wanted to carry a pack of sewing needles around in her mouth.

Can't we all just make some popcorn and call it a day?

Heartbreak Hotel

2010-01-10T01:55:00.005-05:00

My house has officially become Heartbreak Hotel.

We are a horrible, beach-read, chick-lit novel waiting to happen.

Jen moved in last weekend after a bad breakup, Claudia broke up with her b/f last fall, and I'm perpetually broken-hearted. Add to that my two girl kitties and Jen's Lucy the formerly abused dog, and you have the makings of an estrogen overload.

The most testosterone we get around here is when the hot pizza guy brings dinner.

A new start for 2010

2010-01-08T23:17:00.002-05:00

Everyone makes New Year's resolutions, but I've decided to make lists instead.

I'm working on a list of things I want to let go of, and another list of things I want to bring into my life.

On that second list is "more personal writing."

And I remembered, "Oh yeah, I have a blog -- which I have utterly neglected for several months now."

So I'm going to begin again.

This is my first post for the new year. I hope 2010 is happy and healthy for everyone. It's got to be better than 2009, right?

Mine will start off right with a long weekend in Boston at the end of this month, including my first Cheap Trick show in more than four years.

It's time to get back to doing things I used to enjoy and see if I still enjoy them. If not, OK, but I am going to find things to be joyous about this year.

For the two weeks before a show, I listen to almost no other music than Cheap Trick -- don't know why, but I've done it for years now. It just gets me hyped up. Or at least it used to.

The pre-show ritual begins tomorrow. I've already decided what the selection of the day will be -- the newest live album, CT doing the Sgt. Peppers album. It's so good that I almost can't wait until tomorrow.

The CT show will be fun, but so will staying at Kevin and Dan's and hanging out with Felix the cat, playing Wii, going to see the science of Harry Potter exhibit and getting to see Kev and Dan when they return from their cruise.

Kitties

2009-08-27T23:32:00.005-04:00

Vivan needed a friend to play with, so I got Lola at the animal shelter. Isn't she pretty? She's very loving and purrs loudly. She loves to pretend she's a living fur scarf, and she loves to play. At first, there was lots of hissing between Lola and Vivian, but now they share food dishes and even a little upper respiratory infection, so they are quarantined from each other until Monday and each getting doses of eye ointment.

But when they can hang out together again, they will be very happy.

Just wondering

2009-07-20T23:17:00.003-04:00

What does it mean when you stop trying to figure out what or where things went wrong? Is it acceptance? Does it mean you don't care anymore?

I've always asked why -- why things happen the way they do, why they work out the way they do, why some plan or idea went wrong, why one path works while another doesn't.

And I've had some big whys to puzzle over. But lately it seems like "why" never even enters my head anymore, while "oh" is always there.

Maybe I'm just tired of asking the same question over and over and rarely getting answers.

F.U., back

2009-07-01T10:02:00.002-04:00

I did 15 minutes on the treadmill without letting my back rest this morning! With only Motrin! It started hurting at 6 minutes and got worse until 8 minutes, but then it hit a pain plateau I could live with.

So basically, my bad back can suck it.

It's not stopping me.

And when I get a new doctor who's willing to help me instead of telling me he's an "instrument of God" -- a phrase I only ever want to hear in my favorite book, "Owen Meany," NOT from my doctor, who is supposed to believe in actual medical science -- I'm going to be a walking machine.

Well, not a literal machine. That would be weird. But I'll be someone who walks. And enjoys it.

Tired

2009-06-30T16:30:00.001-04:00

So tired.

My medicine keeps my blood pressure and heart rate low, which makes me so tired.

But rest is good, right? It helps the body heal. That's what I tell myself as I'm taking my old-lady naps.

Crossing a bridge?

2009-06-22T10:28:00.002-04:00

Normally I hate the treadmill. I hate walking because it causes me pain. Pain sucks.

But part of my cardiac rehab is walking on the treadmill. Every day I dread it. I'm supposed to be doing 15 minutes now, but I have to break it up into halves because I usually can't make it past seven or eight minutes before my lower back locks up and my hipbones feel like hey are made of glass shards. I have to stop and let my back relax, and then I can go on.

But this morning, something changed. I got up to seven minutes, where I usually stop, and the pain was there but not the worst it has been. So I thought I'd just go to eight minutes. At eight minutes, the pain hadn't really changed, so I figured I could make nine. At nine, the pain was getting somewhat worse, but not unbearable, so I went to 10.

That seems like nothing to most people, but for me, it's a very big deal because for years now, I have not been able to walk more than a block without pain -- sometimes even half a block.

I can't wait to try again tomorrow.

Back to work today

2009-06-14T12:14:00.002-04:00

It's been two weeks since I got out of the hospital, and it's time to go back to work. Part of me would like to stay home longer, but not because I feel poorly, just because it's kind of nice having a life of leisure. Nice, but also a little boring.

The only thing is, I'm going to miss Vivian when I'm gone all day!

She's definitely getting bigger, and it seems like her hair is getting longer, too.

She's quite a little huntress -- of feet. Ouch.

Cardiac rehab

2009-06-08T09:16:00.003-04:00

So I learned a couple things this morning, my third visit to cardiac rehab.

First, I am a solo work-out person. I don't want to be watched, and I certainly don't want people monitoring me, at least people who are not health professionals.

Cardiac rehab is full of, of course, older people. I know they mean well, but this man on the treadmill next to me and a woman on a recumbent bike behind me almost worked themselves into second heart attacks and equipment accidents this morning because they were so busy paying attention to me.

My back is still bad, and walking is painful. So the treadmill is a special kind of torture that, I've decided, will not break me. If I am going to enjoy Italy next year, I have to be able to walk with less pain. But for now, I have to stop every few minutes and let my back relax.

So I'm on the treadmill, and I stop and lean over to stretch my back, and the woman behind me starts screaming "Turn off the machine! Turn off the belt!" And the man next to me hops off his treadmill. I look over and they are looking at me and the nurse comes running over to see if everyone's OK.

Yes, I say, I am fine. Just letting my back relax so I can keep going. The man is worried because he saw me bending over and thought I was too out of breath. The woman was upset because she saw the man losing his footing.

Later, she tells me "you really got my adrenaline going. Don't do that."

OK, I said, but I was thinking much meaner thoughts.

The second thing I learned is that I can like this exercise thing. It actually feels good, other than the back pain. Maybe I can do it not because I have to, but because I want to.

Hmmm.

As long as I can do it alone.

Kitty pix

2009-06-07T20:51:00.003-04:00

Look at the belly:

And the Flying Paws of Fury:

In love with this tiny cat

2009-06-06T18:48:00.004-04:00

I know everyone thinks their pet is the cutest, but mine really is. She's smaller than my TV remote control. She likes to lie belly up on the couch and jam her paws in her mouth. Her back legs are too-big jackrabbit legs, and she hops around the room right after she eats and geta a burst of energy. She has a tiny chirp of uncertaintly when she's exploring and gets herself into a place she wasn't expecting. Sometimes she comes up to my face and licks my nose and when she sleeps, I can't leave her alone because she's so darn cute.

Meet Vivian

2009-06-04T21:57:00.003-04:00

This is Vivian, my new kitten. She's about six weeks old and was being turned in at the animal shelter, so I took her home. Very sweet to look at, but she's actually a finger-eating cat-demon who likes to hide in the couch cushions and stalk me. HELP!

Shark alert!

2009-06-02T23:50:00.005-04:00

Whenever I turn on the TV and see that "Jaws" is on, I always say hi to my dad, because he knew it is my favorite movie, and whenever it was on, he'd make sure I knew it.

Didn't matter if I was already in bed. He'd knock softly on my door and wake me up to tell me "Honey, 'Jaws' is on."

He didn't distinguish between the various sequels and the original, though, so sometimes I'd get up hoping to catch my very favorite part (where Robert Shaw tells the story of the USS Indianapolis), only to see the leathery Denis Quaid in the extra-crappy 3-D version, or even worse, Michael Caine in the craptacular "Jaws 4," with the famous roaring great white shark.

It's always a surprise when I flip on HBO or TNT and there's "Jaws," but it's never a surprise when I hear my dad's voice right away. "Honey, 'Jaws' is on."

Hi daddy. Wanna watch it with me?

Six days, no revelations

2009-06-02T00:31:00.003-04:00

Just catching up on movies I wanted to see and didn't actually go to the cinema for, resting, relaxing and thinking about what's next. Seems like something's telling me change is imminent, yes? No? Maybe so?

Tomorrow I'm going to the knitting shop because I need something to do with my hands, and going to increase my walking because I need to get my little black heart into shape.

I wonder what it looks like right now. Is it bruised like the rest of me? Seriously. Parts of me look like I was beaten with a bat. I mean black patches, like that guy Beck Weathers who lost parts after getting frostbite on Everest.

And what is it doing in there? I don't trust it completely now. It could be up to just about anything and apparently, I wouldn't even know it.

Apparently, my heart WAS broken

2009-05-31T06:43:00.005-04:00

A myocardial infarction feels exactly like books describe.

Gripping, squeezing pain like some unseen hand is wringing every drop of blood out of your heart before slamming it around inside your chest for a while; a sickening dull ache down the right arm and a sharper, icy pain across your lower jaw like having a few frozen needles stuck in your gums; nausea, cold sweats.

It's a good fucking time.

I know because last Wednesday morning, about 1 a.m., I had one. Mine was mild-moderate, and I'm not a baby about pain, but I NEVER want to feel a severe heart attack.

And, when he stuck the heart catheter in, my new cardiologist found out I'd had one previously. Both in the front of my heart, both closed off arteries.

I actually slept through most of this one, too, because as I realized what was happening and was trying to decide whether to drive myself to the hospital, call 911 or wake up my roommate, I simply fell back asleep. Went to work the next morning, just a little bit of leftover pain, and saw my family doctor after lunch.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm on my way to the emergency room, four hours later I'm on complete bed-rest in the ICU.

Modern medical miracles. Late Thursday afternoon, after some injections, a knitting-needle-diameter incision, a couple of guide wires inserted in the femoral artery, a balloon here, a stint or two there and six hours of laying flat on my back, my heart is circulating mostly as it should be -- a little depressed, but, hey, who isn't? -- except for the congenital outflow valve defect that will have to be repaired someday. But that's off in the distance, after the doctors have figured out how to do it without cracking my chest open because, really, no thanks.

I'm home, four days later, watching "Jurassic Park" and sorting out my new medications, getting ready to go have my first of two short walks for the day.

I feel fine, if a little tired. I'm bruised all over, especially my arms and hands from where I had IVs and blood draws, because I'm on blood thinners now -- I look like a junkie. Not supposed to lift, push or pull anything until my doctor gives me the all-clear and I start cardiac-rehab on Tuesday (likely I'll be the youngest person there).

All of a sudden I'm more aware than ever before of little pains and how deeply I'm breathing and whether my heart is beating normally. I'm aware of how I have to carefully stand so as not to put too much pressure on the femoral-incision site (because you don't want THAT to start bleeding). I'm aware that by not getting help right away, I probably made things harder for myself, and that heart attacks on the left side of the heart are worse than on the right, and that mine was on the left and that the emergency room doctor was unsure how I'd survived. I'm aware that with all my risk factors, I probably shouldn't have, but I'm also aware that my body and I are a lot stronger than I give myself credit for sometimes.

I want to say I have had some kind of epiphany, and maybe it's just my antidepressants that stop me from getting too excited about anything, but right now it just feels like one more thing to add on to the heap of drama of the past three years. Glad to still be here? Yeah. Happy I didn't have to have bypass surgery? Hell yeah. Happy I got to sleep through the first three days of quitting smoking? Umm, yes.

The only thing I can guess is that my purpose is not done yet. I guess now I have to find out what it is.

Love weekend company

2009-05-25T12:15:00.003-04:00

Things I love: When friends visit, how clean the house is, being out on the ocean looking for dolphins (even though we didn't see any), being a dork and playing mini-golf, getting an icy slushie on a hot, hot day, cooking breakfast for friends. Yay!

So glad Kevin and Dan came to visit!

From grrrr to purr...

2009-05-19T17:11:00.004-04:00

I can't explain other than to say the woman I just talked to on the phone was unnecessarily rude and snappish. Bitch, please.

I need to think of happy things, like the fact that my bedroom is finally coming together.

After a painting party last weekend, it is now all sunflowers and pumpkins and is a happy place to wake up. I painted over the mud-and-blood-colored wall I thought was a good idea when I saw the paint swatches in the store. Whew. And hung up my travel photos -- at least some. I don't have enough wall space for all of them, and couldn't afford to frame them all, anyway. But now I am surrounded by pictures of Rome, Florence and Scotland. Sigh. Happier already.

And I get to see Kevin and Dan this weekend. And go dolphin watching out on the ocean. And I'm making cream scones for Sunday breakfast, and maybe we'll play mini-golf or something else fun. Happy, happy, happy.

Flip me, I'm done

2009-05-18T15:08:00.002-04:00

Back in my pre-newspaper days, I worked a lot of different jobs, including at a care home for developmentally disabled and schizophrenic people.

One woman, Betty, was confined to a wheelchair, and when she'd get really angry at someone, she would fling herself forward and backward with enough force to flip her wheelchair over. We'd have to pick her and the chair up while she flailed furiously on her back.

Sometimes -- just for a milisecond -- I wish I could flip my office chair over that way. The problem is, I'm usually only that angry at my stupid laptop, and it certainly wouldn't be able to pick me up off the floor. This lame-ass thing can barely deal with having to open Word and Explorer in the same decade.

Too long, too late

2009-05-17T21:52:00.004-04:00

It has been almost three years since I left California, and I sure wish I had gotten back there to visit sooner.

My brother Drew was sick in the hospital the week my mom would have turned 86, and half an hour before I got on my flight from Wilmington to Sacramento to go visit him, he died. I wish I'd been there with him, to hold his hand.

I have very few real memories of my childhood, but the ones I do have often involve Drew. We were the closest in age. He was only 55. Drew introduced me to some of the things that have remained part of my life since, like The Beatles, The Stones, "The Hobbit" and Star Trek. When I went to see the new movie last week, I kept thinking I couldn't wait to call him and talk about it.

As I was working on my room this weekend, I put up a framed picture of him next to ones of my parents, and realized I have a little shrine to my dead relatives there. Which is OK, I think. I'll light a candle for them and hope they are all together now, taking care of each other.

Happy birthday

2009-04-13T09:30:00.001-04:00

To my little mommy, who would have been 86 today.

What's with the makeup?

2009-03-30T11:36:00.002-04:00

This morning, one of my coworkers asked me "What's with the makeup?" in an accusatory tone.

"Makeup?"

"Yeah, the eye-liner or whatever."

"It's just mascara, and I always wear it."

"Oh," he says, like he's saying "riiiiiight, sure you do." Like I was up to something.

I never go out of the house without mascara. So what's with the grilling?

I just got a new tube of mascara, so it is probably thicker than usual, and I am wearing lipstick, which I do sometimes.

A Plea from the Polar Bears

2009-03-16T15:48:00.001-04:00

Come on with the global warming already. Enough!

Catching up again

2009-03-14T00:06:00.007-04:00

OK, I know, it has been a while since I blogged. There's been a lot going on, but nothing I felt like writing about.

I just got back (OK, it was actually four days ago) from a quick weekend trip to Boston to visit Kevin and Dan and Felix. So much fun. I just missed snow both coming and going. It was in the 60s and we had time to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardener Art Museum and cook duck a l'orange on Friday, then we drove to Maine on Saturday, so I got to see three states in one day because we had to pass through New Hampshire, where you're allowed to buy liquor at state-run booze barns and you don't have to wear a seat belt in the car. Live Free or Die indeed!

The rocky Maine coast is gorgeous, and even though we didn't find Walker Ranch and flip off the Bush family, we had a lovely day and ate lobster rolls.

On Sunday, we had a hard time leaving the apartment because Wii fever struck, but we made it out for dim sum in Chinatown, then back home for more Mario Kart, mainly getting beaten by 10-year-olds who have much faster hand-eye coordination.

Here are some pictures:
The handsome Felix.

Dan & Kevin in Maine.

Me at the North Atlantic.

A lighthouse on the coast.

And back in Boston, the building where the Declaration of Independence was read to the community from this balcony. Ahh, history.

WARNING: Journalism talk ahead

2009-02-06T13:15:00.003-05:00

My editor forwarded this on to us today, and I think it's lovely. For me, some of this is still the heart of why I love this profession, even though the corporate bullshit sucks.

When Ken Paulson left USA Today for the Newseum, he offered these parting words:

...I can certainly understand why newspapers are not viewed as trendy. After all, they were really the iPods of 1690.

But humor me, and consider this alternate history: Imagine if Gutenberg had invented a digital modem rather than a printing press, and that for centuries all of our information had come to us online.

Further, imagine if we held a press conference announcing the invention of an intriguing new product called the “newspaper.”

That press conference might go something like this: “We're pleased to announce a new product that will revolutionize the way you access information. It will save you time and money and keep you better informed than ever before.

“Just consider the hours you've spent on the internet looking for information of interest to you. We've hired specialists who live and work in your hometown to cull information sources and provide a daily report tailored to your community, your friends and your neighbors.

“We also know that you sometimes wonder whether you can trust the information you see online. We plan to introduce a painstaking new process called 'fact-checking' in which we actually verify the information before we pass it along to you.

“In addition to saving time online, you'll also save money. You won't need those expensive color ink cartridges or reams of paper because information will be printed out for you in full color every day.

“You’ll also save money on access charges and those unpleasant fights over who gets time on the computer because this product will be physically delivered to your home at the same time each day, for less than what you would tip the guy from Pizza Hut.

“You worry about your kids stumbling across porn on the internet, but this product is pre-screened and guaranteed suitable for the whole family.

“And in a security breakthrough, we guarantee newspapers to be absolutely virus-free, and promise the elimination of those annoying pop-up ads.

“It's also the most portable product in the world, and doesn’t require batteries or electricity. And when the flight attendant tells you to turn off your electronic devices, you can actually turn this on, opening page after page without worrying about interfering with the plane's radar.

“ To top it all off, you don't need a long-term warranty or service protection program. If you're not happy with this product on any day, we'll redesign it and bring you a new one the next day.”

I can see the headlines now: "Cutting-edge newspapers threaten Google’s survival.”
My point, of course, is that newspapers remain an extraordinary information bargain, and we shouldn't be selling them short or lose sight of the qualities that make American journalism so critical to our democracy.

As I leave USA Today, I’m going down the street to the Newseum, a place with a 74-foot high marble First Amendment tablet, and a commitment to preserving these fundamental freedoms. ...I also want to reflect for a moment on the First Amendment and its importance to both our nation and our profession.

The 45 words of the First Amendment were written in 1791; they’ve gone unchanged but certainly not unchallenged. And collectively those fundamental freedoms have truly made America what it is today.

Throughout world history, what has driven war and division? Very often religious differences spark conflicts. That first generation of Americans said, “I will honor your faith if you honor mine.” What an extraordinary decision to make in 1791.

What else causes instability in this world? What leads to governments being overthrown? Well, typically when the people that they don’t feel they have a voice. So that first generation of Americans said, “You have the power of petition and assembly and the right to speak out whenever you want."

And what leads to revolution and overthrown governments? When the people in charge are corrupt and they abuse their power. The Founding Fathers gave us a free press to keep an eye on our leaders and to stand up to them on behalf of the American people.

What an amazing set of liberties. It’s not a coincidence that the most dynamic, creative and powerful nation in the history of the planet is also the most free.

With the support of the American people, the Founding Fathers created a new and powerful government, but also guaranteed the kind of a free press that would take a stand for liberty and justice. That mission has not changed.

When cuts have to be made and resources are reduced, we need to remember that core commitment to the American people. Some say stock pages are on their way out, others say TV listings are obsolete, but our watchdog role is not expendable. And keeping an eye on people in power is still job one.

I remain bullish about the future of newspapers and the journalism they produce, but there's no question that shifting demographics and emerging technologies like Kindle and its successors will mean that there will one day be a final day of on-paper publication for the last remaining American newspaper. I hope that day is a long time from now.

But on that last day of publication, perhaps when the last newspaper staff has dwindled to one journalist through buyouts, layoffs and furloughs, I'd like to think the last newspaper reporter will be sitting outside the office of a mayor, governor or president, determined to tell Americans what they need to know in that final, final edition. I know that last reporter will be tenacious, committed, and passionate...

I'm leaving a profession I absolutely love, but I leave it with the confidence that American Journalism will prevail, regardless of platform or medium.

When we do our jobs the right way, when we strive every day to publish reports of integrity and balance, when we ask the tough questions, when we fight to keep the public’s business public and when we provide the kind of thorough and balanced reporting that is the life blood of a democracy, we fulfill our promise to that first generation of Americans who believed that one of the best ways to guarantee a democracy was a free and vigorous press.

We owe our readers and viewers a daily report that we’re proud of, embracing our First Amendment freedoms while living up to our professional responsibilities.

There are people counting on us.

WARNING: Lizard Sex Pictured Below

2009-01-30T16:46:00.003-05:00

Oh! You didn't look away fast enough, did you?

Headline: Ancient Sex Lizard Makes Babies

The National Geographic, or NatGeo, tells us this New Zealand tuatara (the one on top), a rare direct descendant of dinosaurs that walked the Earth 225 million years ago, is 111 and just fathered 11 babies.

Tuataras can live to be 250 years old, so really, he's only middle aged.

His keepers thought he was "out of the mating game" because he was very grumpy and attacked other tuataras who came near him -- even females -- until they removed a cancerous tumor from his genitals.

Yep, that would do it, all right.

Our nation's Capitol

2009-01-29T22:23:00.010-05:00

Just thought I'd post some of the photos I took while I was in D.C. this weekend. It was a great, lovely, cold, snowy, icy trip, so wonderful to see Kevin, as always. We crammed in visits to the National Archives, two Smithsonians, a monument tour and a delicious tapas-and-paella dinner at Jaleo.

We got the hookup tour through Mike's congressional connections with our own park ranger from the Department of the Interior, who drove us around all day and explained all the mouments' symbolism and history to us.

A LOT of the setup from the inauguration was still in place, especially around the Capitol, and there were a great many porta-potties still on the National Mall, and the only good view we could get of The People's House was from the top of the Washington Monument.

Here are some views:

Our Capitol, as seen from the top of the Washington Monument.

My favorite president -- so far.

The Supreme Court.

The People's House.

Yes, that's the real Constitution.

The World War II Memorial.

Our nation's largest penis. Oh, I mean, The Washington Monument.

Many Bears of Thursday

2009-01-22T11:04:00.005-05:00

Thanks to Patti for the Many Bears of Thursday. They are at the Chengdu breeding center in China. I would love that job.

Them: "Here, we'll pay you to play with baby Panda bears. You'll bottle feed them and cuddle them."

Me: "Um, YES!"

I'm getting very excited for my trip to D.C. on Saturday, except for the getting up at 5:30 a.m. part.

Hope everyone watched the new show "Lie to Me" last night, because my fabulously talented nephew did the sets. Tim Roth was, as usual, awesome. It was a pretty interesting show. I could see myself getting into it. Check it out if you get a chance, Wednesdays at 9 on Fox.

Today would have been my daddy's 86th birthday, so I'm going to wish him a happy one anyway. Who knows? Maybe he will hear me.

A rare day

2009-01-20T15:51:00.003-05:00

Wow. Just wow. Check out the front of the Capitol and all the way down the National Mall. Two miles of people, all cheering.

And it did, indeed, snow in MB today. It didn't stick, but it snowed.

So...

2009-01-19T16:46:00.002-05:00

It feels like forever since I last posted here. No particular reason for the absence, really. Maybe just too lazy. Heh heh.

Thanks to Peter, Kevin and Dan, I had a lovely birthday weekend bash in Boston, playing Wii until all hours of the night (Yay for Raving Rabbids!), visiting witchy old Salem and eating too much amazing food. They took me to Blue Ginger in Wellesley for my birthday, and while I never was that tempted watching chef Ming Tsai cook on PBS, his restaurant is incredible.

Plus, because Kevin and Dan's friends Al and Doug joined us, I got to spend my birthday with five handsome men.

What more could a girl ask for? Well, Clive Owen wasn't there, but I understand. He's busy.

Then, right after I got back from Boston, Ms. Schnakenberg graced me with a visit, all the way from Bangkok. Well, really she was just coming from Baltimore, where she visited before MB as part of her Month in the US Tour.

We shopped, or rather she shopped, we ate, we watched movies, we talked and talked and talked and plotted me going to Bangkok, maybe next year.

And this Saturday, I'm catching an early flight up to D.C. to spend five days. The first three will be all sightseeing, and the last two, I'm covering our city's lobbying trip as officials try to nab some of the new federal stimulus money.

Kevin's coming down from Boston to meet me for Sunday and Monday, and because he has never been to D.C. before, we're going to try and squeeze in as much museum time as possible. At least two Smithsonians -- Natural History and Air and Space, I think -- the Spy Museum, Ford's Theater, all on the list.

My friend Mike, who works for a California congressman, is hooking us up with a VIP tour of the monuments on Monday, with our very own park ranger who will drive us from place to place so we don't have to try and run the National Mall, and even take us up the top of the Washington Monument. He said the tour includes Arlington Cemetery, which is always moving, and maybe more so now because of the Iraq War graves.

If there's a way to fit in the White House, I'm gonna try. But it seems doubtful. There's just too much else to see, and we won't have time to wait in line. That's the other thing about the VIP tour -- no waiting. Because we are VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE, dammit.

I'll bring my laptop because I'll have to file stories from DC, so I'll try and download some pictures, too.

It'll be fun to go back there. I haven't been since I left in 88, and I haven't seen the FDR memorial yet. But I'm packing long underwear, because it's going to be frozen tundra up there.

Speaking of which, we have an 80 percent chance of SNOW in Myrtle Beach tomorrow. 80-freakin--percent. Snow.

And they say there's nothing to this climate-change thing. Huh.

Anyhow, Happy New Year. Buon Anno.

A workaday Christmas

2008-12-25T22:20:00.004-05:00

Despite the 72 scanner calls about respiratory distress and having to eat fajitas for Christmas dinner, it's been a pretty nice day.

My roommate gave me a DIY book on small home repairs and projects -- thinking maybe next time she breaks her sink I can fix it, plus a new game and, best of all (or maybe worst of all for my diet) a panini press. And not just like some cheap-ass George Foreman grill, it's a Breville.

Dang.

I feel bad now that I just got her a teapot-for-one, some shi-shi teas and a Barnes & Noble gift card.

The day is almost over, and tomorrow I get to fly to Boston for my birthday weekend. So excited. I'm already packed, except for my jewelry and a couple other last-minute essentials and am sooo ready to go. Go go go.

Boxing Day is what?

2008-12-24T11:38:00.003-05:00

I got tapped to do this year's Boxing Day story because I, apparently, was the only one in the room who knew what Boxing Day is. OK, one of a few.

My mission: To hunt down vacationing Canadians and ask them how they are celebrating Boxing Day. I've been stalking the parking lots at IHOP for a few days.

Now, I grew up with Canadian parents who observed Boxing Day as the holiday it is in Canada, Great Britain and Australia. My dad never worked on Boxing Day, my mom always made sure she put out tips for the mailman, garbage man, and anyone else who performed services.

That's what the day is for, after all. That and gathering up -- boxing up, if you will -- gifts and items for the poor.

Not only could I not find many Canadians here this winter, the ones I did talk to told me what Boxing Day has become. A day of shopping. Fucking consumerism. So a day that was all about giving has now become all about greed.

I think my parents would not be pleased.

My Christmas Tree

2008-12-15T14:58:00.003-05:00

This is my first Christmas tree in my new house.

I'm sure my therapist would have something to say about the fact that I've put up the tree in the corner of my living room that's devoted to my Titanic collection.

Whatever.

Also, apparently, South Carolina doesn't believe in icicles. The kind you put on your tree -- the long, thin tinsely kind. I spent YEARS learning from my mom exactly how to place them properly, and now I cannot find any to put on my own tree, and for the rest of the holidays, I'm going to wander around my house feeling like I've forgotten something important.

South Carolina non-icicle-having bastards.

Bears! In our trees!

2008-12-02T14:30:00.002-05:00

We have bears! Bears right here in the MB!

I just noticed I haven't posted here in almost a month. If you had asked me how long it has been, I wouldn't have guessed more than two weeks.

How does that happen?

I don't even know if anyone is still reading this, but I'll catch up this week, anyway. If no one is still reading, I'm going to rant away. ha ha.

Huh.

2008-11-08T14:46:00.003-05:00

Add to the list of things I don't understand: Facebook.

I don't get it.

I mean, I know what it is, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it.

Virtually save the rainforests? How about actually doing something real to save the rainforests?

And I don't get the messaging thing. We all have e-mail. If we didn't, we couldn't have Facebook pages. So if you want to e-mail me, just do that. Why do you need to post something on my "wall," which then gets sent to my e-mail? Why not just e-mail me?

And now I have people on my "friends list" who I barely know. I wouldn't say we were "friends," but I don't know the etiquette of Facebook -- if I don't agree to someone's friend request, their request just hangs around like a sad mime at the edge of a park, hoping a crowd will come up and let him do the "I'm in the box and can't get out" thing.

Someone sent me virtual candy. And plants. What am I supposed to do with those? And am I a bad person if I don't send you candy or plants back? I don't even know how.

Apparently, I can join Facebook groups, too, like the "I love tennis shoes" group. Again, I don't get it. I love Cheap Trick, right? And when I want to talk about my love for the band, I go to the CT message boards and talk to other fans, but only people who are into it go there -- I'm not posting my discussions there for everyone on Facebook to see. There's no need, and most people don't really give a rat's ass.

Maybe it's just not my thing.

Wow

2008-11-05T00:48:00.003-05:00

I wish my parents could have seen this day.

We're now, at least in some ways, the country we have always said we were.

One of my favorite movie-theater moments

2008-11-01T18:19:00.003-04:00

Ha! I sat down to update the blog, read a couple things elsewhere and drink some water, and saw that the Baz Luhrmann version of "Romeo + Juliet" is on, and it reminded me of the first time I saw it in the theater.

I was with my friend Steve Rogers in Arkysaw, and there were only four other people in the theater -- two couples, one of which was sitting down the row from Steve and I.

So it gets to the part where Romeo thinks Juliet is dead and drinks the poison and dies, and the guy sitting down the row says loudly "Damn!"

At first I though maybe he spilled his soda or dropped Junior Mints into his popcorn.

Then comes there part where, in this version, Juliet wakes up, finds Romeo dead and shoots herself in the head.

The guy down the row again says "Damn," but even louder this time. Steve and I realize it is not a soda or popcorn mishap.

Then, as we're filing out after the pair of starcrossed lovers take their lives, the guy from down the row tells his date, "Wow, that was a fucked up endin'."

The only person in the world who did not know how Romeo & Juliet ends.

It was awesome.

Push it

2008-11-01T17:34:00.003-04:00

Even if I hadn't worked seven straight days this week, it has just been a difficult week. My work hours have been extra long, and it has been cold and dark by the time I've left the office most every night, and I just did not have the chance to get out on the bike after my dinner break on Sunday evening. Things are tense right now because it's election week and people are uptight (although I LOVE Election Night in the office and CANNOT FREAKIN' WAIT for Tuesday).

I was all psyched up to get out to my unfinished subdivision today for a bike ride, but I worried I had wrecked all the momentum I built up over the past couple weeks by not being able to ride for the past five days.

Just a few days can make such a difference, especially when you feel like everything is conspiring against your best intentions and goals.

I was tired. I haven't slept well this week, I hadn't eaten anything today except a brown-rice California roll and a cup of Starbucks, and the first seven minutes were hard. Really hard. My legs were tired, my back hurt a little and that bike seat just did not feel right.

I promised myself I was going to bike as far as I had the last time out without resting, and even though I didn't feel totally confident, I felt hopeful.

I fired up the iPod and put my head down and just kept pedaling, even when my legs wanted to stop. Sometimes I moved slower than I wanted, but I kept going forward, and kept telling myself I didn't have to hurry, but I had to get past that two-mile mark before I could stop for 30 seconds.

After about a half mile, I started to feel better. It was more fun. Still hard, but I looked around and realized today was a gorgeous day and I had the sun on my face and it felt good. Suddenly, my back didn't hurt anymore and my legs were warmed up, and even though I'd already passed the marker I'd set for myself, I could keep going. So I did. I rode almost the whole thing without resting and went back and rode half the subdivision again, then rode a couple times around the lake in the middle.

Sometimes, after you get past that one hurdle, you put in that one last push, no matter how hard it seems, things get so much easier. Some hurdles are, of course, bigger than others.

By the time I got done, 30 minutes after I started -- 15 minutes more than I thought I could do today -- I realized I can keep this up.

Yes I can.

The Birthday Bear of Friday

2008-10-31T18:10:00.002-04:00

For everyone who's had a birthday this year that I have forgotten to acknowledge. Forgive me. And for Kristin, whose birthday is on Election Day, Happy Bearthday!

Facebook?

2008-10-28T17:00:00.003-04:00

Hmmm. So I just joined Facebook although I'm not exactly sure how the whole thing works or what I supposed to do with it.

Help me?

A sign of impending insanity?

2008-10-27T21:44:00.002-04:00

Have you ever had a memory double back on you? Today as I was driving to work along a somewhat windy road, I suddenly felt like I was driving up the twisty road that leads into Paradise -- the road I used to drive almost every weekend to go see my parents.

The road that leads from my house to the highway couldn't be flatter, but for a second, or a few of them, it actually felt like I was going uphill around the big, sweeping curve on Clark Road that always let me know I was about 15 minutes from my parents' house.

Strange.

Biking

2008-10-27T00:11:00.002-04:00

So, I've ridden my bike every day since I got it except for one, and I am already seeing improvement. Or I should say "feeling" improvement. My ass hurts less from the seat, so that's a good thing. heh heh. Actually, I noticed tonight, while riding on my dinner break from work, that I could go further without needing to catch my breath or just jump off for 10 seconds to let my tired legs rest.

I found a new subdivision near my house where no homes have been built but most of the roads are in and paved, and it's a perfect place to ride -- no traffic, no one around, a steady series of tiny inclines that make me work a little harder at regular intervals, and the whole three-mile track takes a little less than 20 minutes. I'm hoping that soon, it will take 15 minutes and I can do it twice without needing any stops at all.

Now if I can just avoid the peanut butter pie my evil, evil roommmate made.

I might not know art...

2008-10-26T20:22:00.006-04:00

...but I know what I like. There have been some gorgeous photos from the presidential race this year.

As someone who has a hard time photographing people at all, I particularly admire when photographers get not only that great light, but that great expression on someone's face or that one critical moment. It's a skill, an art and a science.

I saw these today and just had to borrow them.

There's a particularly beautiful photo gallery from today's Obama rally in Denver on www.denverpost.com. The rally is the lead story, and just below it there's a link to the slideshow, which has one of the best pictures I've seen of Obama, but it was not copy-able (rightly so, of course -- copyright infringement is wrong, wrong, wrong).

So I'll just urge you to check out the Web site and enjoy these for now. Click on them to enlarge the views.

I like the one of McCain, particularly, because I think it does what all news photos aim to do and that is tell the whole story. You can almost see the whole span of his life in that one shot. At least that's what it feels like to me.

The Polar Bears of Friday

2008-10-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

It's so chilly here, it makes me think of polar bears.

The Daily Beast

2008-10-22T10:31:00.003-04:00

It's one of my new favorite reads. I tried to add it to my reading list there on the right, but for some reason, the link won't work. Something about no feed for the URL or something. It will work here in this post, though, if you click on the red "It's." You also don't get a good link from my right-hand menu to The Huffington Post.

In any case, you might like them, too.

The Naughty Little Bear of Tuesday

2008-10-21T16:59:00.002-04:00

I can just hear my mom, saying "Get out of that garbage" in her gruff voice.

I love his little belly! I want to pet it while feeding him sandwiches and honey.

Wonkette loves Cheap Trick

2008-10-21T11:12:00.006-04:00

On Wonkette today, there's a tidbit about McCain "surrendering" (get it?) Colorado, New Mexico and Iowa, and some GENIUS over there posted this picture to go with the item.

Brilliant! And what a surprise to be cruising the political sites and see my favorite band! Happy Tuesday!

Also, look at Robin's pretty, pretty hair. It's hypnotic, blowing in that breeze -- back in the 70s.

The Bike

2008-10-17T13:43:00.003-04:00

I went for my first ride this morning, down at Huntington State Park. It was really fun, and it felt great.

I like to call this picture "Bike with Jetta."

As you can see, my bike is nothing a real cyclist would consider, but I like it. It's comfortable and I don't feel like I'm perched atop some forward-leaning death machine. My feet can touch the ground if I need them to, and I can carry things in my little basket.

I wanted the cherry-red model, but the one bike store here that sells Elektras didn't have them. They had this one and pink. Pink. Like Pepto-Bismol pink. Blick. This was the last 2008 model in blue, and I think it's pretty. Because this area is very flat, I didn't feel I needed to get into gears -- or even hand brakes. I love that I just back-pedal to stop.

Still, it needs a banana seat, don't you think? It also needs a name. Help me?

The best thing ever

2008-10-17T13:32:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Patti who sent me PENGUINCAMS! The California Academy of Sciences has Web cams on the African penguins. Sweet! Just click on the red text and let the cameras load up, and you can watch the penguins, too!

My new bike

2008-10-16T15:43:00.004-04:00

Yep, it's official, I bought a bike today. It's on the back of my Jetta right now. I haven't taken a picture of it yet, but it's blue and white and looks like the bikes we used to ride when we were young, minus the banana seat and the playing cards in the spokes.

And it has a basket. Yeah, it does.

Tomorrow's my day off, and I cannot wait to go for a ride! I'm going to go visit the black-headed squirrels at Brookgreen Gardens.

Sex = terror in S.C.

2008-10-16T00:33:00.004-04:00

Apparently, middle schoolers here have a new sex-ed handout. It shows a stick-figure couple kissing, with a label that says "premarital sex." On the same line, there's a syringe, a gun and ... a plane crashing into the World Trade Center.

So stop having premarital sex, you gun-toting, IV-drug-using terrorists! Go to your rooms and play some Grand Theft Auto and watch a few more Saw movies.

The Chimp-Tiger Jamboree of Monday

2008-10-13T17:23:00.002-04:00

This is Anjana, a chimp at a British zoo, who's helping raise two tiger cubs, Mitra and Shiva, separated from their mother. Anjana is often a surrogate. She loves tigers and leopards. But who doesn't?

It looks like Shiva is telling Anjana a secret. Or giving her a kiss.

A new look

2008-10-12T17:02:00.000-04:00

Just thought I'd update the old blog. Whaddaya think?

One more reason to love South Carolina

2008-10-09T14:47:00.004-04:00

So, apparently, it's not illegal to drive drunk on a mo-ped here. It's NOT against the law. In fact, you don't even need a driver's license to use a mo-ped.

I'm getting one of these all-electric Hondas so I can be a drunken-driving jerk AND environmentally conscious at the same time.

I'm gonna paint it candy-apple red and name it the "Liquor-cycle," to be pronounced "liquor-sickle," naturally.

It also needs a sidecar. Or at least a basket for carrying my phone, shoes, an extra bottle (unopened, of course) for when the buzz wears off. And an extension cord so the liquorcycle can get juiced, too.

So humiliating

2008-10-08T09:39:00.002-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen -- the wee, tiny chickendog. He's so dejected. Maybe a little angry, too. Someone dressed him up like a chicken. It's not even Halloween yet. This poor little thing. I'd be humiliated, too.

The Boss

2008-10-07T09:30:00.003-04:00

I've realized lately that I'm a late-in-life Springsteen fan. I've always liked him, but kind of peripherally. But the more I listen, the more I like. He's an amazing songwriter, but now I feel like I'd like to see a show, too.

Just saw a video of him live in Barcelona, doing "The Rising," and remembered that feeling of pure joy when you're at a show and the band you love comes out on stage and the music starts and everyone's cheering and clapping, and the band is clearly happy to be there.

We need more of that feeling, however it comes.

Gorgeous weather

2008-10-06T23:32:00.002-04:00

It's so beautiful here right now. It's been about 80 every day for almost a week with no humidity, and down into the 50s at night. Perfect. It feels like real fall, fall in the Midwest the way I remember it. Last year, we didn't really had a fall here, and maybe this is all we will get this year, but I am really enjoying this.

Jealous...

2008-10-05T17:14:00.002-04:00

So, I just had a lovely break from work when our Kim called from Leeds, England, to catch up. Kim's taking a big, big trip this fall to Australia, New Zealand and South Korea. Yes, part of it is to see five (FIVE!) nights of Cheap Trick shows, but part is to visit all those lovely places. I cannot wait to see the pictures and read about his adventures, especially on the U.N. tour to see the DMZ.

Three weeks of nonstop travel, plus CT shows? I'm green with envy.

Kim says he cannot bring me a koala bear, mainly because he doesn't think it will do well in his luggage. I think his luggage would suffer more, actually -- all smelly and sticky like eucalyptus oil, plus the claws could cause some major damage. But maybe we'll get a picture or two for the Bear of Friday -- or the Marsupial of Friday, as it could come to be known.

Here's wishing Kim a great, awesome, safe, fun, spectacular trip. Send lots and loads of photos and say hi to my favorite lead singer in the whole wide world for me. Lucky dog!

Coffee and orangutans

2008-10-04T08:32:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Kim for the early morning cuteness. There's nothing like some oranguntans to go with the first cup of coffee. I have to parcel these out, because you will NOT be able to stand it. Look at its little buddha belly!

Happy birthday...

2008-10-03T21:17:00.003-04:00

...to I-wish-he-was-my-husband Clive Owen, who is welcome to come on over and get his birthday present any time he wants. It's the same thing I had for him last year, but I haven't seen him to give it to him.

One more reason to go to Bangkok

2008-10-01T16:36:00.004-04:00

This is Pong. She's one of the homeless elephants of Bangkok, who wanders the streets begging for food.

Look how excited she is to have found some ice cream on the sidewalk. I was that excited about the new Cheap Trick DVD/CD thing, but I'd be way more excited if I could go to Bangkok and take care of these homeless elephants.

It makes me sad to see Pong's face at finding this little bit of food -- not even real elephant food. Look at her eye. Seriously. This makes me feel like crying for some reason.

Ms. Schnakenberg has said I can stay at her place if I go, but I've dreaded the 20-hour flight. But seeing my friend AND Pong the elephant -- that could be enough.

International Animal Fest

2008-09-30T15:39:00.007-04:00

Baby red pandas from Japan, a Romanian cat with hypnotic, Halloween eyes, a Moldovan zebra who looks like a piece of art, and an American monkey called "Tim," who's having a little birthday cake. SFGate's Day in Pictures ROCKS today!

My favorite co-worker...

2008-09-29T15:16:00.004-04:00

... is one I've never spoken to. He sits in the back corner of the room, and actually, I'm not even sure what he does.

I know one thing about him:

1. He has a shelf full of "Lord of the Rings" action figures over his CPU, including Gandalf, Gollum and Sauron's fiery eye. I call his corner "The Land of Mordor," but see no reason to go over there. Sauron's eye watches me all day. But I can also see Gandalf, which is reassuring. I wonder if he plays with them after we are all gone for the day.

I so appreciate people's harmless obsessions.

I'm as sleepy as this little bear....

2008-09-29T11:14:00.005-04:00

I could fall asleep in a tree right now, though I probably wouldn't apprciate a brach poking my ass cheek. The bear doesn't really seem to mind, though. To each his/her/its own.

I got up super-extra-bonus early this a.m. for a story that now looks like it might not happen today. It required me to sit in the parking lot of a strip club starting at 7 a.m.

It was just a meeting place for some people who are filing a lawsuit in federal court -- I didn't hang out with strippers. But it made me feel a little weird, nonetheless.

Cracked-up on coffee, I waited, and waited, and waited as the attorney labored away inside the club's office to prepare her lawsuit. Three hours later, still not done. Now the coffee has worn off and I'm at the office, still waiting.

Found this bear to start off the week.

It's not the antichrist, either.

There aren't enough exclamation points

2008-09-28T10:19:00.004-04:00

Oooohhhhhhhh! It's Christmas already! The 30th anniversary DVD-CD combo of Cheap Trick Live at Budokan! SWEET! Nov. 11 cannot come fast enough! Three CDs and a DVD? Are you kidding? Plus bonus features on the DVD! Produced by Bruce "I Need More Cowbell" Dickinson? Now, please!

Later I'll be mortified that it has been 30 years. Now, I'm just excited.

The High-Fiving Grizzly of Friday

2008-09-26T16:44:00.003-04:00

Dang. Not to be messed with.

Apparently, we had a little tropical storm action here yesterday. I thought it was just a blustery day, like in the Winnie the Pooh story. But this morning, my patio umbrella was askew and my potted plants had fallen over.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. I think I'm going to paint my bedroom. Maybe the color of a grizzly. Probably not, though.

Too. Much. Cuteness.

2008-09-25T16:41:00.003-04:00

Can't. breathe. Too. cute.

Pass the vodka and smokes or something.

In all seriousness...

2008-09-25T06:32:00.002-04:00

Reason the first I can never be the president, president of a large corporation or a business reporter: I don't understand this Wall Street bailout thing.

Seriously -- this is not a political statement of any kind. I just need someone to explain this to me.

I've been reading everything I can, but I'm still unclear about a few things:

1. How did this happen?
2. Isn't this free-market capitalism? Someone starts a business, and it's their job to make it run correctly. Right? And if the business isn't successful, for whatever reason, isn't the owner responsible for that loss? How does it become my responsibility to pay for it?
3. What happens if we DON'T bail out these companies? I mean, I hear what politicians are saying. What I want is a straight answer from someone who doesn't have a dog in the political hunt.
4. Should I take my investments out of my Fidelity account and just put the money in the bank?

Anyone who understands this stuff more than me -- which is probably everyone -- please, please explain it minus the partisan politics. Explain it like you're talking to a 5-year-old, because I am confused.

I lied

2008-09-24T16:39:00.003-04:00

I don't actually want to be a surgeon. You know I can't stand blood, guts, needles, scalpels or really anything in the medical realm.

But maybe in my next life I can marry Bob Cesca. Or, you know, just clean his house, tune up his bike or wash his dog or something.

And no, you pervs, "wash his dog" is not a euphemism. Either is "tune up his bike."

My next career

2008-09-23T22:56:00.003-04:00

I've decided I want to be a surgeon. I know, I haven't been to medical school, but my dad was a doctor, and I have had surgery and known people who have had it.

So I'm probably in the vicinity of qualified, right? Especially with a couple weeks of brushing up on my skills.

You'd support me, right? And let me operate on your kids?

Just wondering.

Why wait for Friday?

2008-09-22T11:47:00.002-04:00

Here's the new Swinging Bear of Monday. He's black and white and artsy.

Thanks, Veronica!

Quiet Sunday evening

2008-09-21T21:24:00.003-04:00

Oh, the last night of my friend Jocelyn being here. I liked having company this week.

We went to see "Ghost Town" today. Very funny, and touching. I heart Ricky Gervais. Made me want to watch "Extras" all over again.

We went to Lowe's and I chose four samples of paint to try on my bedroom walls, and all of them suck. Vomitous.

I am uninspired by my bedroom. But I did have some good luck printing photos to frame, and if I ever choose a background color for my walls, I'm sure they will look lovely.

Jocelyn is reading research for her master's thesis while I'm burning CDs for my new Cheap Trick boyfriend. Well, he's not really my boyfriend, but we bonded over our love for Cheap Trick (although he has only seen them six times) the other night at Team Trivia, where he's the DJ/host. The category was lyrics, and as soon as he said "Mommy's..." I almost screamed "Surrender!" which would, of course, have helped all the other teams. I didn't do it. But I was happy. Now if he'd only ask Sopranos questions...We were in second place going into the final question, but, sadly, did not get all parts of the answer correct.

It's OK, though, because I have a new Cheap Trick friend! Who might be fun to kiss. Hmmm... bonus!

The Vicious Attack Dog of Friday

2008-09-19T16:53:00.001-04:00

If this prairie dog was my pet, I'd name him Sid, as in Vicious.

The Cash of Friday

2008-09-12T00:23:00.001-04:00

9/12/03.

This will be an all-Cash day for me.

The all-girl show

2008-09-11T14:29:00.000-04:00

Well, my neighbors who suspect my roommate and I are a couple will have extra fodder for gossip this week when Jen arrives Friday night and Jocelyn gets here Wednesday. Plus, we're watching Jen's dog, Lucy, who is, of course, a girl.

The neighbor lady asked Claudia one day how the two of us met and how long we had been living together. The guy two doors down will not wave to us or even acknowledge is, we're such an abomination.

I can't help it -- I delight in saying naughty things when Claudia and I are in the front yard. One day she was helping me unload some supplies from Lowe's, and we were joking about who was stronger (it's NOT me), and really loudly I said "I guess the neighbors will know who wears the penis in our family."

After the girls start arriving, I'm sure they are going to assume we've turned our house into the Isle of Lesbos.

Whatever, rednecks.

I think we'll be barbecuing some mooseburgers this weekend, actually.

Thank god

2008-09-08T11:04:00.001-04:00

Even if the world comes to an end, Stephen Colbert will live on -- as long as aliens are willing to clone him.

Genius! Yup, yup.

Bye Bye Hanna

2008-09-06T10:12:00.000-04:00

Hanna blew through quickly, knocked the power out in some places and left quite a bit of water in others, but people aren't reporting any real damage. The sun is trying to come out now, and there's a little, tiny baby gecko sunning himself on the shrub outside my back door.

Hanna's on her way up north. Hope she heads on out to sea soon.

I feel so sorry for the people in Haiti. Gustav, Hanna, and soon Ike. The floods haven't even receded there from Hanna and now they are about to get hit again, and Hanna killed at least 137 people there. We got lucky, but they sure didn't.

The Red Cross's disaster relief fund is empty, their CEO is saying on CNN, and there are still 800,000 people without power from Gustav in the Gulf Coast area.

Liveblogging the storm... maybe

2008-09-05T16:52:00.000-04:00

Just before 5 p.m. The humidity level jumped, the rain started, and the wind is gusting a bit, off and on. There's a tornado warning, too, for, well, pretty much everywhere from N.C. to the Gulf of Mexico. But the skies look nothing like I've ever seen before a tornado, so I don't think it's a big worry here.

So far, no worse than an average rainy day here.

8:50 p.m. Yawn. I'm spackling some spots in my bedroom and bathroom. It's raining. I folded laundry. Bored.

9:05: OK, spoke too soon. Now it's a downpour and the wind has picked up.

1:30 a.m.: Yep, still awake. Apparently, the deluge earlier was just a preview. Hanna is supposed to make landfall here in the next hour. It's not raining now, and there's no wind. Our power flashed off and on a couple times about an hour ago. Here's hoping it doesn't go out.

I'm just sitting here looking up things on the Internets and beginning to seriously think about my next trip to Italy. Spring 2010, baby. This time I'm going to plan for Venice, Turin, the Cinque Terre, Florence and, of course, Rome. I have to see it again. That gives me a little more than a year to save up, panhandle for spare change, get a second roommate to but down on the bills, whatever. And plan. And daydream. I cannot wait to see Rome again.

Probably it's time for bed, but I kind of want to see what happens at landfall time.

Day 2 Update -- Surf's Up!

2008-09-05T15:49:00.000-04:00

Another nice shot by Jessmore.

So now Hanna is supposed to make landfall south of us, exposing this area to her stronger, northern side.

Still battened.

Hurricane Watch, Day 2

2008-09-05T08:39:00.000-04:00

OK, I didn't get any good pictures, so I'm borrowing one from one of our fabulous photogs. This is, of course, copyrighted. Props to Steve Jessmore.

Hanna's stopping by Florida and should be here this evening. We're all secure and yes, I have duct tape.

The weather service says we could get waves of 12 to 14 feet. Great time for surfing! Hanna's supposed to touch down north of here, but not by much, about midnight, but her wind and rain precedes her. Could be 39 mph to 73 mph. Wahoo!

Hurricane Watch, Day 1

2008-09-04T10:07:00.001-04:00

Here's a picture of Hanna staggering drunkenly around the Bahamas for a few days while Gustav was hitting the Gulf region. Now, she's on her way here. At this point she's weak, still a tropical storm, but getting a little stronger. We should start seeing some wind and rain about noon tomorrow.

Here's the forecast right now: Horry County (yes, I live in Horry County. Go ahead with the "Whore-y" jokes) could start to feel the impact of the approaching storm early Friday morning into Friday late afternoon, with the strongest conditions being felt late Friday evening into early Saturday morning. The current track brings Hanna into the South Carolina/North Carolina border at the extreme northeastern tip of Horry County as a potential Category 1 storm. As the storm approaches and makes landfall, residents of Horry County (go ahead again) can expect 40 – 60 mph sustained winds, 2-4 inches of rain, and a chance of isolated tornadoes. Storm surge could be 2-4 feet with an elevated high tide that is 1-3 feet above normal.

No, I'm not worried, and yes, I'm prepared.

I love storms.

Don't look! It's horrible!

2008-09-03T10:30:00.001-04:00

A polar bear attacking a zoo worker! Oh, the humanity!

Holy Hanna

2008-09-02T13:35:00.001-04:00

It's a gorgeous, perfect, warm-but-not-humid, breezy, clear day here. You'd never guess there's a hurricane coming.

Chronic

2008-09-02T07:53:00.000-04:00

I think my insomnia is becoming pathological. 4 a.m. 4. That's when I finally dozed off. Had to get up at 6 to be at work at 7. I'm already hating today.

Way to go

2008-08-31T12:43:00.001-04:00

Gas prices suddenly went up in the gulf states today. Way to help people out.

The Funny Non-Endangered Polar Bear of Friday

2008-08-30T00:38:00.001-04:00

In more than two years, I don't think I've laughed as hard as I have today. Whee!

Sometimes it's funny

2008-08-28T20:50:00.000-04:00

Bill Richardson reminds me of my secret crush, Oliver Platt. Especially when he makes wicked little flip-flop jokes and smirks. They should have Oliver Platt speak tonight, too.

I'm watching the DNC on MSNBC, and Gore is speaking. He hadn't even gotten 10 words out before they cut to a shot of some guy weeping in the audience. Dude -- he hadn't even gotten to global warming yet. Save it.

Hello, 5 a.m.

2008-08-27T05:40:00.000-04:00

Well, at least I made it past 3. Apparently, there's a rooster in my brain.

Who needs sleep?

2008-08-26T05:13:00.001-04:00

It's 5:15 a.m. I've been awake since 3. I fell asleep at 11:30. I have city council at 9 and I'm wide awake.

Why? Last night I couldn't fall asleep until 4:30, and now this.

When I went to bed, I was thinking it would be nice to get up early, with time to make coffee and have breakfast before the meeting. I was thinking 7, not 3 o'fucking clock.

Now I'm watching Sex and the City reruns and waiting to put laundry in the dryer, and come 7 a.m., I'll be ready to go back to bed.

Oh! There's the garbage man. Great.