meme me? meme YOU!

Here's a little meme from my friends in the LiveJournal community. I had to alter some of the lingo to make sense to the bloggers of the world... but I thought it seemed fun.

If you respond to this post I will:

1) Tell you why I friended you how we became friends.
2) Associate you with a song/movie.
3) Tell a random fact about you.
4) Tell a first memory about you.
5) Associate you with an animal/fruit.
6) Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.
7) Show a favourite user pic of yours. Ummm, associate you with a food or smell. Why not?
8) In retort, you MUST spead this disease in your LJ (or blog, or... whatever).

Hello, Hamlet

Meet my new pet. He was almost a boy, but since he was still a fetus when the literal plug was pulled, he didn't even have balls yet, just a little empty sack. I figured that probably would make him ornery and moody, so I named him Hamlet. That, and the obvious "tiny porcine" thing.



He doesn't eat anything, since he's well... pickled in formaldehyde, and he doesn't move around a lot, since his feet are tied and his belly is sliced from anus to thalamus, which I did myself with a #4 scalpel. When I'm not prodding around on his insides or removing his organs with my bare gloved hands, he lives in a big ziploc bag.



He could have been a super cute little piggy, had he had the chance to live, but he might've just ended up bacon. This way, I like to imagine that I saved him from Eggs Benedict or the Oscar Meyer factory, and he gets the added bonus of teaching me all about the cardiovascular and digestive systems. So far I've enjoyed having him around. He's cute and a great conversation-starter. The only downside is my sudden aversion to pork products, but I expect that will wane with time.

*yawn*

Greetings from Austin, Texas. I got home from Philadelphia on Tuesday and went straight to school, and then straight to the gym, and straight home to bed. Wednesday I drove to Tyler to pick up Brad. We drove back to Dallas and got stuck in some horrendous 5 o'clock traffic... total time spent in car, 5 hours. We ate Food from Galilee with Deron, and then went to The Trin with a whole mess of people, including the Johnsons, the Blackmans, a Busboom, Charlie, and another couple of guys I didn't really know. Friday morning Brad and I ran errands (Target, gas, bank, bead store, Whole Foods) and had sushi, and drove to Austin, where we got stuck in some horrendous 5 o'clock traffic. Total time spent in car... 4 hours. You'd think I'd make better travel plans. Anyway, we got a drink with a couple of his college friends, and then I met Justin (heeeeeeey, Cousin) and his roommate for some amazing Mexican food and a beer at a Johnny Cash-themed bar called The Mean-Eyed Cat. Today I'm finishing up some paperwork and some schoolwork and we're going to keep Austin weird tonight. Tomorrow is brunch at The Moonshine Patio and I have to get back to Dallas (hopeful time spent in car... 3 hours?) in order to do my laundry before I leave on Sunday for back-to-back shows in northern California.

I'll be home on the 6th. I'm sorry I've been neglecting everyone lately (*clears throat*... Krysten) but I hope to get some time this week in Santa Clara to catch up on some e-mails and blogs. Oh, and in other news, I got a pet. His name is Hamlet. I'll post pictures tomorrow when I get back home.

Room 115

It's very, very cold. OK, so, it's only about 20. But the wind chill is in the single digits and I am sitting by the huge wall of windows on the mezzanine level of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. In 2 pair of socks, my regular work clothes, a scarf, a jacket, and fingerless gloves. My favorite part about the weather was when the fire alarm at the hotel went off at 1am and I had to stand in the street in my pajamas for half an hour. That was pretty awesome.

Last night, I went to eat at Room 115. I think the real name of the place is Penn View Grille or something generic like that, but in the trade show industry, it's referred to as Room 115, because it's right across the street from the end of the first level of meeting rooms here at the Convention Center. It's basically where Room 115 will be when they rip down the diner to expand the Center. I've been going to Room 115 for at least 5 years. They are closing their doors on February 3rd.

It's basically a slightly more ethnic Luke's with a bar, and a big, jolly 100% Greek cook named Willy, who's been cooking there for 31 years. He's been there for longer than my entire life! I sat at the bar last night and talked to him for about an hour. He is about to be out of work for the first time in 31 years, and he still wouldn't let me pay for my dinner (a Greek salad with gyro meat and tzaziki sauce on the side - "on the side is very important to me"). I'm starting to wax nostalgic over the fact that I'm not going to have this job forever. People on the road often ask me where I live. I live in America, and I've been lucky enough to experience it from many different eyes and many different ears. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

In other news, Ethan Embry was on Season 1 finale of Numb3rs ... and well, he is just no longer Preston. Or Mark. Or even The Bass Player. Sad, sad turn of events. I barely even recognized him. ("You mean he's kinda tall, has hair, and he wear t-shirts. Sometimes.")

I'm about halfway through Season 1 of Scrubs, and I have to admit, I'm smitten with every character. I've always heard that Zach Braff is an incredibly smug a**hole, unfortunately, because I really, really like J.D. And that whole Ally McBeal-esque visual imagination thing they have going on. Keep in mind that if you ever see me staring off into space while you're talking to me, it's probably because there's a musical going on in my head.

(PS> Tom, I'm been singing "Marion the Librarian" ALL WEEK thanks to you. I even did a little part of the dance in my room last night with "Blink," "Tales from the City," and a manga. Yes, I'm just THAT big of a dork. Plus I wanted to see how much of it I remember from 15 years ago. Quite a bit, actually.)

more thoughts...

So, did you guys watch the Bill O'Reilly-Colbert interviews last night? The greatest TV crossover since The Jetsons Meets the Flintstones. I kinda hate to say it, but I have a lot more respect for Papa Bear O'Reilly right now. He didn't let Stephen talk on top of him, which, let's face it, is a task in and of itself. He was very direct and didn't let the whole thing crumble into a giggle-fest.

(Did anyone else see last night's Comedy Central teaser that said it was going to tilt the no-spin zone "on it's axis"???? Seriously. "on I-T-apostrophe-S axis." I'm mortified. I hope someone got fired for that.)

On another note, I finally tried Coke Blak and um.... well? I like Coke. And I like coffee. A LOT. But I'm not sure this is a good union. I'm going to go on the record here as saying Coke and coffee are two great tastes that do not taste great together. (But yes, Erin, I think it would be better with lemon.)

Tom and I finished the second season of Doctor Who and laughed a lot (and wept a little, that's right, I admit it!). He also introduced me to Scrubs, which I had never seen, but I kind of love now. 'Cause that's what I need. Another show to catch up on/watch in primetime.

Gotta get some sleep. Work at 7am, if I can remember how to do my job.

thoughts of the day

**24 spoilers**

Poor Curtis. Somewhere in the first couple of hours, I decided that Curtis is totally Helo. I can't believe I never made that parallel before. I hope I didn't accidentally just kill Helo by saying that.

**spoilers over**

Today is Winnie the Pooh Day, as it marks the 125th anniversary of the author's birth. As much as I like Winnie the Pooh, when Tom told me that, this is what popped out of my mouth:

"In the words of A.A. Milne... get out of my chair, dillhole."

Man, I love that episode.

Corner Bistro tonight!

24

OHMIGAH. The gods of 24 (and quite possibly, God Himself) are smiling.

So, I didn't watch the first 4 episodes of 24. Not with Bill, not with Kristie, not at all. About 7 people have told me how awesome it is, and I've been all fingers in my ears, I-can't-hear-you-la-la-la-la because Tom and I had promised each other we would watch it together tonight.

SO. Tom gets home from Brian's this morning, and over the holiday, BBC had aired a Dr. Who marathon, and Sci-Fi had aired a Battlestar marathon, this wiping his DVR of all traces of Sunday's 24. WHA?

We had an elaborate scheme worked out that involved downloading them from iTunes, and purchasing a cord to play them off the computer. What we ended up getting is a cord that plays video from his iPod to his TV, and on the way out of Target, we decide to see if they have Season 2 of Dr. Who. They don't, but what the DO have... wait for it....

The first 4 episodes of 24. Like, the ones that came out LAST NIGHT AND THE NIGHT BEFORE. Those 4. On a dvd. For $9.99.

Life is sweet.

New York New York (the city so nice, they named it twice)

I'm on my way to Brooklyn!! I'm so excited. I still want to make girl trips to NYC soon, but the next two days are all about Jamie & Tom, and our Tennanthon. *flutter*

And then I have to go back to work. *slump*

Pan's Labyrinth

You know what the world needs more of? Rated R fairy tales. Bill and I just saw Pan's Labyrinth and it was just... stunning.

Caveat emptor: it's extremely violent. But it's beautiful, and sad, and full of darkness and wonder, and evil stepfathers (el Capitan) and mythical beasts like Pan, whose name "only the wind and the trees can pronounce." It's about finding the fairy in the garden, it's about anti-facism, it's about magic and death, and how reality and fantasy can interwine through every day life.

Sunday, bloody (and rainy, icy, drippy, crappy) Sunday.

I dvr'd the classic Twilight Zone episode "Five Characters in Search of an Exit"- it's one of those legends that you always hear about and has been the jumping point for more than one tribute. However, nobody told me that one of the characters was a clown. I HATE CLOWNS. Nobody said anything about clowns. I couldn't seem to turn it off, so I'm relatively certain that I'll have nightmares tonight.

It was too cold and wet to put on nice shoes and go to church, so I just wrapped up and went to brunch with some friends. We tried to go see Pan's Labyrinth (which Mr. Moviefone is inexplicably calling "Pan's LIB-yrinth") but it was so full that the only seats left were on the front row, and it's subtitled and we just couldn't bear it, so we left and got our money back and drank hot cocoa and cider at my apartment instead. It doesn't sound like a bad story, but the whole experience from deciding we wanted to see a movie to getting our money back was rather time-consuming and labor-intensive and kind of a beat-down. Then we went to the mall and the snobby watch lady made me feel small. There are also two very long stories about school and dating that add to the beat-down feeling, but I won't bore you with them here.

(Although, come to think of it, this is my blog and you don't have to read it, so I should talk about whatever the gravy I want to talk about! But, I'm too beat down, so I'm just going to pass on the venting. For now.)

ANYway, tomorrow i need to work out, and pack for my trip (in the smallest bag possible, since I'm to take the train from New York to Philadelphia). I cannot possibly iterate here how excited I am to spend time with Tom. We will have 4 hours of 24 and the entire 2nd season of Dr. Who to watch... and hopefully get into the city for the patented Tom/Jamie Date(R) of Corner Bistro, Magnolia Bakery, and Chumley's. Seriously. Best date EVER.

good eats

I have a confession. I am completely, totally, 100% smitten with Alton Brown. Seriously, I have the biggest crush on him like, ever. I said that to Tom yesterday, and he was all "that creepy, sexually-ambiguous science guy on the Food Network"? Oh Tom. There is nothing sexually ambiguous about Alton Brown. I'd be willing to bet my life on his heterosexuality. Also, he's a SCIENCE guy and he COOKS. And he's got that dorky I-was-a-nerd -in-high-school-but-only-because-I-was-so-much-smarter-and -funnier-than-everyone- else-my-age thing going on. *sigh*

So, I'm up in the 'burbs watching Sandy's wee weenies (DOGS, people) and they are so cute I could die. I left them alone all day today and now they are all sorts of emotionally needy now. One of them actually has her head in the crook of my elbow while I'm typing. The other one is trying to squeeze between me and the keyboard of my laptop, which is literally in my lap. Every once in a while one of them will sigh in her sleep, like she had a really hard day, and it's the most adorable thing I've ever heard.

I saw two movies yesterday- Children of Men and The Holiday. I've been on this whole end-of-the-world kick lately (see previous post) and Children of Men was just beautifully done. Really, really excellent. The Holiday was also very cute. I even fell for Jude Law and I'm not usually a fan.

OK, it's almost time for Jon and Stephen, and I need to untangle these pups so I can switch over my laundry. Ahhh, life in suburbia.

The Stand

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang, but with a whimper.
-T.S. Eliot

I love Stephen King. I think he's a fantastic writer, an interesting celebrity, and the most American of Americans. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of the horror genre in general, so I admit I haven't read enough of his books to be labeled a true fan, but what I've read, I've loved, and The Stand is one of my favorites. Still eerily too close to scientists' predictions of the world's end.

So, the miniseries came on Sci-Fi today. I just started it, and I'm already sufficiently creeped out. It's sort of dated now (who can hear "Don't Fear the Reaper" without thinking "more cowbell"?) but so far the tone is just right.

I still have a cold, so, after watching this, I probably won't sleep tonight. *shudder*

hello, home!

Correction: it's actually COLDER in Dallas than it is in Boston. What-EV-er. I'm home. I'm off to the gym. I'm going to church tomorrow. *dusts off hands* Looks like New Year's Resolutions are going quite well. I got to see G last night and it was a ball. The Stand is coming on Sci-Fi all day tomorrow. I have a week off and then I get to see Tom for 2 days before I go back to work. I love life today.

XOXOX

(yes, I realize I need to de-holidaze my blog. In the immortal words of Megan L. 40 to Rawr... "Grow up. Get over it." Kisses!)

hello Jamie

Greetings from Boston!! It's the exact same temperature here as it is at home, so maybe that Al Gore is onto something. It sucks to be at work, and it sucks even worse to be at "team-building" - man, I hate almost nothing more. But I'm having a blast with my girlfriends - I haven't worked with a lot of them since this summer or last winter so it's fun to catch up. Plus, I get to see Gina tomorrow!!!

Check out the Hello Jamie icon my friend Kelly made for me!!!!! *squeee!*

Also, I fell off the vegetarian bandwagon. Who had money on how long I would make it?? The answer, my friends, is "what is 36 days?" Suck it, Trebek!

Happy New Year~

I think I'm going to die. Seriously. The cold is dragging and dragging and my throat hurts worse every day, and then I today, on top of my (minor) hangover, I had this brilliant idea to make my peas and cornbread into fritters? But I didn't have any vegetable oil, so I fried them in olive oil. Like, an entire bottle of it. And I have been balled up in the fetal position ever since. Erin didn't feel good either. I think Bill and Nathan were OK, but I'm pretty sure that I should never cook again.

New Year's Resolutions: go to church at least (at least) once a month, and stop cursing so much. I am an educated lady, after all. Surely I can come up with a word for every situation. And OK, I'm reprising the New Year meme. The first sentence from the first post of each month in 2006:

January 1, 2006: Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind...? What does this song mean? For my whole life, I don't know what this song means.

February 1, 2006: Today is my day off.

March 1, 2006: Ok, it is 90 degrees, y'all. NINETY.

April 3, 2006: I have a really long list of things to do, but due to the incredibly sore muscles, the excruciating sunburn, and the fact that the A/C is still not on at Chalet J... I just want to lie around.

May 1, 2006: I know I'm always damn-the-man-save-the-empire about Starbucks-- and I stick to my crappy over-priced coffee opinion-- but sometimes when I'm traveling, I have slim to zero choices in the non-starbucks coffee genre, and since I'd rather pull my eyeballs out that go without, meet my new obsession.

June 3, 2006: Congrats, Genevieve, you were my statcounter's 10,000 hit!

July 2, 2006: I had a pretty stressful day yesterday... my phone is broken: first it stopped ringing, but it was still vibrating, and now it's not doing either.

August 1, 2006: *appropriate air guitar here*

September 2, 2006: I didn't have any plans last night until about 3:30pm.

October 1, 2006: Seems like the entire pop culture world is embracing the expletive "frak" these days.

November 1, 2006: Ohmigah! I just met the White House Deputy to the Associate Director for Science!!

December 2, 2006: This morning I woke up early to do some schoolwork, and then Charlie came over to help me with my brakes (ibym "help me with"... "do while I watched"), and then I decided to tackle my Christmas tree. No, not like that.

There you have it. My year in review. Insert something winsome and profound about your coming year... I can't be bothered to be wise right now. I need another ginger ale.