"I'm not sad; I'm complicated." (House spoilers)

My last post from Viva Las Vegas! I won't have internet access until Friday (between 2-5pm, natch), so there probably won't be an update until then.

Last night's viewings (while closing my show paperwork and packing the heaviest suitcase in the world) included:

The X-Files: Colony. The one where Mulder's sister comes back (the first time) and there's that shape-shifter dude and Mulder comes to Scully's door and she's all "hey Mulder, let me just answer the phone" and it's Mulder on the phone, and she spins around to look at the Mulder in the doorway and the Mulder on the phone is all "Scully? Scully?" and she has this awesome look on her face and then it ends. Damn, I miss that show. Oh, it's also the episode where Scully says "Mulder, what happened to trust no one?" and he snarks "oh, I changed it to trust everyone-- didn't I tell you?" *snort*

I love that commercial where the guy is on the phone with the voice-automated customer service line: What's your pet's name? FLUFFY. What's your password? BIGBOY. And right as he gets someone his train goes into the tunnel. Heee.

Golden Girls. The one where Dorothy is depressed and she goes to see her pediatrician friend Dr. Weston and I couldn't remember if Empty Nest spun off Golden Girls or the other way around. Either way, I miss both of those shows. I've said it before and I'll say it again- they don't make sitcoms like they used to.

This new Julianne Moore movie, Freedomland? Didn't she already make that movie? And didn't Jodie Foster make it, too? I'm confused.

The West Wing: In the Room. (Bill, just get over it.) This is a huge episode!! First, C.J. and Kate just gave each other a high-five in the Oval Office. How come I didn't notice that before? Ace-high! OK, so this is the one where Penn & Teller do a magic trick that seems to burn the American flag at Zoe's birthday party. There's a publicity nightmare because Penn & Teller won't tell the press how they performed the flag-burning illusion, therefore there is no proof that they didn't actually burn a flag at the White House, and everyone keeps calling it a "kid's birthday party" even though I'm pretty sure it was her 21st, which is a little irritating. C.J. is the new Chief of Staff and Josh cannot seem to take an order from her. His wounded and somehow still inflated ego is just insufferable for many reasons-- not the least of which is how he treats Donna, like even more of an asshole than usual, and then Bingo Bob asks him to run his campaign for the POTUSency. POTUS has a debilitating MS-induced incident on Airforce One. It's so incredibly sad. I love Jed Bartlett so much - what a fascinating, proud, intelligent, caring, multi-dimensional character. When he tells Millie (his old friend and the Surgeon General) that he can't move his hands and she offers to feed him... well, the look on his face made me cry. I cried again when he angrily yelled "This plane is going to China! That's a direct order from your Commander-in-Chief!!" while lying flat on his back, paralyzed from the neck down. It's also one where we meet Senator Vinick (Alan Alda) and he says "Never trust a man who doesn't shine his own shoes." Josh is hemhawing about telling Leo that Vinick is running for POTUS and Leo snaps: "Just spit it out, Josh; you're not going to shock me into my grave." Yep, I cried again.

Friends: The one where Joey gets the chick and the duck! It's the beginning of an era!! Also, Jon Favreau. Thin! And the line "This has been my dream ever since I got my first Easy-Bake Oven and opened Easy-Monica's Bakery!!"

Friends: The one where Rachel dates Angry Guy, played brilliantly by Ben Stiller. Rachel and Ross' date go to the ladies' room and Ross and Angry Guy are left alone... and Ross is all "Well, this is awkward" and A.G. is like "what?" and Ross says "well, because Rachel and I used to go out" and A.G. says "oh, I didn't know that you used to go out" and Ross says "oh. Well, then this is awkward." *snort* And one of my favorite Chandler lines, when Ross is telling them how Angry Guy yelled at people in the theater and Chandler says "Yeah, can you believe that guy? And then when the play was over, he jumped out of his seat, and started, you know, just banging his hands together!" Hahahaha!

House, M.D. *spoilers* This episode included the Poor Man's Dakota Fanning and yet another appearance of Sela Ward's Frozen Forehead. I wonder how much her Botox bill is? Let's put aside the fact that I love that Wilson has a Vertigo film poster in his office and I really want Jesse Spencer to tell me bedtime stories, and say: ohmigah I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dude, Cameron is pissed. I really liked that scene on the roof... where he says "It's not easy but it is simple." Word. Then in the office where she totally nailed him with the "you've spent months chasing me and now I'm here and you're running away?" I can't believe he freaked out and told her to go back to Mark. Actually? I totally can. What an asshole. (But so hot. Ay, there's the rub. Isn't that always the way?)

Tom Cavanaugh really needs to showcase his inherant cuteness in a better show than Love Monkey. Really. Marry me, Tom Cavanaugh! REALLY.

OK, seriously... I have got to get a life.

It starts today.

Mommy, what's a weekend?

It's weird that I said to Bill just yesterday that I was channeling my inner Chloe, because last night on 24, when Edgar said "I know that was hard, but you did the right thing," Chloe and I said at the exact same time, in the exact same tone: "Shut up, Edgar." Yes, I'm talking to the television screen now. Think that was a shout-out to TwoP? If so, well-played, 24 writers.

So it's my last day in Vegas!! Can you guys believe that I'm moving TOMORROW? It's not even real yet; I've been so busy I haven't really had time to get excited. No kidding, I've worked 148 hours since I got here two Tuesdays ago, and that included one whole day off. You guys know how much I abhor Las Vegas - it's just so trashy. Everything about it is fake, huge, sparkly, and cheap-- all strip malls and chain restaurants, and planned communities, which I loathe. ANYway... all that to say that I had a surprisingly nice trip this time around. The show was normal-busy, but so far from what I was expecting after last July that I was pleasantly surprised. There's a new account exec on this show, and I adored her, and my co-workers were freaking amazing. I'm actually going to miss them!

I'll be home (home!!) for a week - and I have 2 doctor's appointments, a haircut, appointments with 2 people at TCU about grad school, and about a million errands to do. I'll be back the 26th-3rd, and then gone for ALL of March. ALL OF IT!! At this rate I think I might be unpacked by September. Ugh.

Soooo, I'm really looking forward to my quiet evening at the hotel. My roommate left today and I'm going to do laundry, eat leftovers (can you believe I had baked ziti and a Pittsburgh chocolate chip cookie for breakfast?), watch House, and pack. I have a feeling it will be a while before I'll have another night like tonight- in fact, I'm hoping to get out of here before 5pm so my evening can start in the afternoon. I was originally keeping my fingers crossed for noon but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Sheesh.

Anyway, hope everyone is well, and that the Welcome Wagon is waiting for me tomorrow. Look out Texas!!

*does the "I have cable & internet" dance*

Wheeee! OK, so, I've been playing phone tag with Charter for at least a couple of weeks. FI-nally, I get Jesse on the phone. Yay Jesse! Choose Jesse!! He also had the Jesse Spencer accent, Krys, which made him oh-so-pleasant to talk with.

He gave me a good deal since I had to wait so long to get this taken care of, so starting Friday (between 2 and 5pm) I will have high-speed internet access, cable with ALL the movie channels, and a D-V-freakin'-R. Can you hear the angels singing??? I'm soooooo excited!

I *heart* televison.

OK, seriously, Liza Minelli is on Inside the Actor's Studio and The Puppy Bowl II is on Animal Planet (that's right; I said "II"). I'm so torn. Shelly and I were just talking about The Puppy Bowl- I'm so glad someone else saw it so at least I know I didn't hallucinate it- and we can't really figure out what's going on there. I mean, there are fans in the stands. No, seriously. But as far as we can tell, it's just puppies, playing with toys, in a "football arena." Actually, I just saw one of the puppies become all grown up, if you know what I mean. ("Joey? We always know what you mean."~ Monica) Honestly, this is why I rarely turn on the TV "just to see what's on." Ooooh, never mind, Ellen is on Comedy Central. She freakin' kills me. I love that she can base an entire comedy routine on actually being funny, instead of her race or her sexual preference. She's just... funny. She tells real-life funny stories, about going to the dentist, or ADD, or airplanes. Go, Ellen, go!

OH, is it just me, or does 24's FLOTUS look an awful lot like Samantha Jones?

So, it was soooo slow at work today. Painfully so. Everyone kept saying "no one's working today; it's a holiday weekend" and after about the 5th holiday reference I realized that Las Vegas considers Superbowl Sunday a holiday. Soooo, we left at 1:30pm and went to a bar. That's right. What's better than drinking during the day? The other 2 left for their respective Superbowl parties and I came home and took a nap. A) that's what's better than drinking during the day: drinking during the day and then napping. *wink*

OK, *yawn* - I really should get some real sleep. I have another day and a half to go. Our two freelancers left last night and Les is leaving after tomorrow, so Tuesday's really going to be a killer. With any luck I'll be out of there by noon. And to Texas on Wednesday!! I can't believe it's here already! I'm so excited.

Goodnight, readers. Goodnight, Ellen. Goodnight, moon.

I got your shanf right here.

In Genesis 24:22 Abraham requested his oldest servant to find a wife for his son Isaac, the servant found Rebekah, and one of the gifts he gave her was the Hebrew word "shanf," which is translated as "nose-ring."

Just wanted to throw in that Biblical reference. Y'know, just in case.


So, I got my nose pierced. I've been thinking about it for a looooong time, seriously thinking about it for a while, and finally went this evening. I think it's pretty cool. I wanted the smaller one than I got, like a teeny tiny dot, but I have to wait a couple of months. The girl that did it is super cool (she pierced my cartilage last July) and when I come back to Las Vegas in early March she will switch it out with the smaller one for me.

Also, when I got to my hotel today, I had a box of chocolates from a freight foreman out of Dallas that I work with a lot, who I gave a ride to work the other morning, and he got me miserably lost. I yelled at him in the lobby of the hotel and he sent me chocolates as an "I'm sorry." Hee. I also had a Spongebob Squarepants Valentine from my new boyfriend, Bryce, and a heart-framed picture of him. Bah!



Edited to add: I have another entry for the "Things I'll Probably Never Hear Said Again" list- "OK, I'm going to stick a cork up your nose."

Hang on, Little Tomato.

The sun has left and forgotten me,
It's dark, I cannot see.
Why does this rain pour down,
I'm gonna drown in a sea,
Of deep confusion.
Somebody told me, I don't know who,
Whenever you are sad and blue,
And you're feelin' all alone and left behind,
Just take a look inside and you will find:

You gotta hold on, hold on through the night
Hang on, things will be all right
Even when it's dark, and not a bit of sparkling,
Sing-song sunshine from above,
Spreading rays of sunny love.
Just hang on, hang on to the vine--
Stay on, soon you'll be divine.
If you start to cry, look up to the sky:
Something's coming up ahead
To turn your tears to dew instead

And so I hold on to his advice:
When change is hard and not so nice,
You listen to your heart the whole night through
Your sunny someday will come one day soon to you.

SERIOUSLY?!??

OK, honestly? Who is this? And WHAT IS SHE WEARING? The hell?? I'm against Valentine's Day clothing on principle but that is truly the worst speciman I have ever, ever seen.

Check out the dude behind her to the left. He's agrees with me and is thinking: "the hell?" The two guys to the right are calling in back-up. "Please remove this from the premises immediately, as it is hurtling nearby standers-by into photosensitive seizures."

Seriously, who IS that?

I don't want to step on the toes of the brilliant minds over at Go Fug Yourself, where I ripped the photo, but I just had to add my own commentary.

Today:

I wish I was home watching the movie instead of spending my Groundhog Day saying the same thing over and over and over and over.

By the way, 6 more weeks of winter.

Making a stop at the Frustration Station.

I'm trying to get my cable/internet service started. When I call 1-888-GET-CHARTER from the hotel phone, I get the Salt Lake City office. When I call it from my cell phone, I get the New Jersey office. Neither of them can just transfer me to Texas. The hell? Nice information technology.

ETA: They can't help me because whoever lived there before me has not yet terminated his service. And his bill is up-to-date, even though that apartment has been vacant for well over a month. I need to fax them my lease and THEN call... which is extremely inconvenient since the time I have to make the call is away from the fax machine.

GAH.

My day off.

Today is my day off. I know, you're probably thinking, lucky Jamie! A day off in a fun city! But sadly, no. I have a bajillion things to do. I've just worked no less than 10 hours a day for 7 days, and tomorrow I go back for 7 more, and it's shocking the things in my life that don't get done when I'm at work. I almost miss being in an office.

Buuuuut not quite.

Do I get to sleep in on my day off? No.

7:00am - wake up
7:20am - drive girls to work so I can have the car. Run inside to get my iTrip, and some papers that I need to take by the Vegas office later. Explain to no less than 3 people why I am not dressed for work ("nice hat, Jamie. Going golfing?") and no less than 3 other people why I am there on my "day off."
7:50am - Java Detour
8:20am - get back to room. Spread out my 13 post-its on the kitchen table and prepare to make my phone calls: insurance, doctor, landlord, cable/internet, mobile phone

But first, I'm blogging. Next on the list:

-make all those phone calls (OK, so, I've got 2 of them made while I was writing this post)
-do 2 expense reports
-work out
-shower
-eat
-go to the Vegas office, drop off some papers, use someone's office to plug into the network so my IT guy can run some update on my computer that can only be done from one of our portals
-get my nose pierced
-go to Target
-find a post office
-go to Old Navy
-pick up girls from work at 6pm.

Think I can make it? Oh, and I have to be at some happy hour around 6 that our boss' boss' boss is throwing. Can't say no to those kinds of things, unfortunately, because I would love to stay in and watch LOST.

OH! In other news, I got a new computer! IBM Thinkpad T23, 1.3 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, 48GB hard drive, CDRW-DVD drive, Windows XP Professional, wi-fi - the works. This machine retails around $1895. I got it on eBay, my friend, at the cool winning bid of $561. It will add 4.5lbs to my backpack but at least I will be able to watch/download/listen to stuff on the road. Wheee!