Two bits

The lovely 3T posted about a project that Rachel over at Oh My God Y'all is doing for Christmas. She's planning to deliver 300 teddy bears to the Phoenix Children's Hospital on Christmas Day. So, she's collecting monetary (via Paypal) or teddy donations.

Click here to participate. You can even send her any bears that you or your kids may have outgrown that are still in good condition. I found some wholesale priced bears (as in under $5/piece) at www.msteddybear.com and had them shipped directly to Rachel. A friend of mine has delivered a dozen or so teddy bears to a local children's hospital every year, and he said you would not believe the expression on the kids' faces when they received such a kind gift.

Now, on to the regularly scheduled post...

I was talking to my friend, Dan, last night and he gave me permission to post this story. I have mentioned in the past, but I will bring it up again that Dan has muscular dystrophy. Here's what happened:

Dan: ...So, they can just call me the gimpy guy.
Me: You know, I don't really like that word.
Dan: You don't? What's the big deal?
Me: Well, people have used that word to describe Kona, and I don't like it. I think it's offensive.
Dan: Oh, well, sorry.
Me: No, you're allowed to say it because you describe yourself. It's like only Eddie Murphy can call himself the N-word.
Dan: Yeah, that makes sense.
Me: Besides, haven't you seen Pulp Fiction? It's kind of a creepy reference.
Dan: No, believe it or not, I haven't seen it.

Now, this is where I must take a commercial break because I know many of you are wondering how in the world I could be such good friends with someone that hasn't seen Pulp Fiction yet. Well, as much as Dan loves movies, he likes the kind that I often find questionable, therefore, he has missed many of the ones that society (as a whole) considers to be classics, like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and even The Godfather. One time, he invited me over for pizza and to watch something that he had on Netflix. The best of the bunch, as strange as this may seem, was Soul Plane. Horrible. Terrible. I want those two hours back. But, you know I love you anyway, right, Dan?

Me: You have to see Pulp Fiction. There's a gimp in the movie that's dressed up in all leather and is used as a sex slave for two men. That's what I immediately think about whenever I hear that word.
Dan (pauses): So...THAT explains some of the strange reactions that I've received whenever I've called myself that.

Thanks for the laugh, my friend.

being single-minded

I would imagine that most of us belong to a particular sub-sect of our culture that always begs the same question from just about everyone you know. For newlyweds, it's "when are you having kids?" For parents, it's "when are you having another?" For single people, it's "are you dating anyone?"

I fall into the latter category and I'm asked that constantly. And I have to admit that I ask that of my own single friends because it kind of seems like the easy way to make conversation. I even do it without thinking about it. One time, my friend Dan e-mailed me his diatribe of why single life is great and then I absent-mindedly asked in my next message if he's dating anyone. Add that to my list of really stupid things I've said to others.

I don't know if it's because I'm getting older or have been married (or maybe a product of both), but I find myself in a position where I'm pretty damn picky. I already know what works with my personality type (even with the expected compromises factored in), so why waste the time on something that is most likely doomed to fail? I'm also beyond the point of crushing on someone from afar, and if there's no chemistry or one of us doesn't feel compelled to make the move, then I just move on.

One could say that my expectations are perhaps too high or maybe I'm a little too matter-of-fact about something that should be more emotional, but I think it's a matter of being realistic. If I know that a guy with certain characteristics is going to irritate the ever-loving crap out of me, then what's the point? Some friends of mine have mentioned that perhaps some of these characteristics can be "trained out" of them.

My counter points are not only that I don't have the time or energy to go through something like that (it didn't work the last time), but also that it's not really fair to expect a metamorphosis just for me when he may be a perfect fit for someone else. And after all, aren't we supposed to love the person for who they are today and not who you hope they'll be tomorrow?

It's a delicate balance between your own personal deal-breakers, yet also trying to be flexible and tolerant -- regardless of the issue. This just happens to be the one I'm dealing with right now.

Film Review

Now, I know that some of you are hesitant to read my reviews, but note that I don’t reveal any spoilers; it’s just my opinion of how the film is executed.

Casino Royale: A-

I have to admit that I was actually glad when Pierce Brosnan took over the role of James Bond back in 1995. He seemed to be the epitome of one that needed to be clever enough to outwit his opponents, yet have the panache to charm women so effortlessly.

I’ve changed my mind now that I’ve seen Casino Royale.

I was skeptical of Daniel Craig having the ability to pull of this role, and I think some of it’s because he looks so menacing in his still shots and never smiles. It appears as though he has absolutely no personality, doesn’t it? I started to open up to the idea after I saw him in Munich, and was determined to see it with an open mind. And, I likey.

What makes this one so different? Well, for one, the plot actually makes some sense. It’s more from the financial angle, and while I could go into more detail, the reality is that you probably don’t care, right? After all, it’s about the witty dialogue and action sequences, the latter of which is a refreshing change compared to the overly campy Brosnan films.

The action, for lack of a better word, comes across simply as “real” in terms of not relying up on upon CGI effects (or at least not making it look obvious). The Matrix films broke ground with their wirework and special effects, but then every action movie thereafter mimicked the style and by the time we saw it in something like Charlie’s Angels, the time had come to switch gears. One of the first to break the mold again was The Bourne Identity, which featured gritty fight and chase scenes (and of course, the TV show 24). I’m not saying that everything is realistic, for if it were, then it would be real life, and what’s the fun in watching that?

The new James Bond is muscular, strong and fast. He doesn’t waste time, he doesn’t ask unnecessary questions, he’s got a good head on his shoulders but doesn’t overanalyze. He kicks ass in what one would call an “old school way,” by punching, outmaneuvering, and of course, using weapons. A comparison could be made in that in Brosnan’s version, Bond would’ve probably gone through a doorway by seducing a woman on the way and fox trotting around the guards, whereas Craig’s just plows right through the wall.

I also like the way they use the surroundings within the action sequences, in terms of the buildings or ordinary props lying around – similar to Jackie Chan’s style but not quite as over-the-top. Craig’s Bond is also not afraid to get dirty, bloody, and get the job done, rather than be overly concerned with looking suave enough to get laid that night. Gone are the cheesy, ostentatious stunts from Brosnan’s films, like skydiving into a small airplane cockpit (thankfully).

As much as I liked this film, there are some things that didn’t work for me. Now, before you read too much into it, note that my A rating factors these things in. I discuss them to show that I’m not blind to imperfection. There are some minor holes in the plot, but then again, that applies to just about every action movie I’ve seen. Despite the film’s skill with balancing hardcore action with the mental mind game of the big poker match, it runs a little long at two hours and 20 minutes. And as much as I like the fact they show Bond all bloody and cut up, it bothered me that his face is completely clean during the next scene which did not jump that far forward in time for him to have completely healed.

And this may be a little inconsistent, but my preference and attraction for Craig’s rough Bond also made the love story feel a little... implausible. I just didn’t buy it. It probably didn’t help that Eva Green, as Vespar Lynd, doesn’t show up until halfway through the film, or the fact that she’s a French actress bumbling through (and overdoing) her English accent. I thought she was atrocious in Kingdom of Heaven, and though she’s better in this, I wonder if I would’ve liked the storyline better had they cast a better actress. Then again, most women that consider themselves “real actresses” won’t take the role of a mere Bond girl when there are Oscars to be won (and don’t remind me of Halle Berry – she accepted her role before the buzz even started about her performance in Monster’s Ball).

Even with my criticisms, this was the most thrilling and entertaining film ride I’ve had in a long time, and I highly recommend it for both men and women. Hell, if it didn’t cost so much to go to the theatre, I’d see it again.

And that says a lot.

my craptastic weekend

Pretend your single and if you're going to run into your attractive single neighbor of the opposite sex, do you want to run into them when:

1. You're about to go out on a Friday or Saturday night and look pretty good, not to mention that it's a sign you have a social life.

2. You're about to go to work in the morning and you look "fresh" and it's a sign that you have...a job.

3. You're out walking your dogs and you've shown that you can actually go out with your ballcap and no make-up, not to mention that you're a damn fine dog owner.

4. You've just come back from the dog park, during which time you picked up your dog that, unbeknownst to you, had poop stuck to his butt so you have just smeared crap all over your jacket, gloves and (somehow) on to your sweats. At this point, you can, for once in you life, literally say that you "smell like shit."

Now, guess which one just happened to me?

And as if that wasn't enough, I got home on Friday afternoon after quick road trip for the holiday to find black sewer water in my kitchen sink that just wouldn't go away. After taping up my air gap and plunging, the stank water sprayed all over me, including my face and hair. Then, I cleaned out my u-trap underneath and even though I put towels underneath, I was unprepared for the gushing flow that splattered all over the towels, and -- you guessed it -- me. I wound up having to call a plumber who had to clean out the pipes down in my building's garage to unblock them.

But, I had a nice Thanksgiving with my good friend, Brook, and her family and at least no pumpkin pie was shoved in my face, since I would've taken the shit over that any day (and thanks Mary for your yummy salad). And thanks to my friend, T, for the dinner/movie -- I'm working on my review for Casino Royale.

And how was your weekend?

what made someone eat pumpkin for the first time? seriously.

So, this is what was happening around 2 p.m. when my co-worker and I were out eating our late lunch today. This cool shot was caught by the ABC affiliate tower cam on top of the tallest building in Seattle (76 stories).

We have actually broken the record for the wettest month ever with 12.94" so far in the Seattle area -- and I'm still not annoyed because it's better than tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, ice storms, freezing temperatures, blizzards, and humidity sweat.

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I know everyone's doing the "thankful" posts or what we like to eat for the holiday, but I thought I'd take the opposite route. I've never really hosted a Thanksgiving meal and controlled the food, except one year when I was married, and even then, my Ex and mother literally got into a fight over who was cooking what and how.

One of the downsides to being a picky eater is that I often don't like the dishes that people make because they usually mess it up with something funky, like ruining a perfectly good scoop of Cool Whip by having pumpkin pie underneath it. Or, wasting a fine toasted marshmellow with sweet potatoes.

It's kind of a art form to hitting the buffet at a time when none of the cooks are around so that they aren't offended if I don't want what they made. Or, if they see my plate and don't see their particular dish on it, I tell them that it'll be part of the second helping because I simply "didn't have the room."

So, what is something that you don't like to eat at Thanksgiving that everyone else does?

You that one dish that when people find out you don't like it, you're suddenly peppered with questions like "what do you mean you don't like pumpkin pie? "How could you not like pumpkin pie?" "Who doesn't like pumpkin pie?"

ME, DAMN IT!


Have a nice, relaxing and safe weekend!

Things I learned on TV tonight

How I Met Your Mother
1. Apparently, it really is more embarassing to be a former teen pop star in Canada than a...porn star.

2. Many women really do look better with darker hair. Brunette is making a comeback, I'm telling you.

3. Watching men slap each other is pretty damn funny.


Prison Break
4. Women that are 50 - 60 lbs. overweight should not wear pea green.

5. If your former fugitive-hunting partner betrays you for money and is eventually going to be killed by one of the prison escapees, do not leave the guy a voice mail that says "I'm going to gut you." It kinda makes you look guilty.

6. Apparently, there are no clean AND clever FBI agents in TV shows anymore. Or, are there?

7. Jack Bauer doesn't negotiate with terrorists. And he comes back in January. Hot damn.


Heroes
8. Based on the partial face they showed of Sylar, he will not be played by Christoper Eccleston (unless they think we're morons).

9. Peter's ability to absorb others' powers is the coolest because you get to do different things (as soon as I saw the digital pic, I knew he was going to regenerate from Claire).

10. You could probably get your kid to not sneak out of the house if you tell her that she's about to be scalped by a psychopath, instead of just grounding her.


Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
11. It is possible to go from having some of the wittiest lines on TV to the...cheesiest.

12. I like Amanda Peet's hair, and then I realized that I had that same haircut in 1993.

13. Female figure skaters from Russia became less sexy once The Cold War ended.

the devils that live among us

I just finished reading this book called The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. It’s two stories of what brings out the best and worst in human beings juxtaposed throughout the planning and execution of the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893.

The theme of neo-classic architecture and the selection of white to be the color of ALL buildings earned the fair’s grounds the nickname of “the white city.” This particular storyline details the difficulty of designing and building all of the structures in such a limited time, all the while inching toward the ultimate goal of outdoing the Paris Exposition (when the Eiffel Tower was unveiled).

The dark story is what interested me more, though I feel kind of uncomfortable admitting it. In a time when women were just able to move to big cities by themselves, obtain jobs and walk around unescorted, a young physician by the name of H.H. Holmes or Herman Mudgett used this newfound opportunity to become our country’s first serial killer.

It’s hard to believe that there was once a time where women could suddenly disappear, stop writing letters to their families and no one was the wiser to report it. It will never be known how many people Holmes actually killed, though strangely, he was actually caught on insurance fraud when collecting on the policy of one of his business associates (it was eventually discovered Holmes actually killed the man and three of his children).

I find these bastards to be both repulsive, yet strangely intriguing. I really can’t explain why, though maybe it’s the desire to understand what drives that type of behavior and avoid anyone like it (after Ted Bundy, what woman would go near a man’s car by herself, even if he’s on crutches)? What makes someone so twisted to build a fortress that has a gas chamber built in or a basement complete with its own crematorium (Holmes told the furnace company that the kiln was for glassmaking)?

I’m sure most of you have seen Silence of the Lambs and Copycat repeatedly – why? They’re truly disturbing films. I’ve been drawn to From Hell with Johnny Depp, which is a somewhat fictional account of the Jack the Ripper murders. I’ve also read forensic fiction writer, Patricia Cornwell’s non-fiction investigation of the Jack the Ripper murders. As most of you probably know, Jack the Ripper was never caught and has never been identified. His five killings were especially brutal, yet they suddenly stopped after 2 ½ months, which is unusual, as most serials don’t stop until they’re caught or killed.

And even though I find it to be spine chilling to read or watch -- I cannot stop. Thankfully, the nightmares have long since passed.

Then again, maybe that's not such a good thing.

I'm not in kansas anymore

This week marked a milestone for me -- one year in this great city of Seattle. I don't know about you, but it has flown by for me and seems like only yesterday that I went from the high 80s in the morning to a high of 39 degrees by the time I landed.

I know that I've talked a lot about how much I like Seattle and why, but I thought it might be interesting to take the rose-colored glasses off and share some of the things that might not be my favorite aspects (and please don't say"well, what did you expect" or "I told you so" b/c I really did know some of this beforehand):

1. The infrastructure of the streets are horribly designed, and you can often suddenly find yourself at a dead-end because the street you're on decided to become a one-way. It's also extremely easy for new drivers to get lost, especially when you come to an intersection with five spokes and can't see the damn street signs -- across the way -- to tell which way to go. It's pretty common for people to tell me "straight right vs. hard right," but normally it's a matter of "just follow that white car."

2. The street signs are not very large, well-lit and are often covered in shrubbery.

3. I work in the downtown area, and you can't walk more than five feet without someone asking for money. I feel bad for the people, but it does get tiring and I can't give something to everyone who asks, so how does one decide? I also don't like to be approached from behind when I'm by myself, it's dark, and I'm trying get into my car. I've also had co-workers that were yelled at for bringing a guy coffee (it was too damn hot), one that tried to ignore a guy who then followed her for a block yelling at her for ignoring him, and a client that snapped at a guy and then he clocked her over the head with his 40 oz. causing half of her face to swell and bruise.

4. The primaries force you to choose a political party and then all of your votes must fall accordingly. I could somewhat understand in the days of the caucus when you went to peoples' houses and voted, but not in this day and age when you can vote by mail or at a booth.

5. There is no fast and convenient transit system, considering the population boom and traffic congestion. Outside of rush hour, the bus is skeezy, not to mention the bus stops downtown for my lines are the same way (esp. at night and by yourself). It also rarely runs on-schedule, and the routes are extremely restricted without having to transfer and take an hour to get anywhere (might as well drive at that point).

6. While there is a benefit with the idea that "one person can make a difference," it's almost to the extreme here where one person can prevent a major road repair or road widening...just because. There just always seems to be a ready supply of people that want to bitch about something.

7. That people will approve and pay for two new stadiums to be built in the last five years, but then complain about the costs to build a monorail system or to replace a major viaduct through the heart of the city that engineers say will crumble during the next earthquake.

8. There have been three mass shootings in the Seattle/Tacoma area since I moved here, the last of which happened about four blocks away.

9. It is not quite as easy to find employment if you're not in the tech or engineering fields.

10. Keeping in mind that I came from one of the highest cost of living places (Hawaii) pet care/boarding is almost twice as much here.

11. There is some aggressive road inhabitants here -- no matter if you're in the car, on a bicycle or a pedastrian. Drivers AND bicyclists will often run a red light and plow into crosswalks that are filled with pedestrians starting to cross, and I can't count how many times I've almost hit a pedestrian that suddenly jumped right out in front of me going 25 mph (yes, they were jaywalking). Drivers come barging out of parking garages without looking to see if anyone's there (I literally saw a lady hit a guy but fortunately she was going really slow), but at the same time, pedestrians will just go and go and go and never stop to let a car come out, so they have to hire policemen just to direct traffic out of garages.

12. Restaurants are about as expensive as in Manhattan -- unless I go to Subway for lunch, it's difficult to sit down at a restaurant and get a sandwich and drink for less than $15 with tax/tip. I discovered that Washington pays their wait staff minimum wage plus tips, which makes a little more sense, but it still adds up when you're single and getting out to socialize is a pretty big deal.

13. People act like not only not drinking coffee is crazy but bordeline to being a mortal sin.

14. Despite not having a great mass transit system, parking is a bear and costly. There are some neighborhoods in Seattle where you either can't find it or you pay $12 for a night.

Don't get me wrong, I really do love this place and I think it will take a lot to get me to move from here, but I thought it would be interesting to take the yang approach to my normal yin in describing "the Emerald City."
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Btw, a co-worker passed along a link to Campbell's Soup where you vote for your favorite NFL team and they will donate a can of soup to that city's food bank. Click here to get to it.

And one more -- I want to wish one of my favorite bloggers, Stacy, a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY (Saturday)! Please go on over and say hi to her and Happy Birthday. We met up when she and her husband were vacationing in Hawaii way back in Feb. 2005 and had a great time!

funny stuff

Whenever people hear that I'm really into movies, I'm usually asked what my favorite films are. Even though I've posted lists before, I do find it hard to compartmentalize my Top 10 because movies can often be memorable with just one scene.

I thought it might be fun to start a series of lists of some of my favorite scenes, and the first one will be the comedy -- what has made me belly laugh out loud in a theatre without any concern of what I sounded like.

I'm going to try limit myself to 10, just to get the ball rolling, based upon some of my top-rated films on Netflix. I'm sure I will miss many that you will think of, so feel free to keep the list going, even with different scenes from the same movies I might've referenced (yes, here's audience participation part of this program).

1. American Pie -- the scene where the dad is trying to explain sex to Jim and showing him the magazines. And also when Jim is doing his strip-tease dance.

2. Austin Powers 2 -- when Mini Me is climbing around through Austin's space suit.

3. Best in Show -- so many to choose from, but I'll pin it down to any scenes with the two gay guys and their Shit-zu.

4. Bowfinger -- when Eddie Murphy's Jeffrey is playing "Frogger" through the LA freeway.

5. Dazed & Confused -- when Matthew McConaughey says "the thing I love about high school girls is that even though I get older, the girls stay the same age."

6. The Girl Next Door -- when Matthew is having the most uncomfortable lap dance...next to his dad's best friend.

7. He Said/She Said -- when we're watching the "She Said" version of the story and we see an Ex-girlfriend approach the couple and how the Elizabeth Perkins thinks this girl is obviously a loud-mouthed, gum-smacking slut and the chick's boob falls right out of her dress.

8. Meet the Parents -- the scene when the sewer pump explodes and sprays crap all over everyone.

9. National Lampoon's European Vacation -- Big Ben, Parliament!

10. Office Space -- the gansta printer-beating scene

11. Parenthood -- the vibrator that's produced when looking for a flashlight (and was that thing huge or what?)

12. Pulp Fiction -- when Vinnie accidentally shot Marvin and they take him to Jimmy's house who says "do you see a sign on my forehead that says dead $#%# storage?"

13. Rat Race -- when the brothers are stuck in the car, going vertically up that tower.

14. Scary Movie -- when Carmen Electra is stabbed in the chest and the knife has her breast implant stuck to it.

15. A Christmas Story -- the Xmas dinner scene at the Chinese restaurant when they're singing "fa-rah-rah-rah" and they go to carve the duck and the dad says "but, it's smiling at me."

to judge or not to judge

I used to be more uptight. I know...shocker. And while I wouldn't consider myself the most laid-back or tolerant person in the world, I've come a long way from the day where I decided it didn't really matter what other people said or did, as long as they don't hurt others.

But, what if they do?

There are some instances where I guess you could say it's a no-brainer in terms of passing judgment: first degree murder, child molestation, rape, physical abuse.

What I'm talking about is the gray area of whether someone's actions, even if they aren't toward me, should alter (or sever) a relationship. I'm not referring to a mere acquaintance, but someone you're close to and cannot easily dismiss, like a long-time friend or family member.

Does it make a difference if their intentional actions hurt others, maybe not in the physical sense but perhaps the monetary (and is illegal)? When Martha Stewart was convicted for insider trading, did that change your opinion of her? What if she were your friend or relative?

And what if there's no remorse for his/her actions? Where do you draw the line between not passing judgment and exercising it?

canine rules

I know that I've posted in the past about my frustration with the lack of manners and respect that children seem to have nowadays. And now after going to the dog park a few times over here, I've realized that people aren't teaching their kids or their pets how to behave.

I don't have kids of my own, but as any pet owner can attest, my pets are the part of my "family." The picture is of us watching TV some night (yes, those are jammy pants, not what I wore to work).

So, here are some of my hints and/or gripes about people and their dogs:

1. Little dogs have as much right to the dog park as the big ones. Please teach your large dog how to behave around small ones and not to bite, nip or approach them with the teeth bared. Little dogs are not fetch toys.

2. And when little dog reacts to a larger dog behaving in a way as described in #1, don't blame the small dog for being pissed. It's like watching a teenager hit a toddler and blaming the toddler for "being three." Before you say anything about not letting them near big dogs, Reese and Kona are fine around them -- it's only when they are threatened that they react negatively (just as you would).

3. Don't tell me "sorry, he/she just doesn't like small dogs," and then let your dog come near us again. It's your dog that's out of line, so either put a muzzle on him/her or don't come to the public park.

4. Please don't pick up a dog obviously has a handicap without asking its owner first. And when she gives you permission and reminds you to "hold the back legs b/c they're weak," please do it because it's like holding a baby and not supporting its neck.

5. Even though you may have a 100 lb. German Shepherd at home, please teach your kids to gently pet small dogs, instead of thwacking them such a force that would get them in trouble if they touched you or their siblings that way.

6. When your dog pees on my disabled dog that can't move very fast, saying "Oh Carl, don't do that" in a tone that is similar to "Oh Carl, pink is just not your color" is not going to teach your dog how to behave.

7. I come to the dog park to let my dogs get some exercise and I enjoy watching them have fun. The last thing I need is to be interrogated by every person that walks by me. The truth is, it's really none of your business what happened to my dog, just like you probably wouldn't ask a parent at a park why their kid has a limp.

8. But if you just can't help yourself and ask because you want to make sure the same thing can't happen to your dog, and I respond with a one-word answer -- chances are you're the 10th person to have asked that same thing in the last 30 minutes and take it as a clue that I don't want to talk about it (one of my friends didn't believe how bad it was until she came with me once; I'm not exaggerating).

9. When approaching someone that has a dog with an obvious problem, the first words you utter should not be "was it just too expensive to have the operation to fix him?"

10. And when you have the nerve to ask the question, don't be surprised when someone like me says, "No, two different doctors in two different states said it wouldn't be worth the pain that he would have to go through for the surgery and rehabilitation, much like the choice you're going to have to make in a couple of years when your knees and hips blow out."

Being rude or inconsiderate to someone's pet is the same as behaving that way to the owner. I know many think that they're just animals and don't know any better, but they do and so does their owner. It's just a matter of having common courtesy-- something we don't seem to pay much attention to anymore.

And though it's not like I let this frustration consume me, I just need to vent out once in a while, and I still don't think it's anything that I should have to get "used" to. Why should we perpetuate the cycle of rude or irresponsible behavior by constantly excusing it?

visual ramblings

I know this is a little late to post, but here's a picture of me in my costume for the Halloween party that I attended.

When I arrived, one of the guys said that I looked like Princess Fiona from Shrek and added that it would've been "really cool if I'd shown up as the ogre version."

Ah, so that's the key to getting a date?








I just found out that my office is going to give us the week between Xmas and New Year's off. I really think that I want to take a trip for me, one that involves me going to some place new. I've checked into Europe and it's pretty ghastly in terms of prices. So, here' s a picture of the Florida Keys, a place I'm thinking about. Any suggestions that aren't too cold or expensive?

This is a shot of one of my favorite Hawaii-based cuisines, called a loco moco. You take rice, brown gray, ground beef and an egg (cooked any way you like) and then mix up. It's actually quite good and some people add mushrooms, onions, and other spices to snaz it up.

Try it some time!

Am I the only one that thought Kate and Sawyer's grimey sex scene was a little...gross?

But hey, even though the men have stubbly beards after being on the island and being kept prisoner, at least Kate's underarms were cleanly shaven for all of us to see.

I caught a sneak preview of a new indy film called Copying Beethoven with Ed Harris and Diane Kruger (the chick from National Treasure and Troy). I actually liked it and would give it a B, but it did run a little slow at the end. The acting was pretty good (though Harris went a little over the top sometimes), and the screenplay was littered with witty remarks, like "I'm a difficult person, Ms. Holtz but I take comfort in the fact God made me that way."

I have to admit that the 15-minute or so scene where he conducts his Ninth Symphony for the first time was almost orgasmic. I just discovered that the Seattle Symphony is performing it Dec. 28 -30 and now I might have to go. Any Seattleites interested? I promise, I can contain myself in public.

I always show pictures of my dachsund, Kona (or he's the center of attention), but I thought this pic of Reese at the dog park turned out rather cute. It's almost as if he's saying "TGIF and have a good weekend."

Oh wait, that's me. Have a good one!

i hate these four little words

A couple of co-workers and I were sitting in a conference room yesterday after a client call, and suddenly one of them received an e-mail about the Britney Spears divorce from a friend. We started laughing, as most of you probably did.

But the first thought that really ran through my head -- and maybe this is the divorcee in me -- is "how long did she want out but she stuck with it to avoid the dreaded 'I told you so?'" I mean, it was bad enough for me when it was just my family and friends, but throwing the...you know, whole world into the foray does make it a little nerve-wracking.

With Britney, my guilt over laughing at her ended about a millisecond after it started. I know she wasn't forced to become famous and throw her personal life into the papers.

But, it still caused me to think of the things that I tried to carry on, even though they might've not been the ideal choices to either avoid the "I told you so" or the disappointment in myself for quitting. I think it's my ego that doesn't like to hear those words because it's as if someone else knows me better than I know myself, and that's the one area in which I should be an expert. Right?

I've already talked about my marriage falling into this category of things I-pushed-through-even-though-I-felt-like-quitting, but I can also add the fact that I moved to be with my now-Ex, going to TCU (the culture of rich kids was so different than the laid-back style of Hawaii), and taking a marketing job in San Antonio that got me out of temping at USAA but wound up being corrupt (the FBI raided its offices an hour after I left on my last day).

So, what are some things that you perservered through, even though you wanted to quit? And, did it wind up working out in the end?

our vote is our voice

Are you voting today? If not, how come?

One thing I like about living here is that anyone can easily vote through the mail, so I did it over the weekend. I've never lived in an area where I had so many propositions, referendums and whatnot because apparently, the democratic process is taken to the extreme here in Washington.

If the Legislature or City Council can't decide on something, they just throw it on the next ballot and let the voters decide because it's the easy way out (which is one of the things I was warned about before moving to Seattle).

While Brad's voting on items like stem cell research and minimum wage in Missouri, we voted on life-changing issues like granting City Council the ability to meet at a location other than their normal meeting room during crises and whether strippers now have to maintain a four-foot distance from their customers.

Don't get me wrong, there were some impactful issues on our ballot (particularly a few tax ones), but some of these made me wonder why we even have a legislature or a council -- don't we hire them to make decisions, even if they're difficult?

My favorite is the legalese describing these proposals, some of which I had to read three times to really understand what they were saying. It made me wonder how many issues are accepted or rejected because people don't realize what they're voting for.

One thing I'm glad for -- no more nasty political ads. What's the worst one you saw in your area (for any party)?

Film Review

Flags of Our Fathers: A-

Some of my favorite movies are not the ones that have clapping at the end of it, but those where I sit in silence, contemplating what I’ve just seen and watching pictures flash on-screen of the people that actually endured what I’ve just witnessed.

Flags of our Fathers is based upon a book about the six men that were captured in the famous photo of the flag raised on the fifth day of the battle on Iwo Jima during World War 2. As the narrator of the film said, “wars are won and lost by a single image,” and this particular one galvanized the country to continue their support of the war effort.

Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film focuses upon the three of the six survivors of the battle (which continued for another 30 days after the flag raising) and the aftermath of their sudden fame. Within a week of taking the picture, it was plastered all over every major newspaper in the U.S., and once the participants were identified, the survivors were quickly whisked back to the States to start campaigning for war bonds.

The audience is a voyeur, watching the men’s different reactions to their newfound notoriety in that Rene Gagnon (played by Jesse Bradford) seemed perfectly comfortable with the new skin, while John Bradley (Ryan Philippe) quietly and Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) rather publicly struggled with the subsequent hero worship for an act that was merely about being at the right place at the right time.

As with all of Eastwood’s film, the acting is superb, and since it’s sprinkled with primarily unrecognizable actors, their obscurity helps to maintain the time frame, storyline and perspective. Eastwood’s direction for Philippe’s character to have more of a silent, calm, and understated reaction was extremely powerful, and consistent with the real-life behavior of Bradley, who never spoke about the flag raising after the war (even to his own family). However, I’m now in awe of Adam Beach (from Windtalkers) who played American Indian Ira Hayes that had the most difficulties with not only the bond tour, but also with the guilt of leaving his comrades behind in the war.

It also served as a reminder that latching on to soldiers’ stories in an effort to promote a cause or raise money isn’t apparently limited to a particular time frame or political party. I cringed with each of the events filled with tasteless pomp and circumstance, the tackiest of which had them reenact the flag raising on a papier-mâché mountain in the middle of a stadium – almost with the facade that he war wasn’t still going on and young men weren’t actually still dying.

Some might automatically think about Saving Private Ryan and the similarities between the two films and whether it’s worth seeing Flags of Our Fathers. Though both feature about 20 minutes worth of hardcore battle sequences that leave nothing to the imagination, Flags of Our Fathers is a completely different perspective on the war that was also being fought on the other side of the globe. Ryan’s storyline took place within the war, and as already mentioned, Flags also provides a view of what it was like for soldiers once they left the battlefield. Spielberg and Eastwood take different approaches in their craft and these are two unique films, rather than a sense of déjà vu.

At the heart of the story is the question of what defines a hero and whether our society – in any era – is obsessed with putting people up on a pedestal? As the movie claims (and I paraphrase this), “we turn people into heroes in an effort to make ourselves feel better.” Ironically, perhaps we would feel better if we actually took action rather than merely watching others do it?

will we always be just boys and girls?

I like the people I work with. They're pretty nice and everyone's always willing to pitch in and help, even with busy work, in case you happen to be overloaded with your particular projects. My marketing agency has two different sections -- one that concentrates on really technical marketing solutions (like virtual PCs, big ass demos for software, etc.) and then we have the regular marketing solutions that I work with, like white papers, flash demos, print collateral, etc.

So, it would kind of go without saying that when you have such techncial detail involved that you're going to have a lot of men. In an agency of 25 people, 18 are men (which is normally the opposite for traditional ad agencies). And of those 18 men, only one is single.

I primarily worked by myself in real estate in Hawaii, and before that, I was the only woman in my small marketing department so it's been a while since I've been around a lot of co-workers. I've noticed that whenever we gather for meetings or our little parties like for Halloween, we still tend to group by gender like there's an actual demarcation line that reminds me of a junior high dance with men on one side of the room and women on the other. Even at lunch, you rarely see co-ed outings.

Once a month, our company takes us out to lunch and there were three of us females at a table for six, and more guys start trickling in and instead of sitting with us, they start cramming seven people at a four-top. Admittedly, it been better since then, but there's still an obvious segregation at most of our functions.

I didn't know if it might be one of the following:

1. Because most of the men are "taken," they feel it's somehow inappropriate to hang out or lunch with women.

2. The lone single guy that got a little drunk at one of our happy hours admitted that most of them are "geeks that have no social skills."

3. It's like this everywhere because people are more comfortable talking about things with their own gender, like football, sci-fi, software code -- or shoe shopping, dating, and Sex and the City.

4. The women are so hot at my company that they may feel compelled to try to take advantage of us.