moneybags

While looking through piles upon piles of old letters from family and friends, I found $43 in cash! One $20 bill was from my dad in 2002; the other $23 came to me in 2003 on my 23rd birthday.

Best part of this is that RIGHT before I picked up the birthday envelope to inspect it, I told Julie & Jim: "Man, it's my dream to find a twenty dollar bill in one of these old envelopes."

Being psychic is awesome and rewarding.

gnocchi by your personal chef, Janny

Last evening I decided to use the recipe I'd found in a magazine called Family Fun (my mom sent it to me--some creative ideas in there, kids!). So what did I make? I made homemade gnocchi from scratch! How strange is that for me?

Let me first say that it was FUN. Secondly I'll out-dork myself and reveal to you that while I was waiting for the water to boil on the stove, I sat down and WORKED ON MY PUZZLE.

Love,
Old Italian grandma

P.S. The gnocchi was really good. Next time I'll try a homemade sauce instead of store-bought, perhaps.

my neighborhood

some favorite photos (summer 2006)

taken in Toronto

taken in Toronto

Just one of many gorgeous spots on the Islands in Toronto

My grandfather's name was Herbert Geddis, and he was a fireman. I was
delighted to find a fire station on Herbert Av. in Toronto!

The Tilt-a-Whirl at Erieview (or "Pera's") Park in Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio. A few
months after this was taken, the longtime amusement park was dismantled and is now no longer.

Here are some photos from summer 2006 that I shot. I have recently tried to get back into photography a bit, and I'm succeeding! I want some fancy lenses and such that will fit my digital SLR. When I bought my digital SLR a year ago, I was under the impression that my rather large collection of lenses and accessories (given to me by my grandfather) would fit the body of the new digital. Wrong impression. It seems there's no adapter to get these lenses to fit on any camera made in the last ten years, so I'm pretty disappointed.

The need for this statement won't ever arise, I'm sure, but here it is anyway: Please do not repost, reprint, or share the photographs on this site without express written permission from Janet Geddis. Thank you.

baby neighb

I just got in after a day o' fun with my dear friend A., a girl who just so happens to live two doors away! How convenient to find your neighbor funny, smart, and quite companionable!

Before I got a chance to hang out with A., we exchanged many messages posted to each other's doors. With each note we upped the ante a bit, always saying in one way or another that we should hang out soon. At last we got a chance to have a date, and ever since then we've been going strong. I'm very grateful to have her around!

Though more artistically talented than I, we share a knack for creating little homemade gifts and greetings. Imagine the happy snippets of delight I experience when I find a felt flower accompanied by a little note that says, "Happy spring!" or a little greeting card on my windshield when I walk out to my car to drive around and do errands.

Here are but two photos of greetings A. (or "Baby Neighb," as I and only I am allowed to call her--my rule) has left for me to discover.

For Halloween this year, she made little cupcakes; for Thanksgiving, a hand turkey with google eyes. It's my (well-researched) belief that engaging in little creative activities now and then keeps up your spirits, lets you relax, and causes you to feel more at ease with your life. Listen to me, guys: I have a Master's degree in this.

watch!

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Dancer vs. Politician

I love this band. The members are charming and extraordinarily attractive (I dare you not to have a crush on lead singer/composer/founder Sanni Baumgartner), and the music really resonates with me despite my not knowing a lick of German. (A number of the songs on the new album, A City Half-Lost, are in German; the rest are in good ol' English.)

I've seen this video a number of times, but I can't get enough of it. It's lush and beautiful--the setting is so very Georgia summer, if you will. The music is pretty yet unpolished in the video, which is a part of a series I'd like to know more about.

Take a look:

Dancer Vs Politician: Justin Fairborn
by eikonproductions

HOPE

Maybe it's The National song playing in the video. Maybe it's Barack's message. Maybe it's the unabashed hope so many millions of us are feeling. In any case, this video inspires me, tears me up, and moves me to action. VOTE OBAMA!

Top 5 Reasons Obama Supporters Shouldn't Rest Easy

Hi, guys. The Obama campaign folks sent me the following list and I thought I'd take their advice and repost it. If you're not pro-Obama, rest easy--I'm not going to pressure you to change your mind (even though I really think you should!). If you are pro-Obama, reading the following list is very important!! Repost this list if you desire.

TOP 5 REASONS OBAMA SUPPORTERS SHOULDN'T REST EASY

1. The polls may be wrong. This is an unprecedented election. No one knows how racism may affect what voters tell pollsters—or what they do in the voting booth. And the polls are narrowing anyway. In the last few days, John McCain has gained ground in most national polls, as his campaign has gone even more negative.

2. Dirty tricks. Republicans are already illegally purging voters from the rolls in some states. They're whipping up hysteria over ACORN to justify more challenges to new voters. Misleading flyers about the voting process have started appearing in black neighborhoods. And of course, many counties still use unsecure voting machines.

3. October surprise. In politics, 15 days is a long time. The next McCain smear could dominate the news for a week. There could be a crisis with Iran, or Bin Laden could release another tape, or worse.

4. Those who forget history... In 2000, Al Gore won the popular vote after trailing by seven points in the final days of the race. In 1980, Reagan was eight points down in the polls in late October and came back to win. Races can shift—fast!

5. Landslide. Even with Barack Obama in the White House, passing universal health care and a new clean-energy policy is going to be hard. Insurance, drug and oil companies will fight us every step of the way. We need the kind of landslide that will give Barack a huge mandate.

If you agree that we shouldn't rest easy, please sign up to volunteer at your local Obama office by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/obama/office.html?source=blog&id=14534-5183653-nFgmwbx&t=1

that time R.E.M. played a private show for me and I didn't show up

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! My dear Brandi posted a couple of Blogotheque videos on her awesome blog, and in my monthly review of her writing, I stumbled across this one of R.E.M. playing in Athens.

Playing behind my house.
Literally behind my house. Maybe fifty feet from my porch. WHY DID I NOT KNOW THIS WAS HAPPENING? True the shows aren't publicized. True Michael Stipe doesn't know we're friends (even though we are, of course). Oh I'm sad. But also excited. I mean, R.E.M. played a show next to my house.

See it here. Now if Sweet and Sarah Beth could cry with me for a minute, I'd feel better.

Athens Banner Herald's readers' choice awards 2008

The awards are now posted on the newspaper's website. For the most part, the winners are predictable and boring. No big surprises there.

I was really sad to see this:

Bookstore
1st place - Barnes & Noble
2nd place - Borders

People! This is terrible! In the town we all love so much and believe is cool, independent, and creative, our favorite bookstores are national chains? (Not that there's much of a choice--that is, until I am able to open my store.)

The end.

VOTING!

With the HUGE issues looming out there (money, health--you know), some very important concerns are getting lost in the shuffle. Click on the following link to see how the presidential candidates plan on supporting the arts and art education--if they're supportive at all.

http://www.artsactionfund.org/artsvote/default.asp

Deadline to register to vote is OCTOBER 6! That's tomorrow! Hurry it up, kids!

$2 Radio & Vroman's Bookstore

When I went to the Book Expo America this past May, I was thrilled to see some old friends (Eliza, Eric, Alissa!) and really happy to meet a new one (Patrick Brown of Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, CA). Imagine my surprise and delight to have stumbled upon this blog entry, written by Patrick for the Vroman's site, starring Eliza & Eric of $2 Radio!

Independent publishing houses are able to publish works that you might not ordinarily come across while browsing through Barnes & Noble's bestseller displays; independent bookstores are inspirational and inspired places where you can find all sorts of reading material to feed your brain.

I am so excited to be a part of all this in my own small way--perhaps this time next year I'll be ready to say that I've assumed an even bigger role!

save bitch!

kwotable kidz III

Here are a couple from the little girl I babysit:

• E., 3, wanted me to play with her. "What should we play?" I asked. She thought for a few moments, and then her face lit up. "You be the prince, and I'll be the princess putting on lipstick!"

• E. also loves to look through my photos on my iPod Touch (fancy fancy). A few days ago, I uploaded all my photos from Panama & Costa Rica, and she looked through them one by one. When she got to this picture of my friend Sweet, she had a sharp intake of breathy surprise and said in awe, "Look at she! Look at she! She's proud....Proud of me."

Sweet does look sort of proud in this picture, though I doubt she was thinking of a three-year-old girl in Athens, GA.

And a couple quotes from a HILARIOUS little girl at AAHS...

• While at AAHS for storytelling last week, our resident comedienne, who's about 5 1/2, was on a roll. When Miss Rachel was leaving for the night, Miss Comedienne yelled out to her, "Bye! Bye, Miss Rachel! I'll be glad if you get everything you want! Be safe! Be safe!"

• A few minutes later, Diane and I were asking the kids about different foods in a picture of a picnic. The same little girl wanted to name all the foods she saw, so she began a list: "I see chicken, potato chips, hot dogs, possibilities, ice cream..." Wait...what? "Possibilities"? (Said as she was pointing to a stack of tomato soup cans.)
  

Gooooo Eagles!

My high school reunion is coming up. One day more 'til I see TONS of people I've not seen in a decade. This will be an adventure.

I'm sort of afraid to see some of these people around booze.

I'm not here.

At long last, someone from Charter came today. At 6 PM, an hour later than promised. But that's a story for another time.

Turns out a Charter agent had driven out here last Thursday morning and physically disconnected my internet connection. Pair that with this event, and I feel like a ghost: I got a hot pink slip in my mailbox today informing me that my house was vacant and no mail should be delivered.

What's going on? Is this a prank? Is the Charter disconnection connected to the USPS note? Did I perish a week ago yet continue to think I live? Is there a Janet living in a parallel universe who just moved out of her house?!

WHOA! Then I got this message from blogger just now!

Conflicting edits

There was more than one attempt to edit this resource at the same time. This may have been because you double clicked on a link or a button or because someone else is also editing this blog or post.

perfectionistic boss lady who doesn't want to work

Here's the deal: I'm the treasurer of my condo community and, while I value the experience (especially as it relates to my future bookstore business), I'm tired of it! I've been tired of it since the week after I said I'd be the secretary.

When I moved in here, I was thrilled at the notion that I wouldn't have to cut my own lawn or paint my own house when either needed upkeep. My monthly condo dues would pay for that! The condo board would just handle any issues that came up.

Except I wasn't expecting to be on the condo board. For much of my time living here, I've been the only [frequently] active member of the board. I resent the time these duties take away from my schedule, but I'm too much of a perfectionist to let someone else take over. Oh wait--no one would take over.

In all, the official duties as treasurer aren't so bad, as long as things are working smoothly and no major snafus come up. Too bad so sad that MANY a snafu has risen (GROSS phrase) and being on the board is not so peachy keen, and not so easy.

I just wanted to vent. Someday I will have my own house and will pay for someone to cut the lawn. I will not worry about someone else's trash on our common property. I will not have to get approval from my neighbors if I want to alter the appearance of my house. It will be grand.

Until then, I plow on...

new kwotez from the kidz

In late June I told you about some good quotes from my favorite kids. Here are three more:

• P., the five-year-old, wanted me to play Lego people with him. He gave me a tiny Lego man who was wearing a plastic grey wig. "This is Old Granny. You'll be Old Granny, okay?"
  
• Later, E., the three-year-old, joined the game and asked for me to put a plastic sword in her character's plastic claw hand. She then adopted this grainy, mean, rough voice and slammed her Lego man into mine and said, "I WANT TO KILL OLD GRANNY!!"
• P. and B. (who's 8) were chasing each other around the house. B. decided he was a good guy, the best guy you can be: God. "I'm God, okay, so I made everything...?" "Okay, but I'm mean," replied Pace. B: "Okay, let's play now. [beat] Get away from me, Satan!" P (in a slight country accent with hint of surfer dude voice): "I'm not Satan....I'm a guitar player!"
• E. met Jim yesterday and became completely infatuated. She had a bevy of hilarious quotes. First off, she couldn't get his name straight, first calling him "John" and then deciding upon "Joe." On the way home from my house (after saying goodbye to Jim), she was talking to herself in the backseat. "Oh, I miss Joe," she said in her own voice. "Me too," she replied in another voice. "I love Joe." "Me, too!"
• When we got home, E. and I ordered pizza. I finished mine first and sat in the living room leafing through a magazine. E. was playing by herself. She held up her crust and pretended it was a person: "Hi, my name is Joe," she said gruffly. In her natural voice, she replied, "I love you, Joe!" "I love you, too," gruff voice replied. Then she took a huge bite and chewed hungrily. Hilarious.
  

kwotable kidz

I babysit for three smart, funny, and--let's face it--adorable children. They have all been known to say pretty hilarious, ingenious things, and once in awhile I write these things down.

1. While playing an imaginary war game, B. (who was 7 at the time), said to his enemy, "Well, I'm not listening to the devil! I'm listening to God and Jesus. Or whatever their names are."
2. P., who has been highly quotable from a young age, tends to create various accents during every game he plays. Once last year when he was 4, he stood on the couch and said to me very earnestly, "Davy Crockett. He had a wolf hat, cut up clothes, and bare feet." This was delivered in a country accent (with gestures) as the introduction to a Davy Crockett game he'd just thought up.
3. E. (3-year-old girl) who is potty trained but still needs help, thought it was hilarious that her underwear was on the bathroom floor next to the tub while she sat on the toilet to pee this afternoon. "You left my underwear on the floor! The bathtub will be laughing and crying about that." She then erupted in a cascade of giggles.
4. P. has a flair for the dramatic, as I mentioned above. He sometimes gets very apocalyptic and serious. Here he's playing the superhero-gone-bad game he likes so much, explaining why he, the bad guy, ended up in such a rough place. "The devil turned us evil until the devil died and we killed God!"
5. While playing Wild West shortly after his fifth birthday, my character told P.'s character I was proud of him for surviving in the desert. His accented response? "There's no proud here. This is the Wild West." During that same game I offered him a glass of milk. He refused me and then said, "We don't like milk. We like blood."
6. During a tour of the nonexistent family graveyard, one of P.'s self-created characters took me around to the tombstones to tell me about each family member buried there. "This is my grandpa. And my little brother, Tommy. And my mom, and my grandma, and my great-grandma. [beat] And I love this guy the best: God and Jesus."
7. During that same game, I asked him how his [imaginary] grandpa died. "He died in the war and got killed by an evil troll with an axe."
8. P.'s friend R. was over to play one day. R. has the adorably high-pitched voice of many five-year-olds. (I'm not being facetious here--she really is cute.) She was playing with some dolls and didn't want P. to play with her, since he said he didn't like dolls. Eventually he reneged and approached her with, "Can I play?" She reluctantly acquiesced. "Okay...but you have to be a mother." P. considered this and said, "...Or a dolphin?" "Okay!"
9. Nearly three years ago, 6-year-old B. inspected 3-year-old brother P.'s class picture and had a very important question he couldn't wait to ask. "P.? P.? P.? P.! P.?" "Yeah?" "Who's this Asian-colored kid?"
   

very angry that I have a SUPERIOR computer

Georgia libraries now offer this AMAZINGLY EXCITING program where you can borrow audiobooks from an online library using your library card and...oh wait...your PC. That's right, it's for PCs and PCs only, and I couldn't be more frustrated. You'd be hard pressed to find an Athenian more excited than I about this venture. And of course the damned thing doesn't work with my computer.

Angrily yours,

J.E.G.

my lava lamp and other forgotten boredom-busters

Last night I rediscovered my old lava lamp. In eighth or night grade, the lava lamp with red lava (or was it a red base?) was my most coveted item to be found at Spencer Gifts at North Point Mall. I wanted a lava lamp. I needed one. I would not accept one unless it was silver and red.

When I saved up enough money to get one (or convinced my parents to donate to the cause), I found that Spencer's only had silver lamps with black lava. I dropped my stubbornness and got that one--such was my desperation.

In the last ten years, I've probably turned it on once. Many are the times I've thought of selling it or giving it away but a, who would buy it? and b, WHY WOULD I GIVE AWAY ANYTHING THAT I MIGHT POSSIBLY USE ONE DAY IN THE FUTURE?*

Today I plugged the old girl in. I'd forgotten how gross and blobby it looks for the first twenty or thirty minutes. Yech.


* This is my general policy and results in my having a three-bedroom house filled to the brim with my own crap. Crap that I love.

accidental drunk

From an email I composed 12/6/2006:

Ah, the lovely prospect of a tall glass of 100% good-for-the-soul-and-bladder cranberry juice on a Monday afternoon when you've slept little and worked all afternoon with whiny tutees, as we are wont to call the oft-bratty children Janet tutors at the elementary school. Craving a glass of orange juice but knowing there is none in her fridge, Janet is thrilled when she encounters a jug of cranberry juice at her fingertips. "Ah," thinks she, "someone brought this as a mixer for last night's shindig." She pours a tall--and I mean tall--glass for herself and chugs it down. Before the cranberries can register, she pours another half-glass and chugs that.

"Ah, what a lush am I!" Janet muses. "I so rarely drink cranberry juice now, and the only time I consume it is about once every month or two at the Flicker Bar when it's mixed with a little touch o' vodka. I'm so conditioned that I am now convinced that this here cranberry juice tastes like alcohol. How embarrassing!"

Then, in a hazy flash (ah, can a flash be hazy? trust me, it can), it occurs to her: BONNIE. Bonnie is the culprit. Or at least Bonnie's mixed drink. She remembers her dear advisor having walked in the house the night before announcing something to the effect of, "This looks innocent enough, but really this juice has..." (The ellipses is meant to include all the sorts of alcohol Bonnie stashed in the innocent-looking juice jug.)

So, folks, that is the story of how a very tired Janet accidentally did shots of alky juice at 6:15 on a Monday night and got drunk in a jiffy.

Thanks, Bonnie.

Love,

Janet

Program Me In

You have to see this new Je Suis France video. My friend Jeremy Wheatley has been hiding away writing songs for a long time, but only recently has he started playing the gee-tar and singing for his adoring fans.

He's in an awesome band called Je Suis France, and he's the star of the new video. I LOVE this video. The song is really cool, too.

THE END.

Did you see me on TV?

Tonight's (Wednesday's) David Letterman show features Dave talking about the quilt my aunt made him as well as a little zoomed-in shot of Jim and me in the audience. (I'm opened-mouthed, surprised he mentioned Auntie Dorothy despite my having reminded him of the gift she gave him years ago.)

Here you can read about my stardom. Clips are unavailable, much to my fans' chagrin.

http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/wahoo/index/php/20080507.phtml

The end.

Love,
superstar

fortunista Janny

By the way, this photo was of me when I was PRACTICING my look two days before the event. My real fortune teller self did not look like a drag queen. The outfit and scarf were different and made me look like A GEN-YOO-INE GYPSY. Really. I just don't have any pictures.
I would like you all to know that I just ran into one of the girls whose fortune I read at the Homeless Day Service Center Benefit. She and I recognized each other but weren't sure how we knew each other. Finally I said, "Oh! Did you have your fortune told?" (HOW DID I KNOW THAT?!)

The answer was yes. She told me the fortune was really good. Turns out I have amazing skills when it comes to saying what people want to hear. Ta da!

foodie

Asian Noodle Bowl (complete with chopsticks I usually use to stir tea!)

Garlic Shrimp with linguine

Two hairy guys eat my food and claim to like it.

Brown rice, zucchini + broccoli all spiced up, and herb baked crunchy chicken

Delicious Hummus of my dreams

I started cooking in the last few months. Turns out I'm not all that bad! Also turns out it takes forever to load photos onto blogger. (Anyone know how to speed up that process?)

things that are okay if you're with someone but sad if you're alone

Here is a very long list of things that are okay to do if you're with someone but a tad heartbreaking if you're alone.

Please feel free to add to my list of camaraderie and pain.

1. Feverishly scratching lottery tickets

dreaming of Dawson

Right before waking this morning, I had a dream in which the faces from a Dawson's Creek poster started moving and speaking from the poster--and then they hopped off and went to the laundromat and pontificated on everything (of course). The real poster, I've found, is of normal color--in my dream, it was sepia and very serious.

Robert Deniro was on the poster, too--he had granny glasses on his nose and a wise senior English teacher air about him. When I woke up he was loading a dryer and talking to Dawson.

I can't even deal

I can't stand Tyra Banks. I feel I cannot reiterate this enough.

Zingo in ATHENS!!!

A couple weeks ago, I called Zingo for the first time. I'd first heard about it in Paste and was eager to try it. Here's the deal: you go out, have as many (or as few) drinks as you'd like, and make the smart choice of not driving home with alcohol in your system. You call Zingo. Someone arrives on a collapsible scooter within a certain amount of time (times vary according to which city you're in). The person grabs your keys, puts the collapsible scooter in your trunk, and drives you home in YOUR car. Then he/she gets out, hands you the keys, and removes the scooter. Driver makes his or her way to the next pickup, and you go in, knowing your car is safe at home and that you won't have to worry about being arrested or, as a less drastic option, about having to figure out how you're going to get her car the next day.

Joy!

Last-last Saturday night in Atlanta, Amy, her beau, and I waited at a bar for awhile until our driver showed up. He drove us home safely and quickly. It was over $40 because the bar was several miles from Amy's. (In Atlanta, the service is $30 flat, plus $2/mile and tip.) The article I've linked to at the end of this post shows it's cheaper for us Athenians! ;)

I asked our driver if there was a Zingo in Athens yet, and he said that, last he'd heard, it wasn't in my lovely town yet.

Imagine my joy when I stumbled upon this!

JSYK: themigrainegirl.blogspot.com is where it's at!

Hi guys,

I haven't been writing on here much, but I have kept up my anonymous-until-recently blog! It's really is a project for me that has ended up benefiting lots of migraineurs as well as my family and friends, who want to understand my Migraine disease better.

Have at it if you'd like: http://themigrainegirl.blogspot.com

another MTM Show celebrity spoken to!

(A note before you begin: I tried and tried to fix the font size in here but can't seem to get the swing of it. Sorry!)

I went to see Cloris Leachman at the UGA Fine Arts Building. She was giving a lecture (more of a question & answer session, really) as a follow-up to her one-woman career retrospective show (that I didn't get to see...). If you have ever met me or seen my walls, you know that I am a ridiculously huge fan of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I first saw Cloris on MTM--she plays the ever-on-the-go, perfectionistic neighbor/landlady who's friends with Mary and always at odds with Rhoda (Valerie Harper, an actress I *almost* saw years ago but who was unable to perform in the play I attended--boo!). She is brilliant. Most recently I've seen her as the loving, half-drunk, serious-when-she's-gotta-be mother of Tea Leoni in Spanglish--but she's done lots of work before Mary, lots of work in between Mary and Spanglish, and is still really active.

Jim & I went to see her today. The theatre wasn't the fancy one I remembered--we must have been in a different studio or something. Harsh overhead fluorescent lights, a smattering of fans and actors-in-training, and a microphone that didn't work. With the heat (or AC?) blasting continuously the entire time, I missed out on about 1/2 of what was said. Despite the frustration that accompanied that, I was thrilled to see her in person. She looks amazing at almost 82 years old--in good shape, able to walk swiftly up and down stairs, and really quick witted and extremely silly.

I wish I'd taken a photo of when she started scooching her chair closer and closer and closer to the host, prompting lots of laughter from the crows. I did get a few good shots, though. Here's one of her in a girlish pose, feet hung over the side of the chair.

When Jim & I went to leave, I had a feeling she was going to call us out. She did. We started walking quietly toward the exit and she said, "Excuse me," to the crowd. Looking towards us, she asked, "Where are you going?!' I told her I was going to work; she asked me what I did. Then she looked at Jim and pointed. "What about you?"

"Oh, I have to go to the doctor," he explained. She, like any woman over 60 (or perhaps any woman of any age?) was charmed by Jim and expressed genuine concern for his back problem. After their quick talk, she snapped back into stage-Cloris and said, "All right. You can go."

I love her.

The end.

i now live on mars...

...since I was abducted by aliens.

Come save me and my poor father!

I ban't believe this.

This is all over the news, I know, but the Gawker article is just too hilarious to not share with you.

no more drunky driving!

Anyone who's ever met me knows how hypersensitive I am when it comes to drinking and driving. Chalk it up to friends having learned heartwrenching lessons, having read one too many stories or having seen one too many MADD billboards, or even dismiss me as paranoid. The fact remains that drinking and driving is, at its best, really risky if you're thinking about the legal battle you'll face if you have to blow into a breathylizer. At its worst, you or others could die.

But let's get a little happier, shall we? In last month's Paste, I read about this service in select cities, a service whose drivers scoot to you on scooters, pack the scooters into your trunk, and drive you home in your car. No trying to figure out how to get your car from that parking lot downtown the next morning as you're facing a huge hangover. No playing games with your fate, hoping you're just on this side of sober to be able to make it home safely.

Check this out! Considering the locations of the few people that read this, I'm pretty sure it's in a city near you.

a once* in a lifetime Oscar moment

*pun intended

Last week, I watched parts of the Oscars while playing Mexican train dominoes with my sister and Jim. (That domino game is my newest obsession--my sister bought it for me for my birthday, knowing full well it'd become an addictive habit.) We watched a few boring acceptance speeches, all of which were cut off by music even more quickly than in years past. We watched and listened to the Best Song nominees sing their songs, but Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's live version of "Falling Slowly," from the indie film Once, blew the others out of the water with its raw emotion and genuine luster. I loved it and, as usual, found my eyes getting watery. Some songs just do that to you.

A few minutes after their performance, all the Best Original Song nominees were named. And guess who won? That's right, these little indie-filmmaking, adorable people. Glen made the acceptance speech, but when it came time for Marketa to have a moment to thank everyone, the mic had already been turned off and she was further drowned out by the music.

Imagine our collective delight when, after the subsequent commercial break, Jon Stewart made way for Marketa Irglova to walk onto the stage again. She had a few moments to make the comments she'd wanted to make in the first place--never have I ever seen a moment like that on a huge awards show, a moment when they gave someone a chance to talk further after having been cut off. (Granted, there are two times in recent memory when those talking just kept barreling over the music--Kanye West mentioned that it'd be in good taste for the Powers that Be to cut the music as he was speaking about his late mother at the Grammys.) But to invite her back to speak after she raised no onstage protest? What a lovely moment.

This video below shows the moment they got the award as well as both winners' acceptance speeches. It's worth watching, I promise.

bumpy mcbumperson

I have red, painful bumps on my back. Out of nowhere. I'm convinced I am carrying yet another deadly disease--this one in addition to the hundreds of others I've diagnosed myself with over the years. I don't remember getting bitten by any wintertime insects, all my medical website searches say that detergent and perfumes are very rarely the cause, and the bumps are definitely not pimples. They're gross. And they hurt!

Awful Theory One: Last week when my friend gave me a little peck on the shoulder post-hot tub she gave me herpes. (She was having a cold sore outbreak and we joked about her giving me herpes--I am fairly confident this is not my ailment.)

Awful Theory Two: I have shingles. You can have shingles if you had chicken pox, right? (I've barred myself from further internet searches due to increased hysteria, so I can't look it up myself.)

Awful Theory Three: There are small bugs that live in my bed and bite my back, side, and two spots on my leg while I sleep.

Awful Theory Four: I'm suddenly allergic to something rather constant in my life and I've broken out in hives (though my grody bumps look nothing like the photos of hives I've done a google image search for).

Awful Theory Five: Soon my entire body will be one red bump and I'll have one month to live. You all will forget what I really looked like and only see me as a red rubber ball.

Tune into SNL!

This is pretty exciting. I know Casey from NYU, though it's up for debate as to whether or not she remembers me. All the same, I'm happy for her. Her BFF/partner in crime, June Raphael, was on Flight of the Conchords for one episode the first season and was really good.

Too bad I can't make it to L.A. one weekend when they're doing this show. Wah.

xo
me

(Thanks for the news update, Lizzie-Lou!)

something my sister heard

My sister has a knack for overhearing really funny things. My father and mother share this gift. Come to think of it, relatives on both sides of the family do--my mom's side of the family tends to remember funny quotes from strangers' conversations by heart, whereas my father keeps little scraps of paper on which he'll write humorous tidbits. Ever the absent minded professor, he'd forget the specificity of the instance and only remember a general sense of hilarity.

Julie (my sis) has been sending me emails containing funny names she and her friends come across at work, in the newspaper, and on TV. The names are RIDICULOUS. The very best ones tend to be her friends' students at school or my people my sister has heard of through work, so that means I cannot share them. Confidentiality and all that. (I suppose very vague rules may've been breached, but posting them on the internet would be a little obvious.)

Here's an excerpt from an email she just sent. It made me laugh and made me overjoyed yet again that she'll be here next week for MY BIRTHDAY!

I overheard a strange conversation the other day at the grocery store. It was so strange that I didn't even remember it for several days.

Kid: I have a headache!"

Mother: "Well, duh! You had your head stuck in a hole in the wall!"

stalker memories

Just now I remembered for the first time in years that I was semi-stalked as a freshman at NYU. Later it came out that Jene, this creepy dude who either went to NYU or just claimed he did, was also creepily following other tall, thin girls around. (Sweet was a victim, as was Jill. I forget who else.) I can't recall the details right now; I'm more surprised at how this memory, once at the forefront of my mind, just popped up randomly.

Ha!

The end.

This is so incredibly accurate it's INSANE!

NOT!

I especially love the 2nd and 8th one.

Why did I do this? It was more entertaining than writing another work email, I suppose.
Ha.

Love,
Rachel Bilson/Heath Ledger/the six other people below I've never seen

I just can't get enough

Will I never stop being utterly in love with this band's music? Even seeing clips of songs I love the most moves me to tears, just as hearing (and seeing) performances of certain songs ("Secret Meeting," "Lit Up," "Mr. November," "About Today," "Fake Empire," "Apartment Story," the list goes on) in concert makes my eyes swim with emotion.



It's now old news to fans: both they and Modest Mouse are opening for R.E.M. on the early summer tour. I seriously doubt there's any chance I'll get tickets, despite my being a huge fan of two bands and a pretty good fan of the third (MM). Dammit, Michael Stipe, I can throw a football and hit your house.* And Mike Mills, you should just give me a ticket since I am the reason you were so entertained a certain night at Go Bar when Jim emerged from the bathroom wearing my tight-fitting pink shorts.

*assuming I could throw like one of those football folks I saw perform in that Superbowl spectacle (footnote added, Chris--thank you very much)

man of fire

Tonight Jim gave me a little smooch and left my house, making his way downtown for work.

A few minutes later, I got a call from him. He was on his way back to my house due to the fact that he had mysteriously caught on fire! He no longer smokes and had no lighter in his pocket, yet his middle jacket (he had three: a hoodie, his DBT Staff jacket, and a leather coat) had ignited. I surmised that a pack of matches was still in his pocket and had somehow ignited--but no charred remains exist!

Quite the mystery. Maybe I just have one hot man.

yeow!

comings and goings

I knew when I got a job with the school district's Homeless Education Program that the kids I got to know through weekly storytelling and daily tutoring might come and go at the drop of a hat. My boss Tamara (quoted extensively in this year-old Athens Banner-Herald article that remains relevant) warned that getting close to children and then having them leave with no chance to say goodbye was commonplace.

In the last ten months of my employment, I've walked into shelters and had staff tell me, "Oh, So-and-So's not here anymore, so she and her kids won't be meeting with you, but there's a new family that'll be here..." I tend to nod my head when, in more cases than not, I want to say, "Wait, what? They're gone? When did they leave? Where did they go? Is everyone safe? Is their moving out a positive thing, or were they kicked out? What happened?" This information is not my business, however, and I know it. So I nod and think of how I'll probably never see Jane and Joe and Jim ever again. (Granted, the names tend to be a bit more inventive than that--extremely exotic, sometimes beautiful, and sometimes baffling--but I can't reveal them here. Confidentiality and all.)

Today I found out that a family I've known for quite a long time is leaving: I'll never see them again, barring any accidental run-ins (during which I'm not supposed to acknowledge knowing them--there goes the confidentiality again). No goodbye.

Got to another place tonight and was told by a young child that a few other kids are now gone from that shelter, as they moved out. I've known those kids for many months, too.

The families that are moving on are going to be successful. I have much hope for them. After months of struggle with a couple of kids from each of the families (as well as really good times, too), I had some big breakthroughs in the last ten days or so--hugs, smiles, and "I love yous" from heretofore pouty, somewhat violent children. Perhaps that's my closure.

Tamara said it'd be hard to get used to the fact that the kids are in your life one day (or one year, even) and out the next, without a trace. Still, I hadn't felt that sadness today.

That's all.

YES WE CAN! Rock the vote on Tuesday.

A plan for the timid

Thank the lord once again for Found magazine. I thought I'd post this handy find of the day from last week or so to help out those out there who might want to get some action but are not sure how to go about getting it.

Masta Cleansuh Diego Catalan

Jim is doing this crazy Master Cleanse. My sort-of friend Crystal* (a lovely gal I like lots but don't know well--she's my friend Garrick Cheyne's wife) did the same cleanse several months back and wrote about it on my myspace blog every day for a week--the results were positive overall, but I'm not going to fast anytime soon. For one thing, skipping a meal or two is a recipe for disaster on the Migraine front. Plus I like to eat, and I'm sort of a bitch when my blood sugar is low. (Don't corroborate that story too eagerly or I'll punch.)

Anywho. This marks the end of the second full day of his lemonade diet. He's made these brews according to a very specific recipe. I shall now summarize it generally: A little lemon juice (from lemons, not from the bottle!), some purified water (preferably warm), real maple syrup (darker grade the better), and a smidgen of cayenne pepper. YUM! I took one sip and it wasn't all that bad, especially since fasting with it for ten days or more promises "the fastest and most effective way to regain your vitality and to feel the joy of living again."

I'll let you know how he's acting and feeling after a few days. He tends to get a bit grumbly when his tummy's empty (like me!) but hasn't been like that at all, surprisingly. Perhaps he is as tudey as he usually is when starving, but this time he's holding it in because he has this new monastic je ne sais quoi about him.

I leave it to you.

some pain in the membrane

I have had the same Migraine for two days now. This hasn't happened to me in awhile, though it used to be the routine. This feels like my Migraine pain of yesteryear. I once described it to my mother like this: someone has used a cold metal drill to drill out a hole from my eyebrow straight back through my head, behind my eye. Now a cold, cold, icy wind is blowing through, sending the nerves into fits and starts as they spasm in pain. Like floaters in your eyes or dim stars in the sky, the pain is not always easy to sense--the moment I try to focus on it to describe it, it morphs and seems to dissipate. Seconds later, I get distracted and it comes rushing back, the stars becoming clear as soon as I shift my vision to the left or right a bit.

It sucks.

But I don't mean to complain.

I do wonder why I always am so worried that people think I'm complaining. If you think I'm complaining and don't like it, don't read it!

And now I'm worried I'll offend.

Turns out I'll just lie down now and hope the meds finally kick in in time for me to do my storytelling job at 7. So far I'm thinking they won't, as all day I've felt the same. Blllaaaaaaaaahhh. Wah.

One week 'til the primary!

Another handy-dandy internet quiz helped me determine what I already knew: Barack Obama is probably going to be my main man when I go to the polls next week for the Democratic primary. Last time I voted in a primary I was a bit confused to find out that I wasn't registered--turned out my little hippie self had registered independent in Florida, so I couldn't MAKE MY VOICE HEARD in February 2004. This year things are much different, as we all know.

I've taken a couple of those internet quizzes designed to help you decide which candidates' points of view mirror yours best, but www.glassbooth.org is the best one I've come across (thanks, Kimizaki). You start off with twenty points and can allocate those points to a list of issues as you wish--for me, health care and the environment were two issues that got more points than others. On the next page, you take a quiz dealing with the most pertinent issues. The third page shows you which three candidates you match up with best and (here's the best part) why. There's a drop-down list to the right where you can choose other candidates' names and see how close of a match you are to them. I am matched up to Barack 75% according this one survey; another, less in-depth survey had him and me togetha foreva at 83%.

Anywho. If you're drifting along as cluelessly as I tend to be, www.glassbooth.org is a good jumping off point. We haven't got much time to get in the vote! (Even if you're one of the few non-Democrats reading this, I do so want you to be informed, too. More than that, I want you to vote for who I vote for. But we'll let that rest for now.)

Rest in peace, Cayle Bywater

It's with a heavy heart I tell those of you who haven't heard yet of the news that Cayle Bywater's body was found in a Memorial Park lake in Athens this afternoon.

A quick Google.com search will let you find any and all recent, relevant articles.

letter to the press

I can't stop thinking about the missing girl. It has occupied my thoughts for days. Today I found out that the last person to see her is a casual friend of mine. That must be such a strange position to be in.

Here's the letter I've been sending to news outfits. Feel free to use it as a template or a starting point for your own. It's far from polished, as I whipped it up in about 50 seconds. Links to the places you can email letters to can be found in my previous post.

Take care and be safe.

To whom it may concern:

I find it surprising and disheartening that Cayle Bywater, a 29-year-old graduate student in Athens, Georgia who has been missing since December 31st, is not getting more prominent coverage in your paper. In order to ensure her safety and increase the chances of her safe recovery, this story needs to get out to as many people as possible as quickly as possible. Please do a feature on Cayle, including her photograph(s), so that people will be able to recognize her as a missing person if they come across her.

All press releases, photographs, and information you need for getting contact info for her family and the Athens Clarke-County Police can be found at http://findcayle.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much for your time.

Sincerely,
a concerned Athens resident

http://findcayle.blogspot.com/

A site has been launched to help consolidate all information related to missing UGA grad student Cayle Bywater. I copied some information from an Athens Banner-Herald article about her disappearance a few days ago and have gotten some comments and messages from friends and people on the search team thanking me. As in all cases when someone is missing, I suppose every little bit counts.

Walking around downtown Athens this weekend, I saw her face on the MISSING posters in several windows of stores, bars, and restaurants. You can hear people here and there talking about her in hushed tones, people who don't know her at all or who have seen her around. People who wonder where she could be, people who hope she has just wandered off for a bit and will soon be discovered. My friend Paul told me that six years ago or so a young woman in Athens just up and vanished and was never heard from again. I don't know what the details of that story are or how sensationalized it is, but it made me go cold inside, just as I went cold when I first read about Cayle, whom I've never even met.

The local and national news channels are going haywire covering what little information they have on the missing Georgia hiker and her dog, but there's been virtually nothing on Cayle. In no way am I trying to minimize the anguish of the missing hiker, who is, according to the news reports I read this evening, now believed to be dead. That is awful. But how is one human being's utter disappearance any more important than another's? It seems we're stepping into elusive territory here. One friend said, "Maybe that's 'cause going missing in the mountains is creepier somehow." I disagree. I think it's far scarier, far more menacing to go missing from your own home.

I'm sure that hundreds of people go missing each year, and the media become obsessed with one or two of them. We can make it our job to make sure they pay attention to both these Georgia women. Perhaps you can write a quick email to your news channel, even if it's just to direct them to http://findcayle.blogspot.com/ They'll find all the news articles and links there.
Below I've created a quick list to get you started. Won't you take a minute to do this? Thanks.

1. Here is an article on the 11Alive website. You can post a comment to ask them to cover the story more prominently. (I just wrote a comment--writing it took one minute!)

2. Here's the Fox 5 Atlanta article. Same ol', same ol'. Here's their contact form--why not ask them to feature it on the news and not just on the webpage?

3. Write The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ask that they make the story a feature. Their contact address is: newstips@ajc.com Be sure to send them the link to the blog with all the news articles! (http://findcayle.blogspot.com/)

Taking the devil right out of Halloween!

My friend and former roommate NYU Sarah (known to me by the name of "Lover") sent me a wonderfully helpful link during the Halloween season. Unfortunately for all of us, I never check my NYU email account, so I didn't get the message in time to follow the Christian webmaster's suggestions. If I had, we could have had a Hallelujah Party! (you know, where people dress up as Bible characters!) instead of going downtown and drinking on Halloween.

Let's get planning for next year, kids! http://retirementwithapurpose.com/hobbies/afhalloween.html

missing person: CAYLE BYWATER

I thought it couldn't hurt to repost this news release. Nuci's Space is also having a search for her tomorrow (Thursday, 1/3) at 9AM. The link to their site is below--you'll find info on the search there.

http://www.nuci.org/

ATHENS, Ga -- The Athens-Clarke County Police Department is asking for help in locating 29 year old, Cayle Bywater.

Bywater was reported missing on New Year's Eve when a neighbor found her dog running loose near her S. Milledge Ave. home.

She was last seen on Saturday and spoke with a family member that same day. Police found her backdoor open. Her purse, wallet, keys, cell phone and car are all still at her residence.

Cayle Bywater is described as a white female, 5'3" tall, 113 pounds, with curly red hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information should call:

Athens Clarke County Police Central Communications (706) 613-3345

BLOGGERS: Please post this notice about Cayle on your blogs, especially if you're in Athens!