Smells Like Wet Dog

Today I bathed two of our three dogs. This included clipping claws, trimming the hair that grows between the paw pads, and brushing teeth. I started with the biggest, furriest, and dirtiest dog, Cosette. She's my nearly 14-year old, arthritic American Eskimo Dog, who hates the process, but who loves to prance about after and show off her clean, fluffy coat. She takes the longest to dry, but is fairly cooperative through the whole thing.

Cosette sunbathing in the back yard recently.

Next was Rusty's turn. He was, by far, the most in need of a good washing as he was emitting some kind of unpleasant odor. He may be our least furry, smallest, and generally most easy going dog, but not when it comes to bathtime. I had to wrestle with him to get the paws taken care of and then keeping him in the bathtub was quite a challenge. He is also not very fond of the hair dryer and wiggled his wet body all over the bathroom in an attempt to keep away from it. Rusty smells great now though.

Rusty can be a serious little dog.

So after the two grooming sessions, I was out of doggy shampoo, covered in water, sweat, and fur, and just plain exhausted. I did at least brush poor Little Guy's teeth and that will have to do for now. He and I share a special day tomorrow, but he will just have to be a little unkempt for it.

Little Guy, my birthday buddy.

Not Always Antisocial

I actually went out with some co-workers for a couple of hours after work yesterday. I know that doesn't sound like something unusual or exciting, but it is something I rarely do. There are various reasons for this that include the fact that I often have other plans, I'm not invited to some of the outings, and I sometimes choose not to go, depending on who is.

I work in a fairly large department, that is primarily staffed by females. And yes, it often turns into a junior high school atmosphere, complete with cliques, drama, gossip, and other general unpleasantry that I just want to run from at the end of the day. That's not to say that I don't genuinely like many of these women. In fact, I'm quite good friends with a few of them.

Ten of us walked from work, past the strip club on the corner, to a local tapas eatery. We told stories, laughed, and generally had a very good time. I stuck to diet soda, but several people enjoyed the sangria, which was apparently quite tasty and a little potent. The food seemed wonderful too. I only had a very small something to eat as I knew I'd be having dinner with E later. Besides, I went along more for the company and laughs.

So, who knows? Maybe I'll go out with some of the workplace gang a little more often. Especially if it includes members of the group from last night.

Hamsters Love Broccoli!

Ami munching on broccoli, one of his favorite veggies.

La-La-La-La La-La-La-La Jodi's World

Now Reading:

• Savoring: Duran Duran: Notorious. I've been reading this since I received it as a gift last Xmas. I'm a slow reader, but taking extra time with this on purpose. Oh, and that reminds me that E bought me another Duran Duran book recently. I shelved it for now. It's mostly gorgeous photos that I perused, but there are some words to go back and read too.

• Lite Fare: Skinny Dip. Loaned to me by Ren. Good, fluffy fun. Friends have been telling me for years to read Carl Hiaasen. I spent a little over two years in Hell Florida and his books are set there. He obviously has an affinity for his home state, but highlights some of the idiocy there too. I really don't like Florida and am sad that so much of my family has migrated there.

• Book Club: Genie: A Scientific Tragedy
. True account of a "wild child" who was discovered after 13 years of confinement to a very small room. She was studied at the place where I work. I only just started it last night, but am intrigued so far.

• Manga: Fruits Basket, Vol. 1.
This is a series my sister loves. I haven't been able to get into it quite yet. I may put it aside and start on Return to Labyrinth in the meantime.

Now Listening:

• Barenaked Ladies Are Me.
As discussed previously, the new Barenaked Ladies album. I'm drawn to the songs Ed Robertson sings lead on, but am also enjoying the sweet Kevin Hearn tune "Vanishing," which is about a magician.

• Panic! at the Disco's debut album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. Love it, love it, love it.
  

• Car Talk, Wait Wait--Don't Tell Me, Whad'Ya Know, and of course This American Life. Yes, I am a weekend NPR junkie.
  

Now Watching:

• Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. This the first Aaron Sorkin show I've ever watched and I really like it. I agree with Scribe LA, who noted that it might not play so well outside of the Coasts. And possibly won't last. Well, I'll enjoy it while it does. I was surprised and thrilled that John Mauceri was on this week's episode.
  

• I've been rewatching Serenity, while listening to the commentary by Joss Whedon, and am about halfway through.

• My Name Is Earl. Maybe it's my redneck past. I don't know, but it makes me giggle.
  

• Mostly, I'm looking forward to new seasons of some of my favorites:
• Lost: Next Wednesday, October 4th
• Battlestar Galactica: Next Friday, October 6th!!! Enjoying the webisodes on SciFi's website in the meantime.
  
• 24: Not until January, 2007? Bummer! Looking forward to appearances by James Cromwell and Eddie Izzard.
• The Shield: Rumored to be starting up again in January, but I haven't seen official confirmation.

• In terms of film, I'm looking forward to seeing Idiocracy, the new Mike Judge film. We heard him talk about it at Comic Con and some friends have recommended it. Also, The Prestige, directed by Christopher Nolan, looks really good too.
  

Blogger is being a little bitch. I lost most of a fairly long post last night and am having lots of problems today. Regular seems no better than beta.

Blogger In Beta

Who has switched over to this and is it worth doing? Do you have to wait to be notified that you can first? I don't think I've received a notification. One feature I heard about that intrigued me was the possibility of adding tags to posts. I haven't seen tags on anyone's blogs yet though, so I'm not sure if it is functional.

Thanks in advance for any info or tips anyone is willing to share.

Sunday Sundries

A couple of mornings last week, I took a different route to work. Instead of hopping on the 101 near Lankershim and Cahuenga, I took Barham and got on the freeway further south. On both days, I had side-of-road sightings. The one day it was a dead, young coyote. It was pretty intact from my vantage point and looked like it was sleeping. Sad. On the next trip I made over the hill, I spotted a perfect loaf of challah, wrapped in plastic a la Laura Palmer. I was briefly tempted to pull over.

I mentioned before that we went to Video Games Live last Thursday night. I took the Bowl shuttle and E met me there, as he was already in Hollywood. After the show, we walked to E's car and went to one of our favorite late-night places for a bite to eat. The food is great and the comic book/sci-fi decor is fun. However, the service is notoriously slow. Knowing that, we brought free weekly paper in to peruse upcoming events, etc. We finally wrapped up dinner and got back to the lot where I'd parked. As we pulled into the huge, empty space, save for my little xA, I noticed a humongous sign that stated "No Parking 1 am to 5 am." It was 2 am. Dammit. I'd been in a hurry to get to the bus earlier and didn't even see the sign. So, yep, there on my new car was a parking ticket. So, I know how I'll be spending part of any birthday money I receive next week.

After sleeping in and getting a much later start than planned on Friday, we headed out to Pomona to check out this year's L.A. County Fair. It was fun, but a little disappointing as we missed seeing the baby farm animals, my very favorite thing to do there. We did manage to catch the last pig race of the night and ate some of the not-so-healthy food. E played a couple of midway games and won a few cheesy prizes to add to our collection.

Yesterday, I took an intensive work-related and am actually quite sore today. Luckily, the class was small and we got out a little early. I was able to nap a little before Totally 80's at the Hollywood Bowl. ABC opened, which confused me because I thought they were headlining. Anyway, they were great and Martin Fry sported an awesome bright orange suit! Next, The Psychedelic Furs performed second and were much, much better than last summer in Orange County. Richard Butler's voice continues to slay me, after all these years. The Human League wrapped up the night with a brilliant set. They were the one act I'd never seen live, so it was a real treat. I have to say that the only thing that I really disliked about the night were the between band bits that Jane Wiedlin hosted. It was mostly bad karaoke with out-of-sync lyrics.

I was up early this morning to spot-clean and show my Jetta to a potential buyer (keep those fingers crossed for me!) I'm now thinking I'll round out my day with a wee nap before running some errands and doing some laundy, bill-paying, and other assorted chores that are not so fun.

What Would You Say?

I'm not really sure what I want to say today. Sometimes inspiration hits me on topics to discuss and I even jot notes on paper. But later, the moment is gone and I just don't do it. Some things I've been thinking about recently:

• The process of trying to sell my old car. A friend requested that I blog about this and probably will when it's over. (Will it ever be?)

• Various things I've seen on the side of the road when driving to work. Some were dead. Probably not interesting to anyone but me.
  

• The sick feeling I'm experiencing over the announcement of Duran Duran collaborating with Justin Timberlake. Even more confounding is the fact that I seem to be the only person in the world upset by this. Justin Timberlake? Come on.
  

• Another night at the Hollywood Bowl last night. No, I probably won't write much on that as the show was a little lost on me. It was Video Games Live, which is cool if you are into that sort of thing.
  

• I liked Ren's post the other day that updated us on what she's reading, listening to, watching, etc. I basically blogged in her comments, but still may do this as a post.
  

• Halloween costume ideas. Ack! I'm at a loss right now, although my work costume will probably be decided for me and I may just boycott. Yeah right, I wish I was that punk ass to actually do it. I'm sure I'll be the good little worker bee and do what I'm told.
  

• A serious topic like politics, religion, or the environment. Actually, I'll probably just keep it light and fluffy. I don't think I'm articulate enough to write about the important stuff.

• Oh yeah, and I got a parking ticket last night. Bummer.
  

Why Do I Have Pets?

At approximately 3am this morning, I was awakened by a squeak-thump-squeak-thump that kept repeating. I wasn't deeply asleep as I'd woken up a little when E came to bed, not long before. I switched on the light and saw the hamster racing in his wheel. Apparently there was a big seed or something clunking as he ran along. Knowing what it was, I was able to start drifting off again.

I didn't get very far into my sleep when I heard a thud, which was then followed by Rusty barking. And barking. And barking some more. Rusty is not a barker at all compared to his canine siblings, who were both curled up and snoozing away with us in the bedroom. I went out to the dining room here Rusty was standing, in the dark, barking into the kitchen. He was freaking out, wiggling like crazy when he saw me.

My first thought was, "Crap, what came in through the dog door? Skunk, squirrel, possum, stray cat?" I tentatively turned on some lights and found my lunch box had fallen from the top of the refridgerator, explaining the thud I had heard. And yes, that is what spooked Rusty. Much better than some wildlife creature.

If I believed in signs or omens or whatever, I would definitely think the lunch box falling was one. I put a bottle of water in with my food today. When I got to work, I picked up my lunch and it was soaking wet, as was the floor mat in my brand new car! Ack! I'm dreading how it will smell after being closed up for 10+ hours today. Upon inspection of my container, I noted the rubber gasket on the lid had become dislodged. So that explains the spillage instead of some mumbo jumbo.

I do wonder what made the lunch box fall. I checked an earthquake information page and there was a "micro quake" at 3:09 am, but it was pretty far south so I don't think that was it.

Barenaked Ladies Are Me

No, I'm not naked as I type this and it would be a stretch to even call me a lady. The title references the new album from one of my favorite bands, Barenaked Ladies. Last night they did an in-store performance and signing at a Borders bookstore. It wasn't publicized very much, but E happened to see an ad a couple of days ago. I had to go! I left work around 6pm and called the store to find out the photo policy. The guy I spoke to said "Well, are you going to be here by 6:30? We're closing the store at that time to set up." Crap! It was improbable that I'd make it Century City Mall/Westfield Shopping Plaza/Whatever It's Now Called from Hollywood-near-Silver Lake in time. I pulled into the parking garage at 6:32. The machine wouldn't give me a ticket, so it was another 5 minutes or so before I parked. I got in and ran to the store. It was still open and barely anyone was there. Due to that, they had decided not to close down.

I bought the new cd, went to the restroom, and tried to find a place to stand where I might be able to see. I'm very short (but not technically a midget as some people claim) and having come from work, I had flat shoes on. I found a spot beside the info desk...Ed side...that seemed to work. There was a nice guy there too that I chatted with about music and concerts, etc. for awhile. At one point, Ed Robertson just walked right up to us...about 3 feet from me....looked right at me, smiled, and said hi...said hi to others near me and told the audience they'd be taking a couple of requests, so get together on that. He then walked away. Steven Page and Kevin Hearn were walking around the store too and some people were talking to them, but I didn't want to give up my spot, which promised a sort of decent view.

The performance started pretty much right at 7:30. They played several new songs, as well as a few older ones. One of the audience requests was "Same Thing," which Ed agreed to do as long as someone could remind him of the chords and a few lyrics. Steven Page requested that Jim Creegan sing "Spider In My Room," which was a real treat. Also, each band member took turns throughout the show doing a "reading," since they were playing in a book store. Ed read from a book about Scrabble tournaments, Kevin chose a book about striptease workouts, Steve read, rather dramatically, from "Hacking Wireless Networks for Dummies," Jim picked Bob Greene health book and Tyler, gotta love Tyler, read from a trashy Jackie Collins book...it was great!

We all lined up, according to wristband color, after the show for the signing. I've met the band several times, as I'm sure many of their fans have. This was one of the quickest moving signings though, as Borders was really committed to getting everyone through the line. Now I'm really looking forward to digging into the new album and the upcoming concert at Universal in November. I took a bunch of photos (yeah, mostly of Ed) that I'm slowly uploading to my flickr site.

I couldn't help but think about all of the BNL shows and signings I've been to over the past nearly twelve years. There are probably some good stories there, that perhaps I'll share someday, including calling Ed over to our car to sign my Maybe You Should Drive cd after a show at the Costa Mesa Hard Rock Cafe in December 1994, the Tower on Sunset in-store performance in early '95, the show at the American Legion Hall in Hollywood in 1995 where a crazy drunk guy dove off the stage and landed right on top of me, scaring the bejeezus out of me, and the 1997 H.O.R.D.E. tour show, that I won free tickets to from KROQ, and where I managed to get invited backstage by chatting up the record company representative. I think it was October of 2000 that I flew to Philadelphia for a conference and my sister-in-law picked me up from the airport and we went straight to a BNL concert. Good, good times.

Delicious Autumn

Anyone who knows me knows that I love living in Los Angeles. Having resided in several different places, it is my favorite and the home I've had for the longest time, twelve years in a couple of weeks. I'd have to say that the one thing I do miss the most, especially about the Northeast, is autumn. The prompt for this week's haiku challenge got me thinking about this. Here's what I posted on my photoblog yesterday:

'Delicious Autumn' for one deep breath

A few years ago
October trip to Boston
Such autumn delight

I miss the autumns
Of my past in the Northeast
Cool, crisp, colorful

Santa Ana winds
Hot and dry fire starters
Blow in Southwest Fall

Trip to Faulkner Farm
To pick out the best pumpkin
Took a hay ride too

The tree in my front yard usually does turn red and gold before the leaves drop, but it just isn't the same. Maybe I need to take a drive north this year.

Thanks For The Memories

Last night's show at The Hollywood Bowl was one I was simultaneously dreading and anticipating all summer. It was the last performance for John Mauceri, the beloved conductor and Director of The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for the past sixteen years. I can't recall when we first starting going to the Bowl, but I have such fond memories of Mauceri as being so personable and down-to-earth. His passion for film music was clear on the annual "Movie Nights" he programmed. Before going to our seats, we went to see the special Mauceri exhibit that is currently on dislay in the venue's museum. I wrote a letter in the book provided and thanked the maestro for making classical music so accessible, especially to someone like me who has very little background in and knowledge of it. I've definitely learned a few things from him over the past several years.

To end his tenure at the Bowl, John Mauceri compiled quite an event with guests that included Broadway singer Kristin Chenoweth, members of the Joffrey Ballet, Miss Piggy, and Kermit the Frog. It was a fun, but bittersweet, show that ended with fireworks. After the smoke cleared, we got to meet Eric Jacobson, a friend of a friend who, for the past five years, has been performing the Muppets formally puppeteered by Frank Oz. He's doing a fantastic job, as everyone who was at last night's event saw when Miss Piggy was doing her thing! He's a really nice guy too!

We'll miss John Mauceri, but I hope he enjoys his new career as the chancellor of an arts school in North Carolina. Apparently, he's heard about the strawberry scented rainbow farting unicorns that live there.

As a bonus last night, not only did we run into some friends that we haven't seen in a while twice, but E spotted Summer Glau walking up to the gates. I was spacing a bit, but did see her from behind.

Geeking Out In 3D

I borrowed a pass to attend the World 3D Film Expo this past Friday night. E had his own pass and went to most of the screenings during the festival. I was excited to see Kiss Me Kate, which I'd heard was beautiful in terms of the 3D and fun as a film. It did not disappoint. After that movie, we got back in line for The French Line, starring Jane Russell. The film legend gave a Q&A before the movie and stayed in the audience to watch it. It's not every day you get to hear Jane Russell dish on Clark Gable.

O Fortuna

The summer season at The Hollywood Bowl is quickly wrapping up. This past Thursday night was one of the best programs, not only of this year, but ever, in my opinion. The L.A. Philharmonic performed Carl Orff's entire Carmina Burana. Whether you know it or not, you are familiar with O Fortuna that opens and closes the composition. Hearing and seeing the entire piece performed live was amazing. In addition to the orchestra, there was a chorale, a children's chorus, a soprano, tenor, and baritone performing on stage. The invigorating piece culminated with amazing synchronized fireworks. It's too bad it was scheduled on a weeknight, as I wish more people had been there to experience it. Oh well. We only paid $1 for our tickets and we got to move down to $20 seats.

Of course, being the dork that I am, I got "La Vie Boheme" from Rent stuck in my head, as it references Carmina Burana. I wasn't the only one though. I overhead a kindred spirit singing the tune while we waited in line for the shuttle bus.

You Can't Take The Sky From Me...

...but, you can take away my access to Blogger. I couldn't get in to post last night. Or even read many of the blogs I normally do. Oh well, I was having a late post-Hollywood Bowl (more on that later) dinner and watching the last episode and DVD extras of Firefly.

Anyway, there were some good guesses on the car's name, my favorites being "Haiku" and "Puffy Ami Car Car." The name I chose does come from one of my current obsessions. And, yeah, I'm a dork, I know. I'll just say that so Ren doesn't have to, but she can if she wants to.

Not only did I name the car "Serenity," but I programmed it into the stereo. I think it originally says "Scion" when you turn the car on, but you can change it to say whatever you want. Shiny.

New Addition

Nope, I didn't get another hamster or dog. No oven buns either. Just a new car. A new car! I've wanted Scion xA for some time and as my Jetta is getting up there in years, it was time to move on. I was ready for something smaller with better gas mileage. I purchased through my credit union, so I never had to step foot on a dealer's lot. I just snapped a quick photo this evening that didn't turn out so well, but you get the idea.

I did give the car a name already. Anyone care to take any guesses?

Continuing Education

This past weekend I learned that if you drop a tin of cinammon flavored Altoids into the dogs' water bowl, you can dry the mints in the microwave. It's brilliant and works much better than the hair dryer. Go on, try it!

My Hamster's Faster Than Your Honor Roll Student

Ami was successful in defending his title (which he doesn't really have!) in his second Hamster Ball Derby. There were fewer competitors this time and Ami was the only repeat runner, as far as I could tell. He won for the Syrian group, of which there were only three. He then ended up getting the blue ribbon for "Fastest Hamster" in a run-off with a really fast dwarf.

Ami narrowly pulled ahead in this run!



Tiebreaker between Ami and Buffy.

Off To The Races

Ami has been training this week for the second Hamster Ball Derby that he's competing in tomorrow. Here's a short video of one of his workouts, which was interrupted by one of the dogs, Cosette.

Sometimes I Say The Dumbest Things

As if my last post wasn't embarrassing enough, I'm going to share something I said today, which is a fine example of the crap my mouth often spews. I was on the phone, giving some information, and was asked for my middle initial. So I said, "L...as in Larry." E was in the room and shot me a "what the frack?" look and I sort of laughed and went on to explain, "But my middle name's not Larry!" By now the guy on the phone was laughing too and said, "I certainly hope not!"

I swear that I'm not retarded. I just act that way from time to time.

Good Times In The Feminine Hygiene Aisle

What is it about so-called "feminine hygiene" products and the hilarity I cause or witness at my local drug store? Not once, but twice, I've been "caught" testing the various scents of pantiliners. Okay, yes, sniffing them. I swear I think the aisle is empty and I just want to see what's what and yep, I look up and not only is someone heading toward me, but it's a male.

Tonight I went to pick up some needed supplies and a guy was in the aisle of good times, on his cell phone, trying to get just the type of pantiliner the caller on the other end was requesting. He was insisting, loudly, that "the long ones aren't 'to go' though!" He got quite exasperated at one point, exclaiming, "What happened to there just being Kotex and one kind of Kotex? Now they come in blue and green and orange and it's all so confusing!" He ended up handing the phone to a female companion. I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The Jill And Julia Show

Due to financial contraints, we really haven't been going out to many non-free events lately. Besides The Hollywood Bowl, for which we bought $1 and $5 tickets months ago, we haven't gone to many movies or live music shows. However, last week, we decided to splurge and go to Largo. Two very talented women, Jill Sobule and Julia Sweeney, performed together and even debuted their own theme song. Jill sang many of her wonderful songs and Julia told fabulous, funny stories. The hilarious Greg Proops opened for them and, as usual, had me laughing so hard I was crying and nearly peeing in my pants. What a bonus!

Jill and Julia will be performing together again at Largo in October (not sure about Mr. Proops). If you are in the L.A. area, you might just want to check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Shiny!

So maybe I haven't gotten into The Doctor, but I am finally catching up on Firefly. I'm enjoying it very much, but was admittedly reluctant at the beginning. You see, I was never really a Buffy fan and am not part of the "Joss Whedon is the most clever guy EVER" club. Perhaps I'll go back and watch that series some day and then reconsider membership. Also, Firefly had been really built up and hyped to me, which caused me to be a little wary. I am learning that it was loved and supported by so many people for good reason though. It's dramatic and funny, even absurd at times, with interesting characters that continue to amuse and surprise me. Check it out. I hope you won't be disappointed either.

* Update: I just watched the episode "Jaynestown" tonight and they mentioned hamsters! How can I not love this show?

Hamsters, Start Your Balls!

Something about that title is just so wrong that I have to leave it. It looks like my schedule is going to work out for this weekend and I'll be able to only work half a day on Saturday. That means that Ami will get to compete in the Petco Hamster Ball Derby again! Luckily, such silly, dorky things amuse me. I started "training" Ami-Ham a little last night, which is possibly one of the most absurd things I've ever done. I set up a bit of his track and had him run back and forth in the ball a few times, commanding him to "Go!" Afterwards, he got some fresh carrot as a reward. Tonight, I think I'll have one of the dogs chase him in the ball to increase his speed.

Okay, I'm going a little overboard here, partially in a lame attempt to bait Ren to leave a comment here. It's been ages! She's probably too busy watching Dr. Who or being a far cooler dork than I'll ever be.

Another Hamster Post (With Haiku!)

'Solitude' for one deep breath.

Syrian hamsters
Prefer to live all alone
No need for roommates

My fluffy hamster
A solitary rodent
Broccoli for one

End Of The Summer

As I mentioned before, this was the first Labor Day weekend in years that I didn't have to work. Due to the raging head cold I'd contracted last week, I slept most of it away. Not that I'm complaining about that. I did manage to catch two great shows at The Hollywood Bowl and see a few friends. Unfortunately, it was really, really HOT again this weekend, so I did not do much outdoors. There were even warnings for one of the days to stay in if at all possible.

When I realized yesterday that it was the last official day of Summer, I decided I wanted to go to the beach. E and I berated ourselves for not going more at all this summer. We got a late start, but it ended up being perfect. Since we prefer to go to the beaches north of Malibu, it does take awhile to get there, but we traveled against traffic and made good time. We went to Westward Beach and hiked up to Point Dume to watch the sun set over the Pacific. Just prior to and after sunset, we spotted quite a few dolphins fairly close to shore, which was an added bonus. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to a seafood dinner at The Reel Inn in Malibu.

One of the great things about being in Southern California is that the summer is far from over and there will be many more opportunities to spend some time at the beach.

Cheap Date

John Williams night at The Hollywood Bowl generally occurs on Labor Day weekend. I hadn't realized it, but it was also this weekend last year. We went on Saturday this year and it was great fun, as usual. The first half of the show was actually comprised of Williams conducting movie music from "The Golden Age of Hollywood," including Now, Voyager and Psycho. He saved his own compositions for after the intermission and did not disappoint. We heard selections from Jurassic Park, Memoirs of a Geisha, Indiana Jones, E.T., Superman, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Hook, more Star Wars. We even got the entire, extended version of the theme from the NBC Nightly News. As was to be expected, there were several light sabers that lit up during any Star Wars piece. I think there was a record number this year as I don't recall seeing so many in years past. During "Vader's Theme," there was even a chase up and down the venue between someone with a blue one and someone with a red one. The cheap seats, way at the top, lend themselves to a great view of all of this frivolity. I wouldn't want it any other way.

Sunday night's show was fantastic too. John Mauceri, sadly in his last couple of weeks as the Director of The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, counted down the Top 25 Greatest Movie Musicals according to the American Film Institute. Clips from each film played on the multiple screens around the Bowl, while the orchestra played accompanying music. I was really hoping that my favorite, The Sound of Music, would be named #1, but I was wrong. I think it was robbed, but at least it placed in the Top 5. There were no light sabers at Movie Night, but we were seated with a much more unruly group of people. Apparently, when some folks bought the least expensive seats in the house, they also received a license to talk loudly and guffaw obnoxiously throughout the show. Funny, I paid my $5 and I only received a bench seat assignment and no other special privileges.

Dream A Little Dream

When I woke up this morning afternoon, I had a text message that Duran Duran was playing at a Trader Joe's, somewhere in the greater L.A. area. Granted, it was hours earlier, but it was a nice gesture. It reminded me that I had a dream with a couple of the band members (Nick and Simon) Friday night. It was a strange dream and lots of weird things happened, most of which I don't remember. One thing I do recall is looking at a black and white photo of Nick Rhodes and me at a funeral. My Mom was in the picture too, but I have no idea who died. When I told E about it, he insisted he must have been the one who had died, but I remember him being in the dream too.

I did wonder why in the world I was dreaming about Duran Duran, but then I remembered I'd read a few pages in the biography I'm reading before going to sleep. Besides, Nick Rhodes is still dreamy after all these years, so why not?

Life Seems To Have PMS Too

This is the first Labor Day 'holiday' weekend in ages I'm not working, and I have a cold. Dammit!

It looks like I will have to work next weekend though, so little Ami may not get to defend his Hamster Ball Derby champion title, which he really doesn't have, and most likely really didn't win.

I've dragged my feet on getting a new car that gets decent mileage. Today, my 'check engine' light came on in the car I'll be selling or trading in. Oh yeah, and the a/c is still broken too.

I didn't buy tickets to see The Killers in October and the shows are sold out. I've wanted to see them live for ages and even had a code for a presale. D'oh!

I think I'll just go eat some dark chocolate.