Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life

"Life's a piece of shit, when you look at it..."

I'm definitely not the most optimistic person in the world. I like to say that I'm not necessarily a pessimist, just a realist. While that is true to an extent, there is a lot of negativity that clouds my general outlook. I operate as if I'm hoping for the best, while truly expecting the worst. That way, when something does go wrong or I fail at a venture, I can feel good in the fact that I was right that it would go bad. I'm often quite pleasantly surprised when life does turn out okay, as it often does. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's the way my wonky brain works.

So, here's to a little positive thinking and celebrating some outcomes that are actually good. Or at least to putting a positive spin on some crappy things that have been happening lately.

I've been really bummed that we weren't able to swing our yearly trip to Sundance. I was supposed to be off all of last week and this week for the vacation. Oh well. We didn't get to go, but we were home to deal with our repeatedly leaking roof in the recent rains. Also, Cosette has had some medical issues (all healing nicely) that we could give prompt attention to without stressing out the dogsitter. Furthermore, there was horrible weather that would have impacted our 12-14 hour drive to and from Park City. Being in town for the last week and a half has allowed us to go to some cool events and see some friends, including one from Indiana who we usually share a condo with for the film fest. So, yes, there is often a bright side. You sometimes just have to look for it.

I thought of this today at work when lamenting that upon racing back after leaving for a vet visit, I spilled an old cup of coffee ALL OVER ME. Old, stale coffee that had a banana peel stuffed into the cup. Don't ask. One of my co-workers, who has much more of a positive attitude than I do, said, "At least you are wearing brown." And I guess there are worse things that I could go around smelling of than banana coffee.

On another up note, I'm off of work for the next five days. Here's hoping that I get my closet cleaned out, which would be a very positive thing.

Hello, Hello...Hola! Hola!

Do you know the best time to go to Universal CityWalk? Well, I found out and will let you in on the secret. When it's pouring rain, that's when. Easy to park and NO PEOPLE...how awesome is that? I'm not a fan of their multiplex, but it has one of the two IMAX screens in L.A. showing U2 3D in limited release. I can see Universal City from my back yard and I certainly didn't want to drive all the way to The Bridge in the downpour. As a bonus, we had AMC passes and a gift card that we used for tickets and concessions. We paid only $5 for parking, movie, and snacks.

So, U2 3D. It's pretty fanfreakintastic. E saw some footage a couple months ago and prepared me somewhat for how incredible the film would be. It was truly something to experience, especially if you are a U2 fan and/or you appreciate 3D. You've never been immersed in a movie like this before and you've never seen a concert film of this nature. Also, there is no seat in an arena during a live show that can give you the perspectives offered up on the ginormous screen.

Prior to tonight, I've seen U2 twice in concert. The first time was in the fall of 1987 on the Joshua Tree tour and the next was fall of 2006 on the Vertigo tour. I now feel like I can say I've seen them live three times (but I won't!). I got teary-eyed at least three, maybe four, times, like I often do at a show that moves me. I think my favorite thing was seeing The Edge and his quiet intensity so up close. Bono is a spaz and we alway see him everywhere, so it was fun to have some focus on the other guys as well. Great band, terrific music, and amazing 3D footage.

U2 3D will open in some non-IMAX theaters on February 15th.

Click to see big.

A few of my favorite photos that I've taken over the past couple of weeks.

I Saw It! It's Alive! It's Huge!

We finally saw Cloverfield today. I enjoyed it, but must admit that I did get a little nauseated. It's pretty intense, but definitely an experience for the big screen. I wasn't even as scared as I thought I'd be. At least not enough to pee in my pants, which was my real fear. We'll see if I have bad dreams.

On another note, if you are looking for me on Facebook, you won't find me. We broke up. It was him, not me. I just couldn't take all of the invites and requests to download various apps, take a bazillion quizzes, etc. I think I'll still be able to keep in touch with friends without feeling guilty that I haven't had time to compare driving styles or shoe size. So, I squashed my account just like I was a big monster destroying New York City.

Jack Sparrow: Close your eyes and pretend it's all just a bad dream. That's how I get by.

The weekend started out just fine. I joined E and a friend for lunch. It was fun to catch up after the holidays while laughing and reminiscing about the 80s music playing in the restaurant. After going our separate ways for some shopping, E and I met up at home to get dressed up and head over to the Magic Castle to see our friend Lincoln, a very talented magician.

I got to partake in the yummy food and laughter that is guaranteed at party hosted by Jenn. Fellow blogger buddy Nanette and I have both answered the question, "So, how to you know Jenn?" asked by various friends and family members of hers several times now. It's starting to feel a little less weird to say, "Our blogs." I think everyone realizes we aren't crazy and that you can actually make some good friends through the internet.

Later that afternoon, things started going downhill and I started feeling quite ill. I took a long nap and then ventured out for a couple of art shows. We wrapped up the night by meeting up with some very drunk friends celebrating a birthday at a bowling alley. We watched them finish their game and had a very late dinner. It nearly did me in.

I felt even worse today and spent the majority of the day in bed and sleeping. It seems to have helped some. I don't feel great, but I feel a little bit better. I'd already taken a vacation day for tomorrow, so at least I can sleep in some on Monday too if I need to.

In Brief

• Read about my $6 pants! Maybe not such a bargain after all.

• Not only is popcorn my favorite snack, but it reminds me to floss.

• I attended the Dorkbot/Geek Dinner blind date earlier this week. A good geeky/dorky time was had by most.

• How I'm feeling. Blergh.

What's What

Now watching: Shaun of the Dead. I've had an unhealthy obsession lately of all things Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg/Nick Frost related. I blame it on going to a few screenings during The Wright Stuff Festival last month. I was already a fan, but I seem to be even more infatuated with the boys now. It's like when I go to a concert and after listen to that artist repeatedly.

Now listening: The Bluetones, a British indie band that was introduced to me (and the rest of the Bugsy Malone audience) by Edgar Wright. See?

Now playing: Animal Crossing: Wild World on my Ninendo DS Lite. My sister has been raving about the game and has been playing it since last Spring, which says more about it that you can imagine. We'll even get to play together, even though she lives across the country. Once I can get the WiFi working on my system. That may have to wait until E is back in town.

Now cleaning: My covered patio. During the recent rains, my dogs abused it a bit and it really needs a good scrubbing. But wait. How can I be mopping and blogging at the same time? My robot, Scooba, is cleaning the patio thankyouverymuch. Now where are robots to do my laundry, wash the dishes, pick up the clutter, and clean the bathroom?

Now walking: Some friends went out of town, so I've been walking their dog Daizy. She big and energetic and honestly, practically takes me for a walk! It's good exercise though, which I'll be getting momentarily.

Snoozer Loser

Every morning, I snooze my alarms. Yes, that's alarmS, as in two on my clock radio and five or six on my cell phone. Occasionally, I'll set one on my PDA and if E is out of town, I use his as well. I'm not a morning person and tend to stay up much later than I should, so it's difficult for me to get up. There is the rare occasion that I pop right up and get started with the day, but more times than not, I hit that magical button that grants me a little more sleep. Again. And again. Sometimes for an hour or more.

So yeah, snoozing has gotten me into trouble, or at least made me run late, so it's not a good habit. I set my alarm earlier to allow a snooze cushion. I finally stumbled across a device that might be a solution.

The SnūzNLūz from one of my favorite online shops, ThinkGeek, donates your hard earned money to an organization you despise every time you hit the snooze. An interesting footnote states that ThinkGeek can take up to 50% of each donation. Oh well, even though I like them and don't want to be wasting money on little bursts of nine minute dreams that I can't finish.

Throw Me A Bone

Apparently, it's National Delurking Week, but I think we can make it an INTERnational thang. So, don't be shy, there must be one or two of you. I've made it pretty easy to leave comments here. Anyone can say hi--you don't need to have a Blogger account. There is no comment moderation or word verification. If you have a blog, be sure to leave a link so I can check it out. I welcome hellos for those of you who do visit fairly regularly too.

Only Slightly Annoying

• Getting to work a little late and finding the parking garage already FULL. I didn't mind parking in front of a strip club, but I was not fond of the idea of having to street park when I pay to park in a garage.
  

• Hearing from my mother that an old childhood friend is "mad" at me because I haven't returned any of her emails. After lots of searching, I confirmed that I haven't received any emails from her.
  

• Offering my help to a co-worker who repeatedly refused it until I argued her down. I was at the point of almost not wanting to help her anymore. I think she was trying to prove something.
  

• Getting sucked into mindless "reality" tv programs such as "The Real Housewives of Orange County." Such a waste of time.
  

• Neglecting my house and not getting much (any?) organizing and cleaning done over the past few nights. I annoy myself.
  

Juxtaposition

I introduced Ami to the GIANT hamster puppet I got for Christmas.
He nibbled a bit, but I took it away in case it wasn't good for him.

Fry All You Can...For $5!

One of the many holiday parties we attended this past December was a "fry-b-que" hosted by our good friends at machine project in Echo Park. I've been invited to fry parties before, but never attended. It seemed like something fun and different to do, so we got some bananas and Oreo cookies and went for it. Oh, and we'd just made some of justJenn's famous bacon wrapped little smokies* for another party, so we brought a few of those along to throw into the fat.

The set up involved several fryers. There was one for meat, another for vegan items, yet another for sweets, and a fourth one that was dubbed "anything goes." You could have stuff cooked up battered or not. We dipped it all and took a few tastes. That's all you need before feeling quite ill. There was also a table of community food that you could sample. It was recommended to me that the Star Crunch battered and fried was quite delicious, so I gave it a try. It was great, again for the first couple of bites. I don't know if the county fair is on to this one yet.

Others experimented with all kinds of things from pizza to Pop Tarts to rabbit meat. It was an experience and not one I need to repeat anytime soon. One woman kind of summed it up when she walked into the joint and exclaimed, "It smells like ass in here!" Our clothes reeked afterwards and reminded me of my days as a student cook in college. Nasty.

*We ended up making justJenn's weenies for THREE separate parties. I think there may be a few in the fridge still. I am officially sick of bacon, at least for the time being. E can't seem to understand.

**Update: Just a day after my post, Boing Boing tv posted their experience at the fry-b-que. Too bad we missed Xeni frying up cell phones. Yum!

Project 365

For about two seconds, I entertained the idea of participating in Blog 365, like Keely, but I quickly came to my senses. I barely made it through NaBloPoMo so the idea of posting every day for a year stressed me out.

I do like a challenge though and have been wanting to start taking more photos again. So, I joined a flickr group called Project 365. There are several similar groups, but this one is fairly laid back, which I like. You take a photo a day of anything you want and post it to the group. If you miss posting because you get sick, can't access the internet, or are dealing with a leaking roof and flooding garage*, no worries. You can back post, start over, do whatever (for the most part). My kind of group.

I'm cross-posting my Project 365 photos to my photoblog. You can check them out there or on flickr. They won't all be good. But they will be there.

*With the major rains that hit L.A. last night, we had leaks and floods and general headaches. We managed to get some patch work done prior to the rain starting back up tonight. Thank goodness.

Complimentary

It's amazing. I "did" my hair this morning and put on a little makeup. I'm wearing new pants, that while many, many sizes larger than I'd like them to be, are a somewhat flattering style and sort of fit. I've gotten compliments from kids I work with, children's parents, friends, and co-workers. Shows me what a little effort can produce. Amazing.

And A Hamster New Year

In case you haven't been paying attention, I like hamsters. My obsession began some time ago, but really blew up when I got Ami almost two years ago. I chose this strange passion and am quite happy when others indulge me. Check out some of the goodies I got for Christmas:

There are notes on the specific items at flickr, but as you can see there are books, toys, art, and a couple of games for my new Nintendo DS Lite (another gift). Oh, and yeah, my little artificial tree is decorated with my craft hamsters. Hey, I set it up for photos, so why not?

I once had a collection sort of thrust upon me. It all started about 15 years ago when I wore a cow costume to work on Halloween. From that time on, people started giving me cow stuff. I went along with it for a while, but grew really tired of it. I'd never really asked to collect cows and while they are okay, and certainly yummy, I have no strong affinity for cattle. But this time it's different, I revel in my love of the furry little critters with cute nubby tails.