Dad: Why do you think you're a dork? I don't think you're a dork. I don't think Mom thinks you're a dork. Samantha: Mike thinks I'm a dork.

Okay, I've got to get on this. The wonderfully sarcastic Bart, emailed me some interview questions when I responded to one he did on his blog. Since he gave me the honor of being the only recipient of questions, I need to stop over thinking the whole thing and just do it. So, here goes. First, some rules and info for anyone wanting to participate:

• Link back to the person you received the interview from.
  

• If you want to participate, leave a comment saying, “Interview me.”
  

• I will respond by emailing you 5 questions. I get to pick the questions.

• You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

• You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

1) I see that you don't like your neck being touched. Neither do I. Mine might be some repressed choking memory, what is your reason for not wanting to be touched there? If you don't have an answer, please answer with your favorite Beatle, and why. That way, you can't get out of answering this question. Actually, do that anyway, it's an important thing to know personality wise.

I'm not exactly sure, but I think the neck thing has something to do with being tickled relentlessly when I was a child. I can't even stand something coming toward my neck. If I THINK I'm going to be touched there, I jump out of my skin. I've gotten to the point where I can tolerate light necklaces, for a while, but scarves and turtlenecks are not so comfortable.

And my favorite Beatle? I'm so friggin' wishy-washy that I always have trouble with favorite type questions. I keep coming back to John. The mysterious, poetic, political one. However, my favorite Beatles song, "Eleanor Rigby," is a Paul tune. See? Wishy.Washy.

2) When you recently saw Ben Folds, did he have the double piano set up? And if he did, did he do that awesome bit where he plays with both his hands and feet? And did he rule awesomely?

Nope to the first question, nullifying the second. Only one piano. I will answer the third part with another question. When does he not rule awesomely? Between Ben Folds Five, completely solo, and playing along with various other band members, I've seen Mr. Folds live around 20 times. This latest show was hands down one of the best. I'm sure I could go on and on about one of my favorite performers and never end up at Question #3. Instead, if anyone is even interested, there are a few posts in my archives, including the one related to 9/11/01.

Ben and me, July 1998
4th & B, San Diego

3) I see a lot of stuff out of you, but not a lot of "snark." Why'd you choose that? Yes, this is a bit of a joke question.

Now I'm curious to see what you do see coming out of me! I've been accused before (mainly by "internet people") of not being very snarky or dorky, at least not enough to warrant use of the moniker. Anyone who really knows me, will testify to how incredibly, unapologetically dorky I am. As for the snark, I can bring that too. Oh, yes I can. I often go a little too far though, or pick an inappropriate situation, and get in trouble for it. I only remember my husband and I coming up as something that wasn't my actual name, but was unique.

And hey, it's better than one of the earlier blog names I considered, which was Sparkly Cheese. I wish I was kidding.

4) If you were to mentor a blogger, what would be your blogosphere version of the "if you can take the stone from my hand, grasshoppa" trial?

Damn, these questions are kind of hard. And the thought of me mentoring a blogger does make me laugh a little. Personally, I just try to have fun with it and not put too much pressure* on myself. I don't have a large audience, but that's not really one of my goals. I suppose I'd advise the newbie to figure out what they want to start putting stuff online and for what purpose. If it's anything more than an online diary, a way to share some photos, or keeping in touch with friends and family, I'd refer them to other bloggers I know who are doing more serious and profound things.

*I have just agreed to something that will require more obligation that I put into this site, but I'm up for the challenge and will discuss more later!

5) Are you aware that I'm not very fond of most health care professionals? How do you live with knowing that? Just kidding, you aren't all bad, its simply a system, like most systems, that is broken. But as a health care pro, can you tell us the worst instance of the system failing someone? Obviously change or hide names...and heck, why don't you tell us about a time when the system really benefited someone for the positive vibes.

Yikes. It can suck. As can animal health care, as I learned recently. I'd like to think that my role in the cog is a good one. In my capacity, I help people (kids, to be a little more specific in my vague musings here) take steps toward returning to life after often devastating injuries or illness. However, I have to deal with the bureaucracy, which can be quite unpleasant. With my work having mostly positive outcomes, I do tend to remember the bad stories. For example, a teenage athlete loses a leg in a tragic accident. His parents are gainfully employed and insured, but the company will not fund a prosthetic leg. Instead, they tell the parents to just purchase a peg for him, out of their own pockets.*

I realize I've done something good when former patients come back to visit me. Just this past week, a 25-year old woman came by, with her 6-year old twins and 3-year old child in tow. I knew her probably about eight or nine years ago. She's moved out-of-state, but was in town for the holidays. I was one of the few people she specifically asked to see, which says something to me about the impact I had on her life. I am embarrassed to say that I could not remember her name. Ack. I remembered HER though and what I'd helped her manage. So, after our lengthy conversation, I immediately emailed a colleague she'd also visited to find out her name. Oh! Of course.

*Details of that story have been altered, but the gist is very much true to what happened in one memorable case.

You Might Be Addicted To Animal Crossing If...

• You think to yourself that the tile in the staff restroom at work is very similar to the kitchen floor in your AC:WW house.

• You spot a single, tall green weed in your front lawn and feel compelled to pull it. Then you frantically look for the other two.
  

• You want to make special trips to Fry's just to get another AC:WW character charm from the vending machine by the exit.
  

• You lament during your Oscar party that you're missing your town's fishing tournament. (Not that you'd win).
  

• You are thrilled beyond belief when your husband gives you a Japanese animated film based on the game, without any English subtitles, for your wedding anniversary.
  

• You've neglected your Nintendog and Hamsterz for so long that you're afraid to check on them lest they have passed on.
  

• You get pretty bummed out that your favorite animal friend, Hugh--a blue pig--wants to move out of your town.
  

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.

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

When I lived in places that actually had significant weather, I like watching the Weather Channel. It fascinated me. Especially when we lived on the coast of Texas and had hurricanes threaten us, I'd check in frequently for the latest status. Keep in mind, this was pre-internet.

Now, whenever there is the least bit of earth trembling, I log in to this site to see where the earthquake was located and its magnitude. Some kind of sick fascination? Maybe. More likely, I just like to be informed.

Naturally, I love a Firefox addon called eQuake Alert that I recently discovered. Every time the earth shakes somewhere in the world, your browser shakes and the magnitude and location show up in the bottom of the window. Besides the major activity in Chile today, there's been quite a bit of 2.5-3.0 shaking in Central California. Good to know.

12, 12, 12, 12, Let's Sing A Song Of 12!

*Update: BIGGEST DORK EVER!

We go through this every year. The debate over Little Guy's age. He is 11 today, not 12. I pulled out the original paperwork from the shelter that estimates he was born in 1996. Of course, it's all just guess work. For all we know he could be 15 or 8. It doesn't really matter. I just want him to be around for many more years to come.

I went ahead and left the original post from this morning below.

How many is 12?

Apparently, it's how old my Little Guy is, as of today. I've been saying all year that he is 10 and would be turning 11 today, but once again, I am very wrong about this. I'm not sure what it is about his age that I can't get right. I guess I'm just in denial that he's getting up there in years. Being 12 explains the increased problems with his hips this past year, including his need to start using steps to climb onto the bed. He's not as stubborn as 15 year old Cosette, who just doesn't bother getting up on the bed anymore. Little Guy needs to be with his humans.

When I got home from my mountain getaway with Rusty last night, Cosette could not have cared less. She just stared at me, but happily took the special treat I brought for her. On the other hand, Little Guy greeted me with an enthusiastic happy dance and then proceeded to hop up on my lap (no stairs required) and nuzzled his bunny soft head under my chin. If you can get past his dragon breath, this move is sure to melt your heart.

P.S. It is my birthday today too and I definitely know how old I am. I felt it while hiking in high altitude this weekend for sure!

I Am A Dork--Reason #42

E and I were at a play earlier today. It was the closing performance and it was also sold out. We did the stand-by thing and got lucky. Our plan was to do the same for another show at the same theater three hours later.

I was really enjoying the production, which seemed to come to a sudden and quite unsatisfying end. I was only briefly annoyed.

"Oh well, gotta get to that stand-by line," I thought as I bolted from my seat.

Admittedly, I was somewhat perplexed that E was still sitting there, but nevertheless made my way out the front door. There was a kid sitting on a bench outside the door reading.* I looked around and no one else was exiting and I briefly got excited that I'd be first in line!

As I turned and looked back into the lobby, I noticed a big crowd of people at the concession stand. It dawned on me that the play was not over, but merely at intermission. No wonder the ticket guy was giving me that look.

The real conclusion was quite surprising, funny, and extremely satisfying.

*I was fourth in the next line. That bookish kid, his brother, and father were lined up when the play actually ended.

Dear mp3 player,

Please do not malfunction again. I rely on you to play pleasing music or podcasts for me when I can no longer bear the lack of entertaining radio in L.A. I'm happy that my live-in tech support guy was able to get you up and working again, but what the hell? Were you in cahoots with my laptop, so that I also had no access to it for most of the weekend? A long weekend.

I had photos to upload, blogs to read, blogs to update, writing to do, merchandise to order, plans to make. Okay, so I did some writing on paper (egads!), got a few crafty things done, mowed the lawn, read a couple of chapters in my book club book, took a few naps, and got caught up through Episode 11 of Heroes. But still. I feel behind on so much.*

I enjoyed our time together in the car this morning. And no, I did not break you on purpose, as I was accused, in order to get one of those iPods. I like being able to just dump straight mp3s onto you and have them play, no problem. So, apparently I misunderstood about iPods and mp3s, but I still don't want/need one. No iPod for me thankyouverymuch.

Love,
Me

*Yeah, I need to get a life. I know.

I'm A Sweepstakes Winner Or Something Like That

Here we go again. More embarrassing photos from 1985/86. Drill Team was a big deal in Texas and making the team was very exciting for me. Instead of regular P.E. class in 9th grade, I had "Drill Team Training." Over the course of the year we prepared to try out for the team. I made it and regret that I only had one year at that school.

The photo on the left was taken at home, in one of our old uniforms. And without the hideous makeup we had to wear. We were required to wear blue eyeshadow and red lipstick. Eek. There were a lot of other rules too, like no underwear under our uniforms. There was an "underwear check" before performances. Besides performing at the football games, we went to summer camp and to competition in the Spring.

We performed four routines in a statewide competition in early '86. I made it into all four routines. We did really well and won "Sweepstakes," meaning we placed first in each of the categories we had entered. The photo above was taken during our highkick routine, which I think was to "Gloria." I'm under the arrow. The girls in the white uniforms were officers.

We made the local paper. If you click on the photo above, you can see it larger. It's weird to think that nine years to the day of that article being published, I got married. It was a far thought from my mind at the time.

I found a couple of things in the notebook I passed back and forth with a friend related to drill team. She was also a member, but did not go to the competition, so I was kind of updating her.

Kristi wasn't a grouch at practice. I was shocked. We booted Susan and LaTonya out of the dance. They're so unreliable! It was a "group decision." Well I need to call Carol for some legwarmers and I have a shitload of homework to do.

I don't know about "Gloria." I'll probably go ahead and be in it. We're going to suck at contest. These routines look like SHIT!

We're going to miss the pep rally Friday 'cos of San Marcos. BUMMER! But since we'll be on pep rally schedule we'll leave during 6th and I won't have to get eligibility for Alg. since I'm failing.*

SWEEPSTAKES! Can you believe it?

*I'm not sure if I was actually failing Algebra, or if I was just being dramatic.
See, like I've said before, I've always been a dork.

Dwight: You Ever Watch Battlestar Galactica?No? Well, You're An Idiot

Great news!

I'm really looking forward to the finale this coming Sunday!

1986 Me

The year was 1986. I was in the second half of 10th grade in Texas, near Houston. My parents and younger siblings (including the one that wasn't quite born yet) had already moved to our new home in Pennsylvania, but I got to stay behind with some friends of my parents to finish out the school year. J had worked with my step-dad. He and his wife, M, didn't have kids yet and I thought they were pretty cool. For adults. I visited Austin for the first and only time in my life with M and really liked it. It's the one place in Texas I would definitely go back to, if I ever get a chance.

That's a photo of me that M took during our visit to that city. I think that might have been on the steps of the Texas State Capital. I was wearing my uniform, which consisted of men's thrift store shirts and Converse high tops. Underneath the bangs, my hair was shaved pretty short. I had to get the local barber to do it. Even though my Mom had given me permission, the woman who cut our hair refused to do it.

While staying with J&M, I had a banquet to attend for my Drill Team. The theme was "Pretty In Pink." I love the song, I love the movie, but at the time, I really hated the color. Also, the thought of wearing a dress mortified me. So, M and I found this green number at a second-hand shop and she modified it for me. Just for fun, we took some goofy photos of how I would have really liked to attended the event. That is, wearing my shades and my other Converse high tops, the red ones with paint spattered all over them. And mismatched socks, of course. (J&M have a "thing" for plastic yard flamingos, which explains the one I'm holding).

So, you see, I've always been a dork. And as if these photos aren't proof enough, here is a brief excerpt (one of the few not about Sting) from a notebook my friend Kelley and I passed back and forth at the time:

Sorry! I feel bad about waiting so long to write but w/exams, moving, etc. there hasn't been much time. Yes! M has "Daydream Believer" on one of her Monkees records. He He He. Yes T----- M---- was on the Seawall Sunday but then, he always is on weekends. So did you enjoy "Party Out of Bounds?" I think Kristi got mad because I was dancing w/Paul, Jenny, etc. It's just I don't see them (except Jenny) very often so you know. You understand don't you?

I went on to quote some song lyrics that I don't even recognize (and can't find online)* and to talk about a professional football player that we had a crush on. Oh, and at the end I wrote, "Save the Texas Prairie Chicken!" I was really into the Monkees at that time. Like I said--dork.

*After some more searching, I found what the lyrics are supposed to be. I'm starting to see a "misquoted lyrics" post in my future.

Brush Your Teeth Ch Ch Ch Ch, Ch Ch Ch Ch...

I never thought I'd be relearning how to brush my teeth at age 36. However, we recently invested in those fancy sonic toothbrushes and I'm having a heck of a time! Maybe I'm just a motor moron, but I'm definitely finding learning this new skill to be a challenge. If you see me with a big toothpaste stain on my shirt, you'll know why. And I can be comforted in knowing that I've effectively removed supragingival plaque.

Dorkbake!

Dorkbake has come and gone. Eric and I, or "Team Roswell," triumphed and took 1st Place! I know the mint chocolate star-shaped cake (with vanilla cream filling) was not the tastiest food cooked by the 100-watt light bulbs in competition, but I think we won over the judges with our sleek and simple oven design, as well as our "zazz." We were the team that went all out in terms of costumes and presentation and it paid off.

We had our 1950's flyer saucer inspired oven designed, and mostly built, before we left for Utah. Eric has his Ro-Man costume from Halloween, but I had to get my outfit together and we had to finalize our recipe. We got the mixture for our little cake down, but the ingredients provided at the bake-off were a bit different. So, we had to improvise a bit.

We got a write up on Boing Boing today and I posted a couple of photos to flickr. All in all, it was a good time. I just don't think I'll be cooking in a sequined mini-dress and 5-inch heel hooker boots anytime soon!

Dorkbake is quickly approaching. We lost a bit of prep time being away on vacation. We had pretty much completed a functional oven with a cool design before leaving and had even begun experimenting. Now we are in the finalization phase of testing our recipes, honing our presentation, and procuring a proper costume for me. Oh, the pressure of it all.

I swear I'm going to need a vacation to recover from this one. It has been loads of fun, but I dare not call it "relaxing."

Dorks R Us

This past Saturday was the monthly Dorkbot SoCal meeting. People are encouraged to bring projects they have done, so E brought along a couple of things to share. You can check out two of his projects, the blue tooth "old school" handset and the cross-century 3D viewer at cre.ations.net.

E will actually be curating a program related to 3D imaging for the March Dorkbot. Some of his expert friends will be presenting along with him.

In the meantime, we registered for Dorkbake, in which we have to design a device that will cook food with a 100-watt bulb. E has pretty much come up with a design and the initial tests are promising. We are just waiting for the mandated list of ingredients to start experimenting with recipes.

Dorks In Love

We attended our first Dorkbot SoCal event yesterday evening. I enjoyed what I could understand, but E was definitely in his element. He ran into a couple of people he'd met elsewhere and even talked to them about being involved in a 3D presentation. All in all it was a good time, at a cool venue, The Machine Project. And even though I'm a child of the 80's, but missed out on the whole loving unicorns thing, I was impressed by their unicorn that you peek at through a hole in the floor.

After geeking out, we grabbed a meal and perused the movie listings. I won't go into details, but we were feeling incredibly indecisive in general, both about dinner and what film to see. After much hemming and hawing, we ended up deciding to see The Fountain, which we'd been anticipating for a year and a half. We saw the first five minutes, and some additional footage, at Comic Con in 2005. And then the movie never came out. Because of some recent negative buzz and also due to the fact that I was tired and unsure if I could follow it, I was a bit reluctant to see it. In the end, I think we made the right choice. I found it to be a beautiful film and while yes, metaphysical and philosophical, not too difficult to understand. It's a love story. A beautiful love story portrayed by very talented actors. It's no secret that I'm a fan of Hugh Jackman, but I was even more impressed by him and the range of emotions he expressed in this tale.

Maybe I Should Call You Back Next Week

I think I'm too tired to put together any coherent thoughts about the Barenaked Ladies concert last night. I'll try to do so later, as well as go through the hundreds of photos I took. Some highlights included:

• Excellent seats!
• A great set, which included a wide range of old and new songs.
• Goofy on-stage antics.
• Meeting Nanette in person!

Since Ed Robertson talked about being dorky, maybe he'll come live with me here. (Thanks, Stan!)

Quality Rodent Time

A friend at work asked me today if I still like my hamster. WTF? Of course I still like him! I told her that I actually kind of miss him because I haven't had a chance to play with him very much for the past couple of weeks. This led to loud exclamations such as "You are the biggest dork I know!" Yeah, yeah I get that at least once a week. This same friend and another co-worker started talking about what horrible experiences they had with hamsters. They were clearly traumatized. I guess I got a good one.

I was able to take Ami out of his cage tonight and let him run around in the bathtub a bit. Here are a couple of videos. The first is Ami stuffing broccoli into his cheek pouches. In the other one, he is nibbling on a tiny corn cob. And yes, Jenn, that is the little dish I won in one of your contests. I'm sorry.

I Am A Dork--Reason #87

Not only do I own a "Book Club" t-shirt, but I wore it to my book club tonight.

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.

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.