Well, I thought since I don't have all that much to blog about, that I would include a picture to take up some space. This picture is of the cast for Uncommon Women (minus one person), the stage manager, and the assistant stage manager (the only man involved).

As for me, I have been reading this week -- about The Oresteia nonetheless. I'm trying to revise an old paper...which is not that easy. I say interesting things in the paper (well, at least they are interesting to me), but I need to find more tangible ways of saying them. I suppose when I get into actual revising (and lengthening -- the thing needs to be about 12 pages longer) I'll be having more fun. The anticipation stage is never that great.

In other news, Mike and I are planning to take the first week-long vacation we've taken since our honeymoon. Well, that's only sort of true. We did take one or two "vacations" previously, but the involved visiting people at Christmas or something. That's not the same as a vacation where two people go away to Europe together. I'm looking forward to it!

I know I haven't been blogging regularly for awhile, but now that I've officially returned to dissertation wonderland, I imagine that will change. Yes, I'm now back in Westchester. And as I predicted, I am sick. I got sick right after our "second opening night" or "opening night redo" a week ago. Opening night redo went well. Then sickness. I now have all that dead skin on my nose and upper lip. What is one supposed to do with all that dead skin? And why does it seem like no one else gets the amount of dead skin that I do? Mike thought that I was blowing my nose with sandpaper. Thankfully, I can be a shut in for a little while to clear that up. I am also thankful for the fact that I no longer feel like shit. Yes, I may be coughing and blowing my nose a ton, but the worst feeling is that "ill" I might throw up at any minute but probably won't feeling that accompanies a major cold. That stage is officially over.

I also had a mole removed this week. I've never had a below the surface mole removed before and I found the process quite interesting. It was kind of like going to the dentist. You get numbed up, then the surgeon takes a number of tools to the numb area that you can't feel. The difference was the stitches. There aren't any stitches involved in a cavity.

Zip ee dee do dah.

Happy Valentine's Day (belated) all. Unfortunately, Cornell closed on Valentine's Day because of the 2 feet of snow Ithaca received, and as a result, opening night for Uncommon Women was delayed a day. But the good thing is that last night the show opened! It's good to feel that the show has opened. Mike was supposed to come to opening, but the storm came. Then, he was supposed to come tonight, but had car trouble (with the new car). My parents should be arriving tomorrow, and if Mike figures out a way to get here, so will he. Also, there is a vague possibility that Andrew might show up tomorrow. Plus, I may or may not be giving a talk before a film tomorrow. So it's like everything is up in the air. Whatever happens, tomorrow will prove to be a day of expectation and surprises. Let's hope they are all pleasant one's.

Lisa was right about the whole uploading pictures to blogger thing. They really have made it too easy to resist. This is a picture of Chris and I at Christmas a couple years ago. I bought him some fake mustaches and he was generous enough to share them. Although this wasn't my best fit as far as mustaches go, I do enjoy how the mustaches give us different personalities. Chris looks like about 50% of the men in Tennessee. The only things missing are a UT hat and slackjaw.

I'm procrastinating. I should be working on an article or something, and, in fact, I will later tonight. But for now, I will blog and post. And think about massages. Ohhh...massages. As you may have guessed, I've managed to catch up on Ugly Betty (except for tonight's episode which I will watch as soon as it is available). I did get kind of sick of it, but at the same time I crave it. And this craving will have to stop soon, or I will never get anything done. When I go back to Westchester, I'll have to plan a major gym trip for Thursday night so I can experience both UB and Grey's Anatomy as I change my fat into muscle. Speaking of that, I'm trying to attend more fitness classes while I'm here at Cornell. And the difficult thing is that the one's I want to go to are all during my rehearsal. That's not entirely true, but it does make for a good excuse. Tomorrow I have no excuse, and therefore I'm considering attending two.

Why does ABC put all its shows online? I've become addicted to them. Originally, I was using the excuse that I could watch them to figure out things with Uncommon Women. But now, there is no excuse. The whole season of Ugly Betty is online. To be honest, I don't think the shows are all THAT good. They're not as good as Arrested Development or The Sopranos for instance. And yet, I watch them when I should be busy doing other things. Oh the shame.

Other than watching tv, I've been in rehearsal/meetings, etc. Mike visited this past weekend and we tried to figure out what to do in Ithaca in January when there is no house to work on. Really...it's movies or nothing. So we saw Volver. An excellent Almodovar film - though I liked Habla con Ella and Mala Educacion better. Volver was more on a realistic track -- not as wild as Almodovar can be. Still it was excellent and surprising. I recommend it.

I still really want to see Inland Empire. But it's not playing here and it wasn't playing anywhere near us in the WC. Perhaps it will come to Ithaca soon?

Here I am in Ithaca.


In case you were wondering, yes, it is snowing. But I have to say that it its a lovely snow. There are some good things about being back in Ithaca. First of all, there is Wegman's -- the supermarket. In case you didn't know, Wegman's got 3rd best company to work for this year. And why did it get it? Because Wegman's is a supermarket experience beyond all other supermarket experiences. You don't believe it until you live in Ithaca (or near another Wegman's) and you actually want to go food shopping. It's simply a beautiful supermarket. Plus, at the moment, I don't really feel "cut off." Or at least since I'm not staying here for a super long period of time, I don't feel the dearth of shopping opportunity.

At Cornell, this week is the first week of the Spring term. I arrived last week to begin directing Uncommon Women and Others. So far the experience has been wonderful. I'm really enjoying directing a play with all women. Yes, of course, I enjoy directing men too, but there is something special about directing a Wendy Wasserstein play with this cast and at this time in my life.

Until later...

Hello folks,

I've been busy traveling around. We went to Massachusetts for Christmas, which was nice. And Mike took the rest of the week off, so we actually got to spend some time together, which was even nicer. We spent some of that time drywalling the small bedroom upstairs. I think drywalling is one of those things where you doing know how it has turned out until it's completely done. So I really can't say yet how it's going. What I will say is that we found some newspaper dated 1993 underneath the old drywall -- meaning that they last drywalled in 93. Now for those of you who know anything about drywall, and those of you who don't, you probably have figured out that a good drywalling job lasts A LOT longer than that. Sigh. We actually discovered that the top half of the wall was plaster and the bottom half was drywall. Go figure.

Here's a little meme, if you will, that my friend Anne sent me. I sent it back to her with my answers and later thought, "hey, I'm supposed to be working on my dissertation, but I think I'll post that e-mail on my blog." So here goes.

Holiday Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends
1) Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate baby!
2) Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa enjoys wrapping presents. Santa even used to wrap presents for herself from Santa at a young age (though post-believing in Santa age).
3) Colored or white lights on tree/house? White lights only. After all, I'm from New England.
4) Do you hang mistletoe? Some day I will, when I have $40 to spend on a kissing ball.
5) When do you put your decorations up? We bought our first ever Shea-Guillorn Christmas tree Sunday!
6) What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I eat only dessert at the holidays, so I really don't know how to answer...
7) Favorite holiday memory as a child: We were decorating our tree for the year, and the tree-topping angel my parents had since they were married was getting really delapidated. I think her head fell off. But we couldn't find a new angel anywhere that was nice, and we are pro-angel, anti-star. My Mom worked as a service rep for Verizon (then New England Telephone). She was the person you would call if you had problems with your home phone. So a lot of people called her really when they were furious. This one guy called her, and was angry at her for his phone being out of service. Then she fixed everything for him. He came into the office the following day to bring something to her because she was so nice to him,and to apologize for being mean at first. The people at work joked that he brought her a bomb -- he was that bad. When she opened the gift it was a Christmas angel -- a very beautiful Christmas angel. And the angel has been at the top of their tree ever since.
8) When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My parents told me in a mall (the South Shore Plaza) because when I was eight, I asked. They thought I already knew. But I didn't. And I cried.
9) Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes! One gift! When I was younger, I would look across the street and smile pleasantly at my friend Siggy's house, knowing that she was opening her presents on Christmas Eve (a German tradition). I never wanted to open mine on Christmas Eve, but it was a nice thought before going to bed.
10) How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? With all kinds of Christmas ornaments. I especially like one's that were gifts from people because they have more meaning.
11) Snow! Love it or dread it? On Christmas I love it!
12) Can you ice skate? I used to be pretty good. Now I'm sure I would be a disaster.
13) Do you remember your favorite gift? My bunny, Black Beauty.
14) What is the most important thing about the holidays for you? Spending time with family.
15) What is your favorite holiday dessert? Assortments of cookies.
16) What is your favorite holiday tradition? Going to my aunt and uncle's for Christmas Eve dinner.
17) What tops your tree? We don't have a treetopper...yet...
18) Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Oh come on. Everyone likes both.
19) What is your favorite Christmas song? Either"God Rest You Merry Gentlemen" by anyone or "BlueChristmas" by Elvis.
20) Candy canes! Yuck or yum? Yum!

A Friday Five for Friday!

Too much of the bickering
1. Last person you told to shut up:
OK, I'm pretty sure that would be Mike, probably when he was teasing me last night.

2. Do you drink wine?
If I could, I would drink wine all the time. I simply find it delectable. Especially in red. But most of the time, I drink water, cranberry juice, orange juice, and tea, because it is so much more affordable.

3. Ever fly on a plane?
Yes. Indeed. Very much so. I flew on one last month -- going to Chicago, city of a bad transit system.

4. Do you yell at your friends?
No.

5. What have you quit?
I've quit eating dessert everyday. I've quit caffeine -- that was probably the biggest challenge, and I quit it cold, because I had to.

6. What things does bicker rhyme with?
Wicker
Sticker
Flicker
Nose-Picker
Ticker
Kicker
Licker
Knicker
Quicker
Snicker
Tricker

There is nothing like a week without travel. And damnit, that will be next week. I'm looking forward to remaining at home, actually working on my dissertation, finishing painting the living room, and maybe actually getting back to walking dogs at the dog shelter. I didn't mention the gym and my attachment to Law & Order SVU while on an orbiter, but that's definitely in the mix too.

This weekend Mike and I began to paint the trim in the living room. Last weekend we painted the walls. I can't tell you how relieved I feel now that the living room is painted. It was absolutely disgusting before -- marks on the walls, gum! on the walls -- just gross. And now, despite the fact that we hate the walls, it's shaping up to actually be something not ugly. With a few tasteful Christmas decorations, it might even have rustic farmhouse charm. We'll see.

I also believe that a trip to Danbury to go to Trader Joe's is in my future. There is just nothing like food shopping at Trader Joe's in Connecticut. The price is unbeatable, and yes, I definitely think it's worth it to travel all that way even though gas prices are expensive. Incidentally, that is one thing I'm definitely enjoying about the Civic. It costs me $25 to fill up the tank, and that's NY prices!!! I feel like I save money every time I travel because the Camry cost between $40 and $50 and had to be filled up more often. Ahhh...the joy of little cars.

Wait while I twist your fate
1. What is your nearest lake or river?
The Croton reservoir -- I'm assuming that counts; it's off the Hudson, and it provides water for New York City.
2. Do you believe in heaven?
Yes. But I don't believe that one conception of heaven is true above all others.
3. What's your lucky number?
nueve
4. Ever know anyone who appeared on a game show?
I feel like I did. But I think I'm making that up. I always wanted to be on Family Feud with my grandma.
5. Charades: good times or lame?
Depends on who you are playing with, and whether or not you are successful at getting people to guess "Karl Rove."

Chicago again??

That is where I'm headed tomorrow. As I'm sure I've mentioned before, both the conferences I attend are in Chicago this year. Why? Probably because it's a good central place for people to get to in the U.S. I certainly don't mind going...it's a lot better than other conference places, but I'd like to separate the going by a year or so at least. Oh well. The next one is in New Orleans. Yippeee! In August! Boooooo!

I'll return this Sunday to NYC, and I'm going to try to stay in the city until Mike's gig at 9p.m. What I will do wandering around the city on a Sunday with my suitcase in tow is beyond me. But I'm sure I'll find something fun. Perhaps I will begin the Christmas shopping. It's got to start sometime...right?

This past weekend I went up to Western MA to Double Edge Theatre to see their new production. I'm really excited about it because a lot of the imagery fits in so nicely with my dissertation topic. Speaking of dissertation topic -- I wrote my first two pages of my dissertation today. You may not realize this, but it is a very big step to go from reading to writing. I didn't realize it until I got into that in between reading and writing period. It's awfully strange. Perhaps the many writings on liminality have actually stemmed from the author's own feeling of in-betweenness when writing.

Finally, I should mention that, as many of you have guessed, I am simply ecstatic about the elections! I feel like an enormous weight has been lifted...so great a weight that I am willing to change the name of this blog. But I have yet to figure out what to change it to. If anybody is actually reading out there, I will take your suggestions now...

I voted!

Guess who is the owner of a brand new Honda Civic LX? That's right. Mike and I purchased the car last weekend, and I've already taken it on its first trip to Ithaca. One would think I would be really excited about this, but I'm only sort of excited. I was a little disappointed that the Camry didn't last 200,000 miles (it was becoming far more expensive to repair it as opposed to buying a new car). So anyway, I'm getting over that disappointment and moving onto new car excitement. It's really fun to drive a car that has a digital speedometer, a radio that works well, and cupholders that hold cups bigger than soda cans. I will also be fun *knock on wood* not to have to pay for repairs for awhile!!!!!!!

In the spirit of owning a new car, I will do a Friday Five about Halloween.

Scary Spice

1. What's your favorite candy:
I'm going to assume that they mean cheap candy here, and not Godiva Chocolate. In that case, I think I would have to go for Kit Kats. There is something just so delectable about eating the chocolate off the sides and then eating them. I also enjoy Milky Ways, 100 Grand, Peppermint Patties and of course, the classic M&M's. Just the other day I was craving my favorite of all -- the Cadbury Cream Egg. But that's not so much a Halloween candy, unfortunately.

2. What's the best scary movie?
The scariest movie is The Ring. Oh, I get chills just thinking about it.

3. Do you like to be alone at home?
Sure. I prefer to be with people most of the time though.

4. Pumpkin pie: eat it or throw it?
EAT.

5. The most distasteful Halloween costume you can think of:
Sorority girls often dress up as things just to look slutty. Some guys in the theater department at Cornell decided to make fun of them by dressing up like a sorority girl dressing up as something slutty. That was pretty funny.

I notice now that the Friday Fiver made an error in its title, as I doubt "its" is meant to be possessive in this case. So I looked on livejournal to see if anyone commented on this in their response. No one did. But what's really sad is that most people listed their favorite hangout as home. And it made me think. We all need to get off our asses and socialize more.

Its all local

1. The time:
10:19 P.M. E.S.T. It is also the time I finished a first draft of program notes for the Little Women production at Cornell. Now I must attempt to cut them down. But I'm giving myself a few moments to blog first.

2. The weather:
Cold. It is supposed to get down to 42 tonight. We turned on the heat in the house for the first time this weekend, and so far we have been pleased. I'm sure we will be less pleased when we have to call the oil company again.

3. The big news story:
There are so many. Foley. Gas prices are rising. There was an earthquake in Hawaii. Oh, and locally, which I guess is what this Friday five is supposed to be about, John Hall, democratic candidate for congress in my district, and also reknowned singer/songwriter (remember "Detachable Penis?" - that was him), is closing in against Republican Sue Kelly. I was going to write "Evil Republican" Sue Kelly, but I figured that would be redundant. Oddly enough, the only Republicans I find myself slightly respecting nowadays are Arlen Specter and Colin Powell. If you think about it, it's easy for the dems to criticize the current administration, but not as easy for the GOP (why, I don't know). At least those two are doing it.

4. Your favorite hangout:
Sadly, my only hangout right now is in front of this computer. Maybe I need to start going to bars or something. Maybe then I'll write my dissertation...somehow. Actually, if one's favorite hangout could be a town, mine would be Cold Spring. Mike and I made our second visit there this past weekend and we took my parents out to breakfast at the delicious Foundry. mmmmm. mmmmm. good.

5. The must-have accessory:
Currently, it's a tissue, because unfortunately I have a cold. The good thing is that the cold is at its end, not at its beginning. This is also good because I can finally return to the gym so that I can turn that fat that used to be muscle two weeks ago back into muscle. I always wonder how it changes to fat so easily, but it takes so much time to get it back to being muscle. Unless, of course, you take steroids, which I'm just not up for.

But I suppose, since I'm in Westchester, the must-have accessory is a Mercedes, a BMW, or a Lexus, all three of which I'm also just not up for.

And the inventive number 6:
6. The current project:
Other than program notes and disseration chapter one, there is the never ending project of the house. We finished painting the paneling in the dining room last week, which took a Herculean effort considerin that we were sick. Next stop, I think, is to paint the disgusting walls in the living room in the hopes that they look somewhat better when they are done.

Sometimes blogger doesn't like to publish my posts. Let's try again on the one from Friday...

Mush

1) Name one of your bad habits:
I pick my nails. The only time I don't pick my nails is when I'm not working on my research. I work on my research often.

2) What do you expect from friends?
Trust.

3) What is the last thing you wrote down?
I assume this means on paper. This morning I looked up appliances in Consumer Reports and wrote down the top one's. I especially took care to write down fridges. I never knew this before, but there are many choices for refrigerators out there and it's tough to pick. Of course, I'm hoping that we don't have to buy a fridge any time soon...but with the fridge we currently have, you just never know.

4) What is the last favor you did for someone else?
I don't think favors for Mike count, and I can only remember the favors I've asked other people to do. Does that mean I'm a selfish bitch?

5) What is your favorite TV show?
I don't have TV. But when I go to the gym, I always go immediately to Law & Order...preferably Law & Order SVU. I need to start arriving at the gym exactly at 8...

Remember those days when I made up questions. Well guess what, they're back.

6) What does the title of this Fridav Five make you think of?
An old lady whispering "hush"...

I have a paper to write, and you know how I like to procrastinate. So how about a Friday Five?

Just the facts ma'am

1. Where were you last night?
I was at Cafe Nine in New Have at a Lys Guillorn gig. New Haven, incidentally, is about two hours away from our house.

2. Did you speak with anyone?
Other than Lys, Ryan, Matt, and Mike, I spoke to a guy from Italy named Antonio. It is really difficult to carry on a conversation with someone who has to work to say things in English during a gig. And as for my Italian, it's nonexistent. But I did find out that Italians not only despise Americans because of Bush, but also because they eat at McDonald's when they go to Italy. Honestly. McDonald's. When you're in Italy? England I could see, but Italy??? I don't even go to McDonald's here. I ate enough of those fries in my life to fear for the effects trans fatty acids have on my body. BTW, did you hear that NY is going to ban trans fats? Bring it on!

3. What were you wearing?
I was wearing some jeans, and a white tank top under green sweater that has a rip in the sleeve -- but the rip is easily hidden. I was cold.

4. What did you eat or drink?
MODERN APIZZA! I can't get enough of that stuff. I just had water to drink.

5. Can anyone verify your whereabouts from midnight to 5am?
Well, Mike was asleep in the car driving back. He actually went to work for an hour when we returned, so I guess no one can verify that I was in bed from 1-2:30 a.m. But Mike came home at 2:30, so from 2:30 to 5:00, it can be assumed that we were in bed together. Of course, we were both asleep aside from the normal tossing and turning, so I guess no one can verify that I was there.

I've been doing too much driving/traveling in the past few weeks. First I took a trip to Ithaca and back. Then I went to Ashfield, MA and back. Before that, as you know, Mike and I went to Boston and back. I've got to stay home for awhile now (1) because I have a paper to finish by October 1st (a date that seems to be looming ever closer, and (2) my hip/back can't seem to take all this time in a car (luckily, I'm going to the chiropractor today). While in Ashfield, I stayed at Double Edge Theatre -- on a farm and got to spend some time with Matt. Unfortunately, the theatre's septic system can't handle the current number of people on the farm, so the toilets are off-limits. Porta-potties are the way to go. And of course, I had to pee at 3 in the morning on the coldest night this year so far. But really, I thought about the fact that people used to have to go outside for this type of thing all the time. And I doubt out-houses were nearly as nice or clean as porta-potties. So I managed.
I also visited Mount Holyoke to do research for the play I'm directing in January/February. I have to say that the campus of Mount Holyoke is just beautiful. And it was really interesting to talk to students at an all women's school about their experience. Of course, with the 5 college exchange, men can take classes at the school, but it seems that at most a woman would have 1 class with men in it per semester. There definitely seems to be a different dynamic to an all women's school. I'm not sure I could have gone for it, personally, but I wouldn't mind teaching at one. In fact, as I was exploring the better part of Western MA during my drive, I thought to myself...this wouldn't be a bad place to live. The colonial houses look so lovely against the tree colors. Perhaps I was overwhelmed by the autumness of it all. When I returned to NY, I started craving apple pie. And it doesn't help that there is a farm in back of my house with a shop that makes fresh apple pie. But somehow I resisted...

Aye. Well, I haven't blogged in awhile. But it's the day before my birthday and I'm waiting for the fire department to arrive, so I figure now is a good time. Why is the fire dept coming, you may ask? Because my car is leaking gas...again. It leaked gas on Wednesday and the fire department came to verify that it was OK to tow. It was towed to an auto center and they looked at it, said it wasn't leaking gas, and then sent it back home with me. Now, it is leaking gas again. And AAA requires that the fire dept. check out the car to make sure that it can be towed. So now the fire dept. knows me.

In other news, I've been volunteering at the animal shelter...meeting lots of other people who care about animals and dogs. It's a nice thing to do while dissertating, because it gets me outside, walking dogs, hanging out with people, etc. Dissertating kind of lacks human contact. And I have been dissertating lately, so that's good too.

Other than that, there isn't much going on. My roommate from college, Carolyn, got married in Boston this past weekend, so we took a trip up. We had dinner at Tapeo on Newbury Street with the Myers' parents (Chris was helping his girlfriend move and Andrew is in Atlanta doing something for A&E). We also had dinner at an Afghani place in Cambridge named Helmand. I highly recommend that if you haven't gone. Barbara Shea claimed it was some of the best lamb she's ever tasted.

More later...

Kick off your Sunday Shoes

1. Do you work hard or do you take the easy way out?
I work hard...perhaps too hard...when I work. Then I go through periods of not working at all. Right now I'm about to enter a period of super-work, where I need to get a lot done. So why am I blogging? Procrastination.

2. How's your day going?
So far it's going fine. Thanks.

3. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
It's more than 15 but less than 20. But you have to keep in mind that some people throw shoes out. I think I still have all my shoes from college.

4. Do you consider yourself cool?
Fuck yeah.

5. What's the last song you listened to?
Something on Hot 97 I think. I love Hot 97 because it has so many fantastic female dj's. I've never heard so many female voices on commercial radio before! Why don't those other stations take note?

Last in Line
1. What is the last thing you ate without regret?
This is a weird question. I just had some yogurt, and I certainly don't regret eating it. Shouldn't the question be "what is the last thing you ate that you regret?" Surely, I hope, most people eat things that they do not regret most of the time. So I'll say the last thing I ate that I regret was a small bag of potato chips. I have to admit though, that the chips were after fasting for six hours to give some vials of blood for cholesterol tests and what not. After a luna bar, and an Odwalla, I decided I needed something more...substantive.

2. Who was the last person you talked to?
Mike...on the phone.

3. When was your last vacation?
Well, our last vacation was a trip to Massachusetts to stay at my parents house for a week. I think that was three years ago. We so badly need to get away...

4. When was your last hug and who did you receive it from?
That would be Mike as well...probably last night...as this morning he got up early and I didn't.

5. What is the last thing most people learn about you?
Well, I'm sure that different people in different situations learn different things last. I will say that in a situation with new "regular" people -- as opposed to people who might affect my carreer, I'm kinda shy and not so wild. I actually find that I stutter a little. But I don't actually stutter in real life...well, no more than normal. So I probably seem weird to people who just meet me...and my thinking this perpetuates my shyness, etc.

Shop-a-holic
1. What are your five favorite stores?
I'm going to go with favorite, and not necessarily shopped most (or at all).
1. Filene's Basement in Boston
2. J.Crew
3. Anthropologie
4. Banana Republic
5. Gap

2. Is there any store you absolutely hate going to?
The fucking Home Depot near us. Every time we look for something, they're out of it. It's a terrible Home Depot.

3. Do you pay with cash, credit, debit, or something else?
I pay with goats. Some live...some deceased.

4. Do you prefer to shop in person or online?
In person...and I can finally do it again now that I've moved to a place with stores.

5. In the last six months, what single purchase has been the most important to you?
OK, well clearly that would be the house. But if we're going with smaller purchases, I'd have to go with my white double impatients. Because of the rain, they're growing like crrrazy, and they are just my favorite annual, period.

I either smell like dog, dirt, or cat...or a combination of all three. This is what volunteering at the SPCA will get me. Right now I'm just weeding mostly, and doing a little cat socialization. I could be doing more cat socialization, but that's something that kids can do, and it seems to me that they need someone to weed even more. Thursday and Friday I will be taking classes in dog walking, which means things should pick up a little more. Of course, all this only makes me want to take home dogs more. I'm glad I have so much self control.

Last week I was in Chicago during the heat wave. I thought, hey, maybe I'll avoid the heat wave by going to Chicago....no such luck. First of all, I left on Tuesday, and so I dragged my suitcase around in NYC in 100 degree weather. Then, when I arrived in Chicago it was 98. I will say, though, that I enjoyed every breeze the windy city gave me, as NY gave me nada. My conference went fairly well...the most important part of it being my introduction to The Dog Whisperer, on tv of course. I guess the advantage to not having TV at home is that I can really look forward to the hour of it I get to watch at night when going to conferences. Mostly, I watch Law and Order...my conference roommate Meghan and I are particularly fond of SVU. But when L&O isn't on, we delight in doggy training. Most of the show I yell at the people on TV, while Meghan sits silently, thinking that I must be insane. Thankfully, the doggies are cute.

All major moves require new templates. But it wasn't until today that I found the template that works for my current state of mind. Enjoy.

I feel like I wrote a post and blogger lost it. I feel like I'm always starting out my posts this way. Maybe it's all in my head...

Since last I posted, Mike and I went to my cousin Julie's wedding in Ledyard, CT. We had a lovely time at the inn, and went to Mohegan Sun afterward. I gambled 25 cents and won 2 dollars, so that worked out well for me.

The next weekend was our anniversary. Mike and I separately hung out with friends in the city. I got to see Andrew, who flew in the weekend from San Antonio, and I have to say, he is jacked! When I explained this to Mike's sister, Lys, she dubbed him "Extreme Andrew." Extreme Andrew has inspired me to invest in a gym membership...especially since my running outside has slowed because of the heat. Oh the heat! Well, not now, now it's quite nice actually. Anyway, I feel I should also be doing some muscle build up, so that's the plan. After seeing friends, we retired at the Grand Hyatt, woke up, and got 1.5 hour couples' massages. After coming home from the city and taking another luxurious nap, we went to see Pirates of the Caribbean. It was a really nice way to spend the anniversary. :^)

This weekend we went into the city with Lys and her chico to see a Jens Leckman concert. Jens, in case you didn't know, is a Swedish pop star. His band consisted of 6 or 7 chics playing different instruments (except the bass player) and/or singing at various times. It was a great show...and well worth the traffic from the mudslide (ugh).

In case you didn't know, the weather in and around NYC has been rather rough lately. There was a tornado in Elmsford, NY, and part of the WC and part of the city have been without power for some time. Power may be restored now, I'm not certain...but I feel lucky that we were (a) not in the path of that tornado (b) not in the path of that mudslide (c) have power. The abundance of rain, however, has inspired me to purchase a new dehumidifier for the basement. I haven't purchased said humidifier yet...but it will happen soon..

The road less traveled

1. What don't you understand?
War...what the Republican party is doing right now...etc...people who vote for them...etc.

2. Name someone in your life with blue eyes:
Barbara Shea

3. When is a lie not really a lie?
When it's a white lie...concealing a surprise party, or something

4. When is the last time you got really dirty?
I actually was just working in the garden. I got pretty dirty. There's still dirt underneath my finger nails.

5. Are you a lefty or a righty?
I've always wanted to be ambidextrous. But I'm just a righty trying to use my left hand more.

1. Have you ever had an addiction?
I'm addicted to Pellegrino Limonata right now biaytch. Oh Limonata, I wish I could quit you!

2. Are you afraid of the dark?
I would say no. When I was in Poland, we rode our bicycles home in pitch dark. You couldn't even see what was in front of you...well, you could see your handlebars and that was it.

3. What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Coffee!

4. Have you ever been to the circus?
Yes, I remember going when I was little. Most recently I went to Cirque du Soleil, first in Boston, and then in Las Vegas.

5. What do you think of North Korea testing nuclear weapons?
Did W put them up to this?

So it was a lovely 4th. We had guests...Jeff and Kate from Tennessee came to visit with their dog Pico. We went into NYC and walked from Grand Central to Ground Zero, taking out some time to visit Chinatown. We had dinner and dessert in the village, and then returned home. According to Jeff's pedometer, we walked ten miles...good exercise on a day that was a little bit hotter than desired. On the actual 4th, Mike worked more on putting up paneling in the dining room, and I took care of the massive amount of paperwork that had been stacking up since our move.
This weekend we're going to my cousin Julie's wedding. It should be nice because we're staying at an old inn near Mystic CT. And after the wedding, a bunch of people are going to Mohegan Sun. Now, when Mike and I were in Vegas, we gambled a total of $10 together. So I don't expect much of that...but perhaps we will live vicariously through the other gamblers in the crowd.

Dude [16 Jun 2006|08:50am]

Name your favorite...

1. Candy: Godiva Chocolate -- milk chocolate, or strawberries dipped in milk chocolate. For cheap candy, I like M&M's, 100 Grand, Milky Way, Skittles and Starburst.

2. Cookie: Ginger!

3. Donut: Either a chocolate covered donut with sprinkles or a chocolate glazed donut.

4. Cold drink: Limeade.

5. Hot beverage: Oh, there's so many. I enjoy a delicious cup of mint cocoa, as well as a warming white hot mocha. For standards, I like Cafe au lait.

Here I am. I have not blogged for awhile, though I did try to. Blogger was down when I tried.

I've moved. I've cleaned. I've painted. I still have painting to do. The house is nice. It's high up because it's built on a hill, and I somewhat feel like I'm sleeping among the tops of trees. Of course, living in a wooded area comes with its downsides. Raccoons. It seems they attack our trashcans, and our trashcans only...throwing them into the middle of the road until they open and spew trash throughout the street. Raccoons. No me gusta.

We've also discovered that our oven doesn't really work, so we're on the quest for a new one. If you have any questions about electric ranges, I can probably answer them. Sorry folks, I know nothing about the gas ones as I live on a road without gas lines and have no desire to get a propane tank.

#1 house sold. #2 house ready to buy.

#1 car out of shop. #2 car in shop. Spending WAY too much money on fixing cars this month. Would have made a nice downpayment on a new Toyota/Subaru, but the problem was that the work was spread out on BOTH cars. And oh yeah...we're making a slightly large other purchase this month.

¡Viva Mexico!
1. Have you ever been to Mexico?
No. I almost went when I visited San Diego. Almost.

2. Do you know anyone who is currently in the military?
Not personally.

3. What is the last party you attended?
Does the end-of-the year grad dinner count? I feel it does. We also had a party in film class. The last drunken college party I attended was at Halloween.

4. What do you think about President Bush saying that the United States' National Anthem should only be sung in English?
Ay dios mio. Que idiota.

5. French fries or freedom fries?
French fries. Clearly.

The time to get a dog is nigh. I feel.

1. When is the last time you were broke?
That would be when I was at Kansas. I was not making much money at all. No. People making less than $10,000 a year should get some serious tax breaks man...even if they are single with no kids. I mean, come on!

2. What makes you lose focus?
When I have something with a deadline, and I'm worried about it not happening. That's basically all I can think about.

3. How tall are you?
Not tall enough to fit into pants apparently. 5'3"

4. Are you brave or cowardly?
Brave, bitch. But at the dentist I'm cowardly. Two shots of novacaine for me, uh huh.

5. What's in your pocket?
Tissues. Always tissues. And often gum wrappers.

Feel Good

1. Have you ever ridden a camel?
Not to my knowledge.

2. When you are outside, what does the horizon look like?
Trees, hills...If I look out my back yard, all I can see is a large hill with trees. If I look out the front, I have a view of several houses and hills in the distance.

3. Who is the last person to leave you a message?
My Dad left one on my cell phone, and my Mom left one at home.

4. How many hours did you sleep last night?
6.5 I was woken up this morning by someone wanting to log my land. I explained that I was moving.

5. Chocolate: take it or leave it?
Take it! I drove all over time the other night looking for a Cadbury Cream Egg. But it seems that everywhere is out. I might try again today. I just want one last egg before the Easter season goes away!!!

News: Mike and I found a house in Yorktown Heights NY! We're really excited about it. It's an old farmhouse with 3 acres. It's in the middle of this lovely country road. But it's only 8 miles from a train station into New York. It's definitely "us." We should be moving into it in May or June.

1. What's the weather like?
It's trying so hard to be Spring!

2. When is the last time you felt appreciated?
I guess I felt appreciated during rehearsal yesterday, and I tried to make my actors feel appreciated as well.

3. What is the last bad news you heard?
I forgot to go to a meeting tonight. That's not really hearing bad news. It's realizing you're stupid.

4. What is your favorite sad song?
"The Night" by Morphine

5. Tell us about something you're obsessed with:
Finding a pair of pants that actually fit correctly. It's too damn hard.

More news later...

Perfect

1. Name one of your flaws:
One! But I have so many!!! O.K., so I'm often too set in my own ways -- in routines that I learned at a younger age.

2. Have you ever won first place?
I remember winning first place at the car contest in middle school. Siggy and I spent a lot of time on that car. It wasw fun.

3. Who is the last person to make you smile?
Michael just did in the car.

4. Describe a time when you should have tried harder:
High school. Man, I just did not try at all for such a long time... I suppose I should have read some of the history books they assigned. Then again, who wants to read a history textbook???

5. What are you good at?
Sleeping. Theater stuff. Teaching. Writing. Drinking orange juice with calcium. Painting walls. Returning things I've purchased.

I found this Friday five difficult to answer, so I waited awhile to do it.

1. Which movie character is most like you?
Fabienne in PULP FICTION, except per my recent visit to the dentist, I need to brush my teeth more. Well, to be honest, my teeth are fine. It's my gums that are the issue.

2. Which TV character is most like you?
I don't watch all that much TV. I don't have cable, nor do I have a signal so this is a tough question to answer. What I do have is the entire season of Twin Peaks on videotape. So I'll say Donna from TWIN PEAKS, before she starts smoking.

3. Which literary character is most like you?
I just finished reading ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY, but I don't think I'm like any of David Sedaris's siblings or friends. I also just finished reading a bunch of plays for my exams. I'll say Lysistrata.

4. Which song describes you?
"Over" by Portishead

5. Which animal is most like you?
Are there instinctively passive agressive animals? A rabbit?

A.B.D. biaytch!

1. Who was your favorite all time teacher(s)?
Wow. This is not an easy question to answer. I liked Mrs. Bopp in kindergarten, Mr. Svenson in middle school, Mr. Bergman and Ms. Palmer in high school, Feinsod and Karter in college, and I think I'll stop there for now, because the list for grad school gets too long.

2. What did they teach?
Kindergarten, Geography, English, Biology, Theater & Theater

3. What is your best memory from that class?
Wearing a crown to school, turning in a 56 page paper (in middle school!), the million grammar assignments on different colored paper, "the table," and lots of things.

4. Did you ever have a crush on a teacher and if so who?
Not that I can remember. Maybe I had an elementary school crush on Mr. Finch who taught art.

5. What is the craziest/wildest/weirdest thing you (or someone you know) ever did at school?
There is way too much to talk about here. I'll just say: getting hit in the head with a ten foot dildo.

The Friday Five that I usually answer is all about the Oscar's this week. And guess what...I haven't seen any of the movies nominated. So there's no point in answering it. The other Friday Five that I usually find stupid, is stupid. So that solves that problem. I'm on the verge of starting my third exam question, which deals with gender and post-human subjectivity. I'm really looking forward to writing it. Though I am still procrastinating, as you can see from this post. Perhaps the fact that there is no Friday Five was a warning sign to get my keister in action. I think I'll do that. Ciao.

Cheney's Got a Gun

(First, I have to remark -- I love the title. I just heard that song on the radio a week and a half ago. How foretelling.)

1. Do you have good hand-eye coordination?
In some things, yes. In others, no. I was pretty good at video games "for a girl." And yes, I was told that once when I was playing some game at a BJ's with Andrew and Chris. As I was kicking some ass, some kid walked up and told me that. fool.

2. Have you ever held a gun?
I've held and shot a bb gun. I've also shot a stage gun. And I've done some skeet shooting too.

3. What do you think of toy guns?
I used to play with toy guns all the time when I was little. I'm not that screwed up from it. At least, I don't think I am. I still have an affinity for cap guns.

4. When is the last time you asked for forgiveness?
It's Cheney's last I.O.U.

Oh, I totally fucked up the lights one night when I was board op'ing the show. It was terrible. Luckily it was at the very end, and well, I screwed up the final black out. And you may think that's really bad, but it's really not as bad as screwing up the lights during a scene, which I've seen done and that's not a pretty sight. Coincidentally, it was after that show that I heard "Janie's got a gun" on the radio, and I have to say, it cheered me up quite a bit.

5. Your favorite Aerosmith song:
Oh, I'm a sucker for "Sweet Emotion." Don't make fun of me!

So, if you're wondering, I am in the middle of my A exams right now. I'm trying to decide whether to start Question #2 now and trust the hypnogogic state to get me through the worst part of the paper (the beginning is always the most difficult for me). Or do I start question #2 tomorrow morning, and give myself a few hours off (and a few hours sleep).

Weekend Update

1. Any plans to watch the Super Bowl?
Unfortunately, no. I had to light board operate during the Superbowl. Surprisingly, we had 64 people in the audience -- which isn't bad for a little black box show. I got scores over headset and during intermission. It sounded like a good game, and I'm sorry I missed the revelry. Though admittedly, I probably wouldn't have watched it anyway, with the ever A exams getting ever so closer.

2. Friday or Saturday: Which is a better date night?
They're both good. Because Friday you want to celebrate starting off the weekend, and then Saturday, you want to relax in the middle of it.

3. Do you do anything special on the weekends that you don't do during the week?
I get to see Mike! We work on the house.

4. Where do you get your news from?
NPR, BBC World News, Boston.com, and CNN.com I really should start reading the New York Times, since I'm a New Yorker.

5. Kevin, Norm, Colin, Jimmy, Tina or Amy?
Amy. I have no idea what this is referring to, and therefore I must be completely out of the loop.

School started this week. I'm TA'ing for International Film of the 1970's this time, so if you need a resource for 70's film after the semester is over, that resource is me. So far we've watched "Medium Cool" and "Easy Rider." I'm a little sad we won't be watching "The Godfather," but I guess I shouldn't be all that disappointed given I watched it twice over the break.

I've mostly been having meetings and not getting enough reading done. Today I begin fulfilling my crew requirement as part of the directing minor.

What I am to you is not real

1. Age?
28. Getting ever closer to the big 30.

2. Sex?
I'll avoid making the expected joke here, and just say "female."

3. Location?
Ithaca, NY. In awhile it will be a lot closer to NYC, which I'm happy about.

4. Single?
Nope. Though I have to say, when Mike's away, I'm a slob.

5. How long have you been doing the fridayfiver?
I've been doing the Friday Fiver ever since thefridayfive.org closed down. I have to admit: I enjoyed the Friday Five a lot more than the Friday Fiver. But I guess sometimes you just have to let things go.

Today I bowled at the department bowling/lunch/party. It was a lot of fun. At first, I didn't even know how to throw the ball. I kept telling people that I had only done candlepin bowling before. Most people looked at me like I was crazy. Candlepin bowling? What? Yes, they really didn't know what it was. So I played three games and first got a 42, then an 83, then a 94. I almost broke 100 on that last one!!! The good thing is (I guess) is that I won the department prize for lowest score. O.K., so perhaps it is a little embarrassing.

Next week school starts again, and my first two weeks are crazy hectic because we have search candidates coming, and I'm a light board operator for a show. And, of course, I still have to read!!! But I'm getting down to the books I'm much more familiar with now, so I don't feel as worried as I once was.

Here's a little Friday Five:
Tardy

1. Are you timely or always late?
A little of both. Sometimes I'm late to things. Like I'm always a little late leaving Ithaca for a family destination. But that's because I have so much to do before I leave! I just can't help it. But I'm ontime for things like class and meetings (*knock on wood*).

2. Do you wear a watch?
I did. I want to still, but I replaced the battery in September and the battery stopped working after two days. I don't know whether to go back to the same place -- if their batteries are bad, or what.

3. What is the most important event you have been late for?
My bridal shower. I wanted to do my nails before going to Sirro's for lunch (the alibi). I'm not really sure how late I was, but I was late.

4. What kind of system you have for keeping track of your bills?
Oh, a mad system involving different colors of highlighter for different months on the bank statement, and organized bill files. I love it.

5. What is your favorite time of day?
Most often it's night, but I could really go for a day on the beach in the Carribbean right now.

my life is fairly uneventful right now. Basically, I get up, I get dressed (or I just stay in my bathrobe and pajamas), and I read. I occasionally watch The Simpsons. I eat sometimes. But that's about it. Today, however, I'm going to the DMV to register (I hope) my 13 year old Toyota Camry with New York plates. Meanwhile, Mike is at his first day at IBM..

So here's a Friday Five for a little excitement.

Geico

1. Have you broken any New Year's resolutions yet?
No. Because I didn't make any. Ha!

2. Broken any bones?
Sometimes I have a suspicion that I broke my rib skiing last year. But other than that, I'm good.

3. When is the last time someone else broke your heart?
December 21.

Johnny Damon -- how could you? You could have gone to any other team. Sigh.

4. What is the most expensive item you've ever broken?
My previous computer broke because of an ice storm in Kansas -- but I guess I in particular didn't break that. Otherwise I'm not sure.

5. What phrase are your tired of hearing over and over again?
I've actually been watching so much Simpsons, I have to admit that I'm a little sick of hearing "The Simpsons" sung at the beginning of each episode. I think that part of the problem is that this little ditty is also at the beginning of each disc. And because my DVD player goes crazy if it doesn't get shut off. So every time I watch an episode, I hear it at least twice.


Bonus: Why is this Friday Five called Geico? Is it some add I missed? It's a strange coincidence since I've been on the phone with Geico three times in the past week. Though I have to say that thus far, Geico is all good. They have excellent customer service.

Christmas and New Year's were good. We travelled from Connecticut to Massachusetts to Connecticut to New York. I'm hoping that next year we can have holiday dinners and then just go home, since we'll be so much closer. I received many lovely gifts including The Simpsons seasons 6 & 7. It's great to have two Simpsons seasons to watch after Christmas as opposed to just one. Today is supposed to be the day I "return to work," but I'm apparently taking it leisurely. And just to demonstrate how much I'm procrastinating, here's a little survey.

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
I bought a house, put down two different kinds of wood floor, tiled, and renovated a kitchen.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make New Year's resolutions. I know that's not very spirited, but when I've made them in the past, they haven't worked out. Goals that have nothing to do with New Year's seem to work better.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My cousins Scott and Dena gave birth to twin girls! We saw them on Friday, and they are the cutest little girls ever!!!!!!!! I'm so excited. I believe that at least three people who work with Mike also gave birth this year...I think these babies were all boys. But the best thing is we get pictures. Incidentally, Mike and I are the only couple without children at the CNF. That won't be the same deal at IBM. So no pressure.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Canada! For a conference! It's so damn expensive!!! Don't go to Canada. The exchange rate sucks.
6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
A vacation with my husband somewhere out of the country.
7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 17, 2005 because that's when we purchased our house.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
O.K., I think I've already mentioned that one, and you're probably all sick of it by now.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I don't really know. I didn't get some stuff I applied for -- an award, a paper presentation, and a directing spot. I suppose those were rejections -- but I don't like to think of them as failures, because that's defeatist.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
My f-ing hip problem came back. And I was sick during the summer with the flu. Ugh! Having a temperature during a heat wave is a pain in the bum!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Guess.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mike, who works hard at home and at the lab.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Numerous politicians. Rove, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Libby, and Bush mostly.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Guess again!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Other than saying "guess," I will say that I'm really excited about Dena and Scott's babies.
16. What song will always remind you of 2005?
L'Via L'Viaquez by The Mars Volta
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:i. happier or sadder? ii. thinner or fatter? iii. richer or poorer?
The same. Thinner. Are they talking about $$$ or quality of life? The same on both counts.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Vacationing! Traveling while on vacation to a lovely faraway place!
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Painting.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? Mike and I were at his grandmother's house for Christmas Eve, where she makes many kinds of fish (with help from Uncle Ed). We slept at Mike's mother's house and had Christmas dinner there.
22. Did you fall in love in 2005?
Every year moreso.
26. What was the best book you read?
Oh jeez! Maybe "Perform or Else" by Jon McKenzie? I'm not counting the one's I reread for exams.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Daddy Yankee?
28. What did you want and get?
Guess.
29. What did you want and not get?
I think this was answered under "failures."
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Hmmm...new film? I really didn't find to many I enjoyed this year. Mike and I haven't seen a film that we REALLY liked in a long time. So I'll go with older films that I saw for the first time this year. "Flat is Beautiful" "Un Chien Andalou" and "Rejected"
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
28!!! That's late 20's. No longer mid 20's. Mike and I went to a restaurant in Ithaca called Olivia's, which thankfully we haven't been to since. And we went to Batman Begins -- a great disappointment. (Especially since they put the last reel of the movie on before the second to last one and didn't realize it for several minutes).
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I think I've already mentioned that whole vacation idea.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
I think I'll wear this again because I don't have to iron it.
34. What kept you sane?
Mike.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I give John McCain a lot of credit for pushing that "no-torture" clause.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
I'm pretty upset at Target still for allowing their pharmacists to deny prescriptions for women's birth control and emergency contraception based on the pharmacist's religious beliefs. Note that this does not apply to a cashier selling condoms!
37. Who did you miss?
I miss not being close to family -- which should change soon.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
It's hard to narrow this down. I met a lot of great people.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005.
Taking down a garage is a lot easier than redoing a kitchen.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Jokes and jokes and jokes and jokes.
spaghetti spaghetti spaghetti

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

Johnny Damon.

Why Johnny Damon?

Thus far, the mouse has evaded two of the traditional mousetraps, baited several times, one have a heart trap purchased at Agway, and one have a heart trap constructed by none other than Mr. Michael Guillorn. I hate to say it, but it looks like sticky traps might be in this mouse's future.

For today's Friday five, it might help to know that i'm in the grad office.

1. What is the oldest object in the room with you?
I'm guessing it's one of the books on these shelves.

2. What is the newest?
The blueberry muffin I'm eating? I hope...

3. What is your favorite object in the room with you?
For the moment, it's this delicious and warm cup of coffee, which actually, now that I think about it, is probably the newest item also.

4. What is the most valuable object?
My palmpilot. Yes, I know what you're thinking...isn't she typing on a computer? But girl, you haven't seen the computers in the grad office -- it's a regular old museum in here.

5. What is the ugliest object?
Boy, that's tough...there's so many!! I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the ugliest object is no longer here, but was here for a long time. That would be the old couch and chair. God, those were just terrible!

Kudos to those of you who know the reference in my last post.

Here's The Friday Five

Head to Toes

1. What's on your feet?
Green slippers. They each have a snowflake on them.

2. Turn to your right -- what do you see?
A bookshelf filled with books I have to read before March.

3. What is the last thing you ate?
Pretzel Goldfish.

4. What can you smell right now?
Pretzel Goldfish.

5. Do you wear hats?
Fuck yeah. It's cold out!

I am

a

baNANa!

It's only Wednesday and I'm itching for another Friday five. Actually I'm just itching to avoid reading...which I really can't do for much longer today. I'm also itching to avoid going outside. It's extremely cold out. With the windchill, it's 5 degrees, and my car is parked way, way, way out in A Lot. Yes, I'll be taking the bus out there.

Mike and I have a mouse...or mice. We're not sure which. But I bought those traditional mousetraps -- the kind that snap the mouse's neck. Yes, the kind you see in cartoons. And I put some peanut butter on them for bait. So I pick Mike up from work yesterday, and he asks some sort of question about the traps while looking at them. And I reply, "There's lots of peanut butter on them." And he says, "What peanut butter?" And he's right. There's no peanut butter on the damn traps. Moreover, the mouse (mice)managed to get it four times. Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I'm silly to even try to use these traps. But I used them in Kansas and caught many a mouse. Same trap. Same peanut butter. Unfortunately, this mouse (these mice) is going to make me break down and buy a "Have a Heart Trap." Maybe it's a Secret of Nimh mouse, like Jonathan(s). Or I could be really vicious and buy that sticky stuff. But to tell you the truth, I'm just not that cruel. At least the current kind of traps kill the mouse immediately. The sticky one's torture them...horrible.

1. When is the last time you rode the bus?
Hmmm...I rode the bus this past Wednesday from the parking lot where my car is to central campus.

2. Describe the last time you stood up for a cause:
I'm alway standing up for caused over e-mail. I think my most recent e-mail was to Senator Clinton with regard to Scalito. Right now, I'm most mad at Target, because they're allowing their pharmacists to tell customers that they won't fill their Plan B prescriptions if it is against the pharmacists' religion to do so. Obviously, this is EXTREMELY PROBLEMATIC!!!! Boo Target.

3. Have you visited Alabama?
No!

4. Have you ever attended a rally?
Uh, like a pep rally? Hell, I was chair of the Pride Committee in high school!

5. Have you ever been arrested?
No...knock on wood.

This is the last week of classes. And for the first time, I don't have any papers due or finals to study for. Just some major exams in March to work on. But what's nice is that I can stay at home and read every day starting on Monday. Of course, I might go to school so that I don't drive up my heating costs. But the nice thing is that I can spend time reading.

Thanksgiving went well...despite the fact that I drove all over CT and over some of MA. At least I didn't run into any major traffic. We did, of course, run into a terrible snowstorm leaving Ithaca to go to CT. All the roads were closed and we encountered many new places in central NY while trying to find a major highway. But at least we didn't have to go through Lisle -- the sketchiest place on earth. When we returned to Ithaca on Saturday, we ate at Aiello's -- which was a long awaited date. It was really quite disappointing. Ah well, to each her own. After that, we drove to Ithaca, unpacked the car and went immediately to Harry Potter. I think the adaptation of this one was excellent. Even if some of the acting was not as good. At least the movie overall was better than Prisoner of Azkaban (I mean come on, they didn't even attribute the Marauder's map to Lupin, Potter, Black, & Wormtail in that one!!!).

This week we also saw Sex & Lucia, which is a Spanish film. It's really good, and it's all about sex. Since then we've watched a couple episodes of Mr. Show, Season III. This is far better than Season I.

1. On what day do you celebrate Thanksgiving?
Thursday! A week ago.
2. How do you traditionally celebrate this food filled holiday?
I have dinner with either my family or Mike's. I eat Turkey. I enjoy pumpkin bread. I take a nap.
3. How do you like your stuffing cooked (in the bird, separately in a dish, store bought, etc.)?
I actually don't like stuffing...so there.
4. What is your favorite dessert to eat on Thanksgiving and who makes it?
Well, it depends where I am. And it seems that we have different desserts all the time. This time I had apple pie that my Aunt Mary made -- with ice cream of course. It was delicious!
5. Can you name five things you are thankful for?
I can name a million things I'm thankful for.
1. love, 2. food, 3. family, 4. friends, 5. work

1) What is your favorite noise to hear?
The ocean.

2) If you could live in any era of time, what would you choose and why?
Hmmm...I'd like to live in 5th c. B.C. Ancient Greece to observe, but I definitely think if I did that, I'd much prefer to be a man. Women had it pretty damn rough in Greece at that time.

3) You just found $50 while cleaning your house. Where do you decide to spend it?
Gee, this really isn't a lot of money. I'd probably put it in my wallet and use it for bus money, coffee money, muffin money, lunch money, etc. I know that's boring, but come on!

4) What magazines to you subscribe to/read on a normal basis?
"Newsweek" and "This Old House" I told Mike that if we live in the WC, we'll have to subscribe to "The New Yorker." His reply was "We are NOT getting a subscription to 'The New Yorker.'"

5) If you could witness any event in history, but not change anything about it, what would you choose and why?
Humanity's first written symbol/word/picture. I just want to know how it happened.


Was it the result of some monolith?

I don't think that they'll be a Friday Five...not at least until Sunday, because on Sunday I'll be back from my conference -- ASTR.

So instead, I'll give you the big news. Mike and I will be moving to somewhere just outside NYC. Mike got a job at IBM. He'll start in January, and then I'll move out there when the house sells (which hopefully will be June or thereabouts (crossing my fingers). I'll have finished my 3 year residency at Cornell at that point, and can move anywhere while I finish my dissertation. So that's the plan. I'd like to live right in the city, but I don't think I'd ever actually get my dissertation done if I did that. So it will be good to be able to go in there to do research and then go somewhere "home" to write.

Of course, this means that we'll be selling the house a year after we purchased it and, may I add, renovated it. So that's not good.

Blogger, or the computer I was working on, erased two of my blogs today. The first one was actually about things happening in my life -- like an upcoming trip to Toronto, a demolished garage, and a skirt that just didn't work out. The second was a quote from Overheard in New York.

I'll leave the two empty posts there in memorium of words lost to the internet.

1. What is your shoe size?
7.5
2. How many hours did you sleep last night?
Wow. I slept a lot. I wouldn't even say "last night" because some of last night carried into today. However much it was, it was needed. Now I feel rested and ready to read my Deleuze.

3. Area code of your phone number:
607 for my home phone. 617 for my cell phone. This confuses MANY people.

4. Last grade of school completed:
Boy. Do I say Master's or do I say 2nd year of Ph.D.? Or do I say 12th? After all, that's the last grade.

5. Time it takes you to get ready in the morning:
My husband says it always takes me at least 40 minutes. If I shower, it takes longer. But whether I eat breakfast or no, it seems to take 40 minutes.

3 x 5

1. What's the last item you mailed?
I mailed a rebate receipt for my Palm Pilot/birthday gift. I should say that I re-mailed it because I forgot to include the UPC code the first time, and they sent it back to me menos rebate check.

2. Who has made you smile recently?
Mr. Guillorn.

3. What's the weather like outside?
OK. Today it got COLD. The ground is beginning to look frozen, and I dipped into the wool cardigans. I even considered dipping into the wool socks, but I thought that if I did that, where would I turn when it gets below 10 degrees?

4. Do you consider youself a good judge of character?
Hey look, I'm not going to answer this because then I'll jinx myself.

5. What's your favorite photograph?
This is such an open-ended question. I'm going to go with an art (rather than a family) photo. There's this picture of Heiner Mueller straddling a cannon, smiling wonderfully because of its phallic signification. I'll go with that one, because it makes me laugh a little inside ever time I picture it.

1. What do you like or dislike about autumn?
I love the smell, the crisp air, the fact that I finally get to wear wool and cordoruys, the leaves on the ground, the colors, Halloween, and the leadup to Thanksgiving.
2. Have you raked leaves into a pile just to jump in them? Definitely. But by the time the old maple tree sheds all its leaves in front of my house, I won't have to rake them into a pile; my whole yard will be a pile.
3. Have you ever carved a pumpkin and how did it turn out? I carved them with my parents when I was little. I haven't done one recently, but if I have kids, I'll definitely start again.
4. Have you ever eaten anything made from pumpkins other than pie? I eat seeds, and I eat pumpkin bagels at Collegetown Bagels.
5. Where is a good spot to see the leaves change color where you live? Ah...since I have a wooded lot, my backyard is a great place! But you driving into campus there are plenty of colorful hills to look at!

the friday five

1. Who is your favorite superhero?
Batman! I used to watch old episodes of the TV show at Katie Landi's house, I think. And I watched the cartoon religiously. I would come home, make myself some s'mores, and settle into some Batman. But I have to say, I'm disappointed in all the Batman movies with the exception of the first one. Stop having two villains for god sakes! Just stick to one!

2. If you could have any superpower what would it be?
Flying would be fun.

3. What would your super outfit look like?
Black and sexy.

4. What would your super villain/nemesis be like?
George Bush. Or maybe some chick.

5. What would your catch phrase/calling card be?
Oh, come on. I haven't thought about this that much. I mean, to come up with one of those, I'd have to be a little nutty.

NOMAH!

Does anyone else miss him?

This week, both of my Friday Five sites had good questions. But for continuity's sake (with Lisa's blog), I'll try this one...

1. How long have you had your LiveJournal/blog?
Since May of 2002, when I first told the story of the 10 foot penis. I decided that experience was something that needed to be journaled, and by golly, I blogged it.

2. What do you consider to be the main purpose of your LiveJournal/blog?
To keep people updated on what's up with me -- old friends I don't talk to. Also, to wonder who it is out there that reads my blog secretly. I'm sure whoever you are, you are disappointed in my boring prose.

3. If you could change something about your personal blogging style, what would it be?
I would make the background color a darker brown. But this is as brown as it gets in the templates, and I'm not going to fuck with that shit.

4. What are your criteria for adding someone to your friends list/blog roll?
I stopped having a friends list. I had so few friends on it, that I began to feel lonely.

5. Name one thing that you've never before written about in your LJ/blog.
I have flea bites. I just got them last weekend, and I don't know where they're coming from, since I don't have animals. But I have to say, this is the first time I've had flea bites, and dang diddley, they are itchy.

And now folks...it's time for the Friday Five.

4 8 15 16 23 42

1. What is the most important thing you've ever lost?
This question is too complicated for me. Is it limited to things? Or can we lose people too? Pondering it on little sleep when I have to catch up on reading is clearly a bad idea.

2. When is the last time you lost your keys?
A few seconds ago.

3. Have you ever felt like you've lost your mind?
I've not just felt like it, I've actually done it! So there!

4. Are you likely to ask for directions when lost or to continue to wander?
Ask for directions. Unless it's one of those days where I feel I have an extra-keen sense of direction -- that happens sometimes. And to be honest, I'm usually right.

5. Numerology: reliable or just a load of bunk?
Somewhere in between, I think. I'm not sure, I haven't ever experience numerology long enough to judge.

Don't ever start a project tiling at midnight. Trust me, it's a mistake, because you won't be able to make any of those last minute cuts you thought you wouldn't need to make. Sigh.

I also saw "Devil's Playground" this weekend. It's a documentary about the Amish Rumspringah. At 16, the Amish are free to experience the real world (the devil's playground). After that, they have to decide whether or not to join the Amish church. It's a fascinating documentary -- one where you certainly will learn the affects of meth. Conclusion: meth is gross.

Sell your soul for complete control

1. What kind of lighting is around you?
Hardly any. I'm showing a film right now for the film class, and that means I have to be in the dark -- pretty much. May I add that it's cold in here. I'm wearing a long sleeved shirt, a velour jacket, and the shell of my winter jacket. It's fucking freezing in here.

2. What do you think of your singing voice?
I like my singing voice. It's just that I don't always sing onkey.

3. Who do you try to please?
Myself. With other people I don't try, I just do, or do not.

4. Describe your last dream: I think I slept through it.

5. When is the last time you bought flowers?
For someone? We bought flowers for Mike's cousin Shelly when we went to her store over the summer. Her birthday had just passed. They were some damn nice flowers.

We went back to bed this morning. I slept until about 7:30, which was nice. I remember when I thought the life of the academician did not involve getting to work early. Ha! What a silly fool I was. Well, actually, I'd probably go in later on M,W,F if I were not sharing a car with Mike. But as it is, we're sharing a car. And that's better for the environment, but bad for my sleep habits. Rehearsal seems to be going well. The play will be funny, I think. It's just taking up a lot of time. Hopefully, this will mean that later on in the semester I'll feel like I have more time. Only it never really works out that way, does it?
Back to reading...

Quitters never win...

1. Name one thing you've quit:
sobriety

2. Name something you've won:
I'm just going to name some stuff I've won. I won free registration to the next ATHE conference! Yay me! I also won free registration to the South Eastern Theater Conferenc, but I'm unfortunately unable to go to that. When I was in middle school, I won a bike from Kiss 108 after winning tickets to a new club (for teenies). The bike was a man's bike and too big for me. Now if I could just win the lottery...

...oh wait, I don't play the lottery b/c I know it's a poor tax...

...maybe I should play it anyway

3. Describe a subject in school you do poorly in:
I think that perhaps chemistry was my worst subject. I did badly in math, but that's because I didn't try for a long time. I really would have considered taking a real bio class in college if it weren't for that old rumor that college bio = chem, college chem = physics, etc. etc.

4. Have you ever purposely not done your best?
ME???


O.K., yup.

5. Do you lead, follow, or get out of the way?
I'm a cowgirl. I make my own way.

This weekend was nice. I had a nice birthday date with Mike, even though we went to a mediocre restaurant where the wine the waiter recommended completely clashed with my dinner. I've never actually had a wine clash with my dinner, but now I know what it's like. And we saw "Batman Begins." Not only is the film not that good (why in the world can't these Batman movies stick to one villain? I mean, isn't that a basic strategy in writing?), but also, the projectionist put on the final reel of the film before the next to last reel and didn't notice for at least a few minutes. But after all that, we went back home and watched a little Chappelle show we netflixed. And that made it all wonderful. Today I skipped class because of a migraine, and am now, in a conscious attempt to continue my birthday beyond its day, eating a chocolate cupcake I purchased at College Town Bagels.

Today is my birthday. I'm not too thrilled with the Friday Fives, so today I'll have none of that! Instead, I'll do Lisa's lovely "7" survey.

7 things I plan to do before I die:
travel to Greece and Italy
own a dog
have a child?
play Juliet (uh oh, am I already too old for this?)
ski in Colorado
complete my PhD
be full time faculty at a school I like

7 things I can do:
type fast
put in wood floors
install and grout tile
run old film projectors
listen
kick someone's ass in wiffleball
some salsa dancing

7 things I cannot do:
calculus
recite the ten commandments by heart (unless I consult that Simpson's episode)
sight-read Ancient Greek
get in touch with my radon guy
eat red meat (except for pork)
have enough time
find whatever it is that I'm urgently looking for

7 things that attract me to other people:
they make me laugh
trust
sense of humor about themselves
they make me more sane
support
joi de vivre
artistic talent

7 things that I say most often:
no, I can't. I have rehearsal.
Hey babe?
um. I don't know.
Can I have a medium decaf coffee please?
Ah, is that a DECAF coffee?
Grad office. this is Megan.
I've a right mind to hit you with my parasol.

7 celebrity crushes:
First I have to say, that I feel tremendous guilt associated with celebrity crushes. After all, they are people, and I shouldn't stare at them and drool from a distance. But I do; so here it goes.
Johnny Depp
Joe Fiennes a few years ago (around "Elizabeth")
Joaquin Phoenix in Quills
Johnny Damon (hey, all these men have names starting with J)
Gael Garcia Bernal (oh si!)
Owen Wilson (for Rushmore)
Naomi Watts

7 people I want to do this:
you, you, you, you, you, and you. Oh yeah, and you too.

I chose the delicious new color of brown. As the summer has ended, pink is no longer accurate to describe my life. A warm brown welcomes the seriousness of studying for exams. Right now I'm reading 100 pages of Jameson a day. I don't really recommend it. I was very enthusiastic at first, but currently I'm wading through a chapter I have little interest in.

This weekend, other than reading, Mike and I watched the first disc of the second season of the Chappelle show. And all I have to say is "I'm Rick James, bitch!" and "Okayyyy!" If you haven't seen the Chappelle show, and I realize I'm late to it (because of the whole not having tv thing), I highly recommend it, bitch.

We also began the laundry room project. Now mind you, we have not finished any of the other projects yet. But the washer and dryer are moved into the kitchen and Mike ripped up the laundry room floor. Part of the reason for this madness is that Mike has to cut plywood outside, and living in Ithaca, our outside work time is slowly dwindling away... Who knows? It could snow tomorrow!

This weekend we worked on the house. Surprise Surprise! And Mike put in new lighting fixtures for the kitchen. It's amazing how once you finish one thing, the thing that's not been bothering you, suddenly begins to. In other words, I have to paint the windows. Once I do painting, (I'm hoping next week) the kitchen will be done. Oh, except for the dishwasher, but we're waiting for the electrician to get back to us on that.

Yes, I know. Not very exciting to others, but hey, I finally got a chance to clear the dead branches out of our boxwoods. So all those who drive by my house can now rejoice in the fact that the boxwoods look good again. Of course, then they pass the half of the fence that fell down from the wind. Have I mentioned that? Once you get one thing fixed.... Sigh.

I wasn't going to answer these until I saw the fabulous title...

I'll take therapist for $300

1. Link to your local news source:
The Boston Globe

2. Link to your favorite dessert:
<Delicious and Fattening

3. Link to a band that you despise:
Band what? All I see is despise.

4. Link us to a good book:
yes

5. Link to your favorite Muppet frog:
See Wynyard

Time for Greek.

Funny how I post when things start to get busy. Today I dropped off my car because it is making a terrible noise and it is also having trouble getting up hills. I'm very scared to find out what's wrong with it. Richard closed yesterday, and while I'm sad not to be in a play right now, I'm not sad to let go of the age makeup, which has caused much clogging among my pores. Also, I tend to agree with Lisa's suggestion that outside summer performances are better when their comedies. C'est la vie. Or rather, the audience seems to enjoy comedies more.

The Friday Five's are dumb this week. So in protest I refuse to answer them. This weekend Barbara & Dan are visiting. They'll see Richard III. The freshmen also arrive at Cornell this weekend, and I classes start NEXT WEEK! Ahhhhh! I could use another month of summer. But then again, perhaps I need the motivation. Last night I watched "The Neverending Story." Ah, movies from the childhood are so good. I was surprised at how much I remembered once I started watching it. The night before I watched "Sliding Doors." Boy, was that a mistake.

Ok, I must go clean for the parents.

The Final Countdown

5. Did you follow NASA's latest space mission?
I followed the landing on NPR. I remember listening to the break-up of Discovery while in Tennessee.

4. If you could launch a politician into space, and perhaps they wouldn't make it back, who would it be?
Whoever becomes the next front-runner in the Republican party for President can live in the space station.

3. Do you believe in an after-life?
Yes.

2. If there really are aliens, what do you think they look like?
Nothing that I can even imagine. Unless...amoebas.

1. Have you ever been to Europe?
What's up with this question. Was it just stuck in here? Yes, I've been to England, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Poland, and Spain. Next stop Greece and Italy I hope.

Hello. Long time no post. But I have to say I tried to post from home and blogger was acting up on me. So here I am, at the CNF. And posting.

Richard III opens THIS THURSDAY. That's exciting and scary. I'm still experimenting with age makeup, and I haven't tried graying my hair yet. Unfortunately, it gets quite dark by the end of the night performances. I think we're going to have to institute lights.

Also, I was away in California the weekend before this past weekend. Compared to the east coast, San Francisco is COLD. I got to have a lovely lunch with Siggy. She showed me one of the buildings she helped build. It was huge. It would be frightening to be involved with making sure things are done correctly on something that big! Also, I gave my paper and had a lovely time at the conference in general. I even won free conference registration for next year! That's about 150 bucks!

I also bought a dress to wear to someone's wedding. It's black, so it would really have to be an evening affair. Any takers?

I hope that all you Mass voters are writing to Romney and telling him what an asshole he is.

Romney vetoes law on pill

Kitchen is almost to the point where it will look done. There will be little stuff to do, but we can change it from a construction zone into a kitchen soon.

Paper (giving next week) is not almost done, and I will be dedicating all of today to that provided that I stop screwing around on the internet.

Play is going well. If you want to see Megan as an 80 year old woman, come August 11-14, 18-21.

This weekend I plan to go to the movies for the first time this summer. I'll be going to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I hope it makes up somewhat for the fact that Tim Burton didn't direct the Grinch. Not that I saw the other Grinch. But I always wanted TB to direct that.

Here's an old one. I hope I haven't answered it before...but if I have the answers would be different anyway.

1. ...went to the doctor? Yesterday. I saw the nurse pracitioner at the doctor's office I go to. She's fantastic! But she's also retiring. :^( She inspired me to write to Pataki to make Plan B over the counter.

2. ...went to the dentist? March. It went well. No cavities!

3. ...filled your gas tank? Let's see...I'm guessing it was either Sunday or Monday. It should be filled again. The tank on the Subaru is small. Of course, I will add that the gas prices kill me every time. Thanks a lot GWB.

4. ...got enough sleep? Last night. Thankfully.

5. ...backed up your computer? I've got most of the important stuff on my miniharddrive. If you don't have a little harddrive, I highly recommend one. They're not that expensive and they are so much easier to transport than disks. Also, you can wear one around your neck if you feel nerdy.

New Kids on the Block


1. Are you more comfortable being the new kid or the experienced one?
The experienced one. I don't think I've ever been comfortable as the new kid.


2. When is the last time you were the new kid?
When I arrived at Cornell.... But I soon adapted. At least in grad school, it's a little bit easier to be the new kid. (Perhaps because everyone else is nerdy too?)

3. If we met face to face, right now, what would my first impression be of you?
Preppy. Eating a chicken salad sandwich. I have no idea.

4. Who is the last person you said goodbye to?
I'm going to take this as a more serious goodbye...like a "goodbye" I'm leaving or you're leaving goodbye. It's hard to say. I guess people in Tennessee? I say goodbye to relatives a lot but then I see them again. I think saying g-bye to people at the law firm was a more definite good bye...which reminds me...I should e-mail them.

5. Joey, Jordan, Donnie, Danny or Jon?
Well, back then it was Jon because I liked to be different. But it should have been Joey...my second choice all along.

I want my t.v. back. It's been too long since I've been able to watch Gangs of New York.

1. How did you learn about yesterday's bombings in London?
I was sleeping with the radio on NPR. Mike came into the bedroom after showering and asked what happened in London. I listened for a moment and thought that nothing happened. Then, we realized something terrible happened and checked online to see what it was.

2. Do you have any personal connections to the area?
I've been there twice. The first time I was there, the IRA set off a bomb at a station not too far from where we were staying. But the IRA gave warnings before their bombings, and they didn't set them off during rush hour.

3. Do you use public transportation?
Currently, I don't. But I've certainly relied a lot on it in my life. I've often done the morning commute on the Boston T.

4. Have you ever let threats of terrorism change the way that you live each day?
No.

5. If you could say something directly to the person or group responsible for this tragedy, what would you say?
It's shameful that more innocent people in this world have to die for someone else's cause.

A wild and wooly 4th.

Not really. But it was still fun. This weekend my parents came up. On Saturday, Dad helped Mike put hardwood floor in the living room closet. This means WE HAVE A CLOSET DOWNSTAIRS. Right now we're using the downstairs bathroom as a closet. But soon, we can put things in this new gorgeous closet.

Mom helped me plant some flowers. I put yellow dahlias in my window boxes. I also planted petunias before they arrived. And let's see, I have a whole bunch more annuals left to plant. Where are those extra flowers from Becky's shower now?

We went out to dinner at two lovely places: Zaza's and Thai Cuisine. We gave Mom diamond earrings for her 60th birthday. They looked lovely on her!

On Sunday, Dad hung out by the pool and Mom and I went on a search for a salt pig. We didn't find one. So please, let me know if you see a salt pig hanging around...

Then yesterday we began to put the floor down in the kitchen. This one is glue down wood. And, I have to say, I got glue all over me. I still have some glue on me and I don't know when it's going to come off. The good thing is that this floor is 5" plank. That makes it go so much faster. Although, I have to admit, glue is gross. At any rate, now we have half a kitchen floor. We hope to put the other half in tonight.

1. Who do you owe?
Citibank. A whole bunch of $. Both my mortgage and my home equity are with them. The U.S. Gov't for Trinity.

2. Does anyone owe you?
Yes, you. Could you please write me a check for $200,000? Thanks.


3. How many credit cards to you have?
Two. One regular card and one store card. I should probably get rid of the latter because I never use it.

4. Do you care about national debt?
Thinking about national debt makes me cry. Please up my taxes. More importantly, please up the taxes of the rich. (Note to the city of Ithaca: THE SECOND SENTENCE DOES NOT APPLY TO YOU.

5. Would your friends be surprised if they accidently saw the balance in your checkbook?
I don't know. This is a stupid question. How does the balance in your checkbook give people any idea what your finances are? Unless, of course, it's negative numbers.

BONUS QUESTION: Does debt scare you?
Yes, it does. But oddly enough, my school loan scares me more than my house debt. Perhaps that's because I feel I have something for my house debt. But school debt -- well, I certainly have something for that too. Most of it is intangible. And the tangible part of it is a sheet of paper. Here's hoping I get two more of those soon. (I get a Master's as part of the program).

Not quite Friday yet. And I'm blogging. Which is good, I suppose, because it means I'm finding a more productive way to procrastinate on the internet.

Tomorrow Dan and Barbara will arrive in Ithaca and be the first out-of-town viewers of the house. They will not stay at the house because it is still in disarray. But we hope to have some of the living room put together by the time they get there. This morning we actually moved some of the furniture from its nest in the middle of the room! Perhaps now when I sit down on the couch, I won't feel weird about the large bookshelves looming over my back.

Tomorrow is also July. July is tomorrow. Where, I ask, did June go? Could someone get it back for me?

1. What is your favorite action movie?
Favorite action movie? Damn, this is tough. I'm going to say Dune. Because that's waht I feel like watching right now.

2. What is the worst movie you've ever seen?
Another tough one. But there is one in particular that I remember sitting through with Siggy where I invented the game "knock my head against my knees." I wish I could remember the name of the movie. And I'll get back to you if I can.

I was most moved by Star Wars Episode I. It left me with the largest pit in my stomach ever.

3. Do you prefer comedy or drama?
It depends. If I'm acting or directing I prefer drama. If I'm watching something, it depends on my mood.

4. Recommend a good tear jerker:
Buckaroo Bonzai.

5. What movie are you looking forward to seeing soon?
Batman Begins. I hear it's a throwback to the old dark days of Gotham, and I'm looking forward to it. As it is, I'm looking forward to seeing any movie in the theatre. I haven't been in a long time.

Bonus Question (I'll add these when I think of them):
What movie did you just realize you liked more than you thought you did?
Mars Attacks. I saw part of it in my hotel room on vacation and thought, this is pretty damn good. I'm not sure yet if it makes the favorite movie list. But there's something about the Martians using the translator to say "Don't run! We are your friends!" while they blow people up that makes my day.

While sequestered away in my air conditioned bedroom today, I read. I felt like such a sloth, staying in bed practically the whole day, but that's the way the cookie crumbles when it's this hot out. And boy, is it hot. Luckily, tonight I was inside the Schwartz Centre, a building which, judging by its temperature, can be blamed for global warming. Forget SUV's. It's the temperature of the air in Schwartz making everyone else hotter.

In other news, I finally dipped into the red paint last night. Yes, after weeks of painting everything white, I painted a wall in my kitchen red. I want to say it looks great, but it really needs anothe coat before I can say that. It certainly changes the look of the kitchen. And I feel so dangerous walking around all the white cabinets with the red paint. Also, it looks a lot like blood when it gets on my painting gloves. Ha ha ha! (that's supposed to be an evil laugh)

1. RE: your future. What lies ahead?
How can anyone answer this question? I'm hoping a swim in my pool lies ahead on either tomorrow or Tuesday. We opened the pool yesterday and the water is still murky.

2. Listen: what can you hear?
The air system in the Cornell Nanofabrication Facility. My typing.

3. Inner peace: Do you have it?
Only sometimes. Don't forget that I'm going to perish of fits.

4. Every once in a while, someone surprises you. Who did most recently?
I guess I haven't had a whole lot of surprises lately. I can't think of any. Perhaps that's better?

5. Friends can come and go. Who has come into your life, and who has left?
Boy, this is a hard question when you're an old lady like me. I think it's meant for people just entering college.

The Friday Five
From your vantage point in front of the computer, you spy, with your little eye...

1. Something that is red:
A section of my purse, really a pocketbook, which Mike calls "The Case" because he thinks it is large.

2. Something that is shiny:
My glass snapple bottle. Raspberry Peach.

3: Something that is ugly:
The desklamp in the theatre office. I'm here because I haven't unpacked anything.

4. Something that is made of wood:
A desk to my left.

5. Something that is sharp:
Ummm...the stapler?

So we moved for the most part. But Mike got sick and then I got sick. I'm feeling slightly better now and can even stop blowing my nose for up to fifteen whole minutes. This is a big deal because before I had to have a tissue continuously up to my face or snot would drip out. Appealing. I know.

I'm about to have my first rehearsal for Richard III and I'm very excited about it!