Long Post - Long Story!

On the way to pick L up from the airport Colleen and I talked about where we wanted to go to dinner. We decided on Cucina Cucina – we figured we would wait and see what kind of mood L was in before we made the decision to have dinner on the way home or to have a late dinner after we had dropped L off with her car.

We got to SeaTac and made a trip around the arrival area – No L yet. So we drove around and got back on the Arrival roundabout and made another pass. As we got close to the Delta sign we started looking for her – not sure what she was going to be wearing or where she would be standing – just as I was about to drive pass Delta I saw her squatting down by the curb – I quickly pulled in to one of the pick-up lanes, caught her eye and waved. Did she smile? Did she wave back? Nope! She gave a shrug with her shoulders, a nasty look, and pointed to the lane that was a little closer to her. Colleen looked over at me and said – I guess we’ll have a late dinner!

I got out of the car and the first words out of her mouth – What you couldn’t pull closer! Then she said – “My phone won’t let me make outgoing calls!” I asked if it had gotten turned off – Oh No! Something just got messed up with my payment. T-Mobile screwed up! OF course – it certainly couldn’t be the fact that she used her debit card for a bank account that has a negative balance. I mentioned that and she of course denied it – said she wouldn’t do something like that. This all happened in the car before we got out of the airport!

We get on the road and get to the point where I need to either take I-5 or 405 – I asked her if I should get on 405 because we were going to pick-up her boyfriend Justin and I wasn’t sure how to get to the exit to his place. I figured it was 405 and L said – No you need to take I5 – I said are you sure? Southcenter is over there – and I pointed in the opposite direction of where I5 was going. She said – No, I know you need to take I5. So I took the exit and as we got on I said – you know, Southcenter is back that way – pointing behind us. Her reaction – If you knew that why did you go this way!! I said because she told me that this was the exit I should take. Her response – “Well maybe you shouldn’t listen to me!!

So – I take the next exit and get back on I5 heading back towards Southcenter. Oh great – we are coming up to another exit where we need to make a decision and I ask again if she knows which one we should take. She tells me 405 – then says no take the Southcenter Pkwy Exit. Of course – this is all in the space of a few seconds as there’s not much time or room for me to make the choice before we would be past them. So I take the South Center Pkwy Exit – again the wrong decision as we pull off the exit and I see that we can’t turn towards the left, we have to follow the exit around to the right. L then tells me that it’s OK – this road will take us all the way around the mall. No it doesn’t! We get to a spot where Colleen and I say we need to turn left and work our way back around. She says we should go right and then proceeds to say – fine don’t listen to me!! Good heavens! We turn left and get all turned around and end up in a Boeing Parking lot with a sign- Authorized Personnel Only! I then remember I have my Garmin and ask L if she has Justin’s address so I can put it in. She says no. I turn the Garmin on so I can at least see a map and start trying to work my way back towards 405. As Colleen and I are talking about which way we think we should go L pipes up with, just hand me the Garmin and I’ll put in his address. Hmm . . . . . I swear she said No when I asked her if she had it!

So we start going and following the directions when L says – Oh, I know where we are now. You can turn off the Garmin. I say I’m going to keep it on just to be sure. You guessed it! Her response was – Fine don’t believe that I know where we’re going.

We get to Justin’s. She runs inside and they come out 5 minutes later and get in the car. While they were inside I turned to Colleen and said – “I guess this wouldn’t be a good time to tell her I’m going to Dallas for Christmas!” Then, as L is getting in she makes a smart-ass comment – Yay, more family time for L. We get back to my place so she can grab her stuff and her car. She is going through her things and we are standing around watching her. She stops and says – “What!! Why are you staring at me?” I told her - Auntie Colleen and I have plans and are waiting for you to leave. Her and Justin finally grab everything and we head outside. Colleen and I get in the car and get out of there before she is even done loading her stuff in her car. As we were driving out Colleen made this comment – “Gee Mom, thanks for picking me up at the airport! That was really nice of you!”

2 additional little tidbits.

• During the drive to Justin’s L was making conversation about how she only had $272 from the paycheck she got while in NC and that’s certainly not going to pay for her phone and she needs gas in her car and needs to pay rent. Then she says – well I get paid at the end of this week. I asked her what she thought she was going to get paid for seeing as she hasn’t worked in the last 2 weeks. She gave me a blank stare like she hadn’t really thought about that. Then says – stop yelling at me. I’m stressed out and I think I’m going to throw up! After we left L at her car, I asked Colleen – Didn’t you understand she was hinting that she needed money! How come you didn’t just turn around and give her some!
  
• The kids are coming up in August and are getting tickets to the Mariner’s game. Lindsay had asked L if she wanted to go and let her know how much it was going to cost. L then called me and asked if I was going to the game. I said Yes and that I already had my ticket and that the kids are buying their own cheap seats. She said – Oh, well I won’t be going. I have to pay other people and I owe money. Is aid, that’s OK I’m sure you’ll see them at some other point while they are here. She said – “When!!” I said they are here through the weekend so I’m sure she will see them at some point. She told me – Have fun with the family! I responded with, I will! She hung up on me.

Too bad NC didn’t keep her!

De

Having Fun With My Sissy!

Hi All - Yesterday was a very busy day and I was very tired so I didn't blog. I love having my sissy here! We are having a great time.

Yesterday we got up and if you know Colleen then you know that the first thing we did was . . . . . . . .head to Starbucks! We got are sbux to go and headed to the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon Expo - C was originally coming up here to run the Rock and Roll 1/2 but about 4 weeks after Boston she injured herself and has been rehabbing it ever since. I'm glad she didn't get to run because that meant we got to spend more time together. So we hit the Expo - she got her T-shirt, goody bag, and a new Garmin. Next stop was to park at my office - it is centrally located by the shopping malls in downtown and within walking distance of Pike Place Market. We then did what all good Boyd girls do on vacation - we Shopped!!!!!

Next stop was to have lunch at the Steelhead Diner - it is down at the Market and they have the most amazing fish and chips! C agreed that it was very good. We enjoyed the view - we could see a cruise ship that was docked at the pier. And - yes Putbory I did pick up another little silver gravy boat!! :P) We made a quick trip through the market and I bought some Rainier Cherries - you know, I could have gotten them there all along instead of having to try and find them at the Issaquah Farmer's Market!! I just forget that it's down here. The cherries are amazing!! If I have any left I will bring some in to work after vacation - or else I'll just take a quick break and walk the 4 blocks and get some more.

Today we went and visited Auntie Jan at her new place - new to us but she has lived there for a few years now. It was really nice - I would move there in a heartbeat if I could afford it and if I were old enough - you have to be 55. It is a really beautiful community. Auntie Jan's house backs up to one of the many walking trails and it is so peaceful on her patio. We had lunch together and caught up on everything - it had been 5 years since she saw C. We then went to Bellevue Square so we could go to the Mariner's Store. Oh yeah - I almost forgot - we stopped by the University Book Store first - all that purple and gold was dreadful - I almost got sick but lucky for me they have a Cougar section so I went and stood in the Crimson and Grey safe zone! We didn't stay at the mall for very long because we needed to go home and then head to the airport to pick up L. Lucky for me we had this - kept me from going to the Apple Store with C - every time I go in that store with her I end up in debt!!

After the L airport trip C and I went to Cucina Cucina for a late dinner. It was really good! I have had a great 2 days with sissy!!

De

***I will blog about the airport trip tomorrow. Suffice it to say it was rather interesting! To give you an idea - the sound going through my head was the music that is played in The Wizard of Oz evertime you see the Wicked Witch of the West!***

Sissy's Here!!

Just got home from picking my sister up from the airport. Her flight got in on time - 1025. Her bag was one of the first one's on the carousel - just as we were walking towards carousel 2 Colleen saw her bag coming around - she had to walk fast to get ahead of it so she could grab it. We got right out of the airport onto I5 and then on to 405 - that's where we ran in to problems. There was a very slow back-up that started jusr past Renton and continued on until the I90 exit. My first thought was - what are all these cars doing on the road at 1100 at night. We shouldn't be running in to traffic - this is ridiculous. Well - our lovely Department of Transportation was doing work on 405 and the three lane road was down to one lane. What should have been a 20 - 30 minute trip ended up being an hour long trip. Which - not too bad for me but Colleen is coming from Texas which is 2 hours ahead of us so when we got home it was 130 in the morning for her. She headed straight to bed - which is in my new spare bedroom! I got an airbed for that room - I hope it is comfortable. I gave her extra blankets too because she came from 100* and right now it is in the 50s.

I'm going to get some sleep!

De

Memories - Good or Bad

I have a pretty good memory when it comes to things that have happened in my life - I can remember things from as far back as 4 years old. Lots of things can trigger memories - talking about experiences, TV shows, books, pictures, music, smells, etc. The main trigger for me is music - songs from the past and songs about experiences I can relate to. I give my sister a hard time because she doesn't remember a lot of things that have happened. I got to thinking though that maybe my sister has it better than me - although most memories are happy there are those that bring sadness, anger, and regret.

I have never seen the Jim Carrey movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - the premise is that you could have the sad and regretful memories erased. What would that be like? When a song came on that was from your past and is linked to a sad time - like a break-up - would you remember the song but not the feelings? Would you only remember the good times from when that song played?

If you no longer have the sad/regretful memories will you be a different person? Is it the experiences we have or the memories of those experiences that make us who we are? For example,

• Your first true love, the feelings of being cherished, the sad break-up, the regrets of not doing things differently.
  
• Regrets for decisions made like going to a school, living in a city, not going out with someone.
• The wondering about What If? Would things be different if I had just made this one different decision?
  

Do these contribute more than just making you sad every time the memory comes up – every time the song is played?

Sometimes I would like to try the memory erase - I think it would make life easier.

Comments – Thoughts?

De

***If your wondering what got me thinking - Taylor Swifts song Fifteen***

Buffy -vs- Edward!!

I just saw this and being the Buffy The Vampire Slayer / Twilight geek that I am - I Loved It!!

All I Can Say Is . . . . Wow!

My Baseball Game MO is - get to the game before the 1st inning - get an order of Garlic Fries - head to my seat - chat and sort of watch the game - head home either right before or just after the 7th Inning Stretch. You see - the games that I go to are rather slow, not very exciting, and the Mariner's usually lose. Not sure if it's me bringing bad luck to the Mariner's or if I just don't have the right timing to go and see a good game.

Lyd called me this morning and said she had gotten some tickets at her work and wanted to know if I would go to the game with her. Sure - it's Friday Night and I didn't have any other plans. I started thinking about the Garlic Fries and looked forward to chatting with Lyd.

When we got there I was disappointed to see that Griffey was not in the starting line-up. Man - that was the one thing outside of my usual ball game schedule that I was looking forward to. Oh well - Everything else was going according to plan - got the fries and did some chatting!

The game followed my usual experiences - by the 4th Inning we were losing 3 - 0 and it didn't look very hopeful. After the 7th Inning stretch we started talking about leaving but for some reason we decided to stay for just a little bit more. I am so glad we did! Bottom of the 8th - we got a single home run and a runner on base - things were looking up. Then - there was a slight hush in the stadium - then the crowd erupted in to loud cheers, clapping . . . . The player we all wanted to see was coming off the bench . . . the mighty Ken Griffey Jr was coming up to bat!!!! The flashes on every camera in the stadium started going off! This is what we all came to see! The other team was caught off guard - they had a meeting out at the pitchers mound while Jr stepped up to the plate and took some practice swings. Everyone got in to their positions - the pitcher looked for the signal - Jr stared him down - the pitcher winds up - throws a fast ball - Jr swings the bat . . . going . . . . going . . . . gone . .GOOD-BYE BASEBALL!! Jr hits a home run on his first swing of the bat!! The crowd goes wild!! Jr trots around the bases just like he did years ago when he was a Mariner and he had his trademark grin! You could feel the magic in the air as he circled around 1st - 2nd - 3rd - on his way to home plate! It was the most exciting time I have had at a game - it was magical and I am glad we stayed and were able to see it. I think this play may have been a turning point in the Mariner's season - we shall have to wait and see. We did win tonight 4 - 3!!

I think I am a born again Mariner's Fan!

De

Fates Chosen Path

Feeling a little down tonight. This has been an up and down week. Started with getting up way too early on Saturday to take L to the airport and then was filled with too many trips to the dentist. I think toothaches are the worst - they make every part of your mouth and head hurt and it is very difficult to concentrate on things.

So with all that going on my mental state was already on the way down so when I received a call from L tonight it just got me thinking and feeling sad. As you know she is in NC right now with her Dad's side of the family for Alyssa's wedding. Alyssa's Mom and Dad - Gerri and Chris - were my best friends in High School. My ex Alan is Chris' brother and Alan's wife is Gerri's sister. When L called I could hear everyone in the background laughing and having a great time. L told me that Kenny was there too - he is part of my high school group of friends that I no longer have contact with due to the intertwining lives of everyone else. It is sad to think back on the great friendships I had in High School/College/ plus a few years after and to see how decisions and choices that were out of my control completely changed my life. Part of me wishes I could be there to celebrate this wonderful day in Alyssa's life but I understand that that is not the path chosen for me. As we have all probably felt before - it's one thing to understand it in your head and a completely different thing to feel and understand it in your heart.

Congratulations Alyssa and Christopher. Best Wishes for a long and happy marriage.

De

The Thrill of Victory and The Agony of Deteeth!!

I got to go to the dentist today!! Not just any dentist - an Endodontist! They specialize in root canals! It was so exciting and fun! Nope - not on drugs - because they didn't give me any :( I am just trying to look at this with a sense of - it wasn't so bad because nobody died. Yeah - only works when you don't have a throbbing pain in your mouth.

Got to the appointment at 930 this morning - Dr Burnett looked at the x-rays and poked around in my mouth - Oh yeah, that felt just great! He thought the tooth was too far gone and couldn't be saved - a root canal was just going to prolong the inevitable - which is having to have the tooth removed. He called my regular dentist - Dr Brandon Cooley - and they decided I should go back and talk to him regarding a treatment plan and that the root canal should be put on hold! I was like - What?!?!?!? I haven't been able to eat or drink for 2 days due to the sensitivity and the incredible pain! Dr Burnett did a temporary fix so I could eat - no more sensitivity to cold and heat! I headed back over to the Cooley's and was told that the tooth did need to be removed and seeing as we already know this tooth is a lost cause we should spend the time and money on the two other crowns that need to be replaced so that they don't get as bad as this one. I so love going to the dentist!

So - got the temp fix but my mouth - the procedure has left my teeth aching though and I got no good pain meds from the dentist. What's a girl to do?!? Headed to Happy Hour after work with Finance and self medicated with a beer and then a cranberry and vodka! Worked for awhile! Now it is time for bed and my teeth are throbbing. Gonna take some Advil and try to get some sleep.

De

Get Over It

I originally was going to write about my aching tooth and how I really hate dentists - but my appointment to cure the agony of de-teeth isn't until 930 tomorrow morning so I will save that subject for tomorrow. Although - let me just say - this is a very painful diet - haven't been able to eat for 2 days because it hurts too much.

The topic of this entry came to me at around 10 this morning - it came to me via a phone call from L. The call was not to ask me for money or to try and convince me to pay for something. No - this was a call from a very hurt little girl who was crying - made my heart break. What could possibly have happened to make her so upset. She is in NC on vacation and I know she had been looking forward to the visit for so long so I was very surprised when the first words out of her mouth were that she didn't want to be there any more.

You see - her Step-Monster, Randi, is there but her Dad won't be until Thursday. For some unknown reason, Randi really hates L and makes no attempt to hide this from her. She goes out of her way to not say a word to her and to treat her like she doesn't exist. Today L heard her talking behind her back to L's brother and sisters and bitching about how she had done a crappy job of vacuuming and how hard is it to vacuum! - Everyone is helping around the house to get it ready for the wedding this weekend and L was asked to vacuum the rugs in the basement and the stairs. When she was done her Uncle Chris told her that it looked fine so she was very upset to hear Randi complaining about her.

What did L ever do to Randi that would deserve this kind of treatment for the past 17 years - you read that right - this has been going on for 17 years!! Which means L was 2 when it started! What could a 2 year old have done that was so bad it could result in holding a grudge for 17 years! It's possible that L is just a reminder to Randi that Alan was married once before and that L is his first born. But come on - it's been 17 years! Get Over It!

It's not like she sees L all the time - they see her maybe once a year. I would think an adult could just set aside any animosity for the 2 weeks they are around each other - 2 weeks out of your whole life really isn't that much in the grand scheme of things.

De

Way Too Early!

Definitely a couch potato day. Had to get up at 330 this morning - L had a 640 Flight to catch this morning and I needed to take her to the airport. 330 is just too dang early for a Saturday morning. I got back home by 530 and while i was contemplating whether to stay up and get started on the day - I fell asleep on the couch! When I woke up at 930 - it was to a fuzzy fuzzy brain! No motivation to do anything. Well, at least nothing too productive! I caught up on some of my shows on the DVR! Watched the last half of Season 5 of Medium! Got my DVR down to 50% full. Now there's an accomplishment!

De

In Need . . . or . . . Con Artists

I have been working in downtown Seattle for three years now. In that time I have seen a fair amount of homeless panhandlers. But, are all panhandlers homeless or have they just found a great job where they can make money tax-free – and how do you tell the difference between them. There are the regulars that have been in the same spot for the three years I have worked in downtown.

The older gentleman on Pike between 4th and 5th – he doesn’t talk, holds his hat out for “donations”, says thank you in a very quiet voice if you give him money. He has worn the same clothes everyday – has had the same duffle bag/backpack. He is very clean – groomed well – clothes always look fresh. So – is he really homeless and just knows where to go to keep clean or this is his “job” and he goes home to a nice warm house at the end of the day.

The very thin gentleman that is at the end of the James St exit – the first time I saw him he held a sign saying he had AIDS and any little bit would help. He looks very gaunt – keeps his eyes closed – and will weakly raise his arm as if trying to wave at you. I felt very sorry for him and I hadn’t seen him for awhile until this past week. But his sign has changed now and says he had a stroke and any little bit would help. Either he is a very unlucky soul who has suffered medical problems or he has just found a unique way to get people to give him money.

The older lady that sits in a wheelchair with bags of belongings hanging off the back and her dog’s leash tied to one of the arms. She too has had many changing signs. Two years ago it said she was pregnant and on her own now it says something about wanting to be able to take care of her dog.

Then there are the creative ones. Yesterday I came upon a guy whose sign read “Be Aware I Am Asking for Money to Buy Marijuana”! Hey – at least he was honest and letting you know what the money was going to go for. There was a guy who used to be outside Westlake Center and his sign read “Need Money for Karate Lessons. My Father Was Killed By Ninjas”. The young people who use their talent and perform with musical instruments or even just drumming out beats on overturned plastic buckets.

There are some in your face annoying ones. The guy who stands on 5th between Pike and Pine outside the T-Mobile store. He has a box lid that he shakes and puts in front of you as you try to walk by and makes comments if you don’t give him any money. The teenagers who sit on the sidewalks with a cup and make rude comments when you walk by.

Lastly, there are the true homeless people that aren’t asking for anything. In the morning I walk by them lying in the doorways of stores on cardboard, covered with old blankets, and all of their belongings around them. I see them walking on the streets talking to themselves, digging in trash cans, or just sitting on their backpacks.

How do you tell if they are really in need or just trying to work the sympathies of the busy people walking by them? Do you just not give money to any of them? Do you try to give money to the true homeless that aren’t asking for anything?

Your thoughts –
De

I Scream . . .You Scream . . .

Yesterday - on my way from work to an appointment - I was in the mood for a soft serve ice cream cone. Hmmm . . . . I do have to drive by the McDonalds on my way to Lisa's Office - I really do like the cones at McDonalds. As I drove across the I90 Bridge I could already taste the cold creaminess of the soft serve and the crispy crunchiness of the cone. My mouth was watering! I got to Exit 14 - no line-up of cars - I made it through all of the lights - turned in to the McDonalds Drive-way - made my way to the drive-thru line. There was one car ahead of me - I looked at the clock on my dashboard - I was making good time - I could get the cone, eat it, and still make it to my appointment with a few minutes to spare. The car in front of me pulled forward - it was my turn to order - I pull up to the speaker ready to say A Regular Vanilla Cone please and . . . . . . . . There attached to the speaker was a sign . .Sorry, we do not have any ice cream or shakes. Our machines are broken! What!!!! No Ice Cream!! But. . . but . . . . that's what I was craving! That's what I have been thinking about the whole 30 minute drive from work to Issaquah! I wanted some ice cream!! Dang It! I guess I'll just have a coke. :(

De

My Drama Free Life

I think I am getting use to having a drama free life-now my readers need to get used to it too! Without lots of drama I have had a hard time figuring out what I should write about. I could write about my day to day activities - wake up - go to work - come home - walk the dog - read or watch TV - go to bed. Ooooh - so much excitement!! I know - y'all are jealous now!! Actually - this quiet life is nice after all the drama - arguments - door slamming that I have lived with for the past 3 years.

Tonight I am watching Jon & Kate +8 - I am catching up on a couple episodes I missed and then the new episode tonight. The last time I wrote about them I was so on Jon's side and so against Kate. I didn't hide the fact that Kate's personality rubs me the wrong way - as does that annoying haircut of hers. But - the more I read about these two online and in the tabloids - yes I do buy those horrible magazines!! - the more I think they need to both step up and take responsibility for how this had ended up. Jon needs to knock off the oh poor me attitude! If he doesn't like being a stay at home Dad then he needs to find something to do outside the home. Kate needs to stop being the martyr and acting like she does so much and Jon is just a screw up. He is that way because she tells him all the time how he can't do anything right.

On the cover of last weeks People Magazine - could Jon look more put upon! He was not smiling and was just - oh my life is so miserable please feel sorry for me. You know what - they brought the cameras in to their lives. Oh - and last week there were more pics of him out and about and this time it was with a different gal - not the 23 year-old teacher that he was photographed with last time. That boy just never learns.

Aaaaagh!!! Muppet just tooted!!! She has gassy butt tonight! She is silent and deadly!

OK - I'm going to go take some Advil - allergy/sinus headache. Crawl in to bed and read some of my book. I am really in to books by Lisa Scottoline right now. Really good mysteries with lawyers in Philadelphia.

De

Now . . . Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Program

My cell rang when I got to work this morning and I didn't recognize the number - it was a 206 area code so I answered it - first mistake! It was L calling from her apartment phone - gee, why wasn't she calling me on her cell phone - that would be because her service had been suspended - Again!! Was she calling me just to let me know in case I tried to get a hold of her - maybe to give me a different number I could reach her at - or, behind door number three was she calling to see if I would pay her bill. If you chose door number three you are correct! If you chose any of the other options - you haven't been a long time reader of my blog!

Here is the Reader's Digest shortened version of the conversation - Please - No! :tears: Please - No! :tears: Please - No! Hang up phone! Cell rings again. Don't answer. Work phone starts to ring repeatedly. Pick Up - Don't hang-up on me!! Please - No! Please - No! Hang-up again. Forward work phone to voicemail.

Here is a little more detail - Her main arguments were these 1) I haven't asked you for anything in a long time. 2) What happens if there's an emergency and I don't have a phone! 3) I get paid on Friday so I can pay you back in cash right away. My answers to these arguments 1) Yeah, what about 2 weeks. 2) People have survived without cell phones before you'll be fine 3) Yeah, I've heard that before and you still owe me $50 from the last time. You get paid tomorrow, then you can go down to the T-Mobile and pay your bill yourself and get your phone turned back on.

I am positive that she doesn't have enough money to cover her phone bill, rent, gas, and whatever else she spends her cash on. I know darn well if I had paid the phone bill I would never get paid back. And I am not a bank or a credit company. These are all hard lessons and it does break my heart that she is going through this - but it is the result of choices she made and she needs to deal with the consequences. I hope she grows through all of this.

Remember Friday is National Doughnut Day!!

De

***SYTYCD Vegas Day 2 - they just put through Tony to the Top 20 - he was one who they gave a second chance to dance the Contemporary routine yesterday. He has no technique. It is things like this that just make me mad - why didn't Natalie get the same consideration - she was 10 times a better dancer than this guy and some of the girls they put through. Their judging is just not consistent.****

SYTYCD - So You Think You Can Dance

I am just furious at the SYTYCD judges right now - I just don't get them.

Natalie - a dancer who almost made it to the Top 10 Gals last year and lost the last spot to her roommate - did not make it through the Vegas Auditions tonight and I don't get it! Her solo was impeccable - she did extremely well on Hip Hop and Ballroom - then it was time for the Jazz Dance. They showed her during rehearsals and the choreographer loved her - then it was time for them to dance in front of the judges. I thought she did a really good job - the judges didn't and they told her she would not be going on!! I don't get it - they said they had such high hopes for her - is it possible that their expectations of her were higher than for any of the other dancers that are auditioning - is this fair?

Then there was Gabby - she was a mess in the Hip Hop - did so so in Ballroom - and was a mess in Jazz. Did they cut her - Noooo - They let her dance a solo again to save her life - and they ended up keeping her in the competition. I just don't get it.

I think they should have the same standards for each and every dancer - why should the expectations be high for one and not the other - if they mess up then they should be gone. If one messes up even worse than the other then they should be the one that goes home.

OK - rant is over!

De

Ahh - this is the life!

Just got home from work and I am sitting on my deck in a lounge chair sippin on a beer and enjoying the warm weather. It has been awhile since I've been able to really enjoy my deck - why you may ask - well, L used to come out here to smoke and would leave ashes, cig butts, matches, and whatever else she had with her all over the place. It was just too disgusting to pick up and you know darn well she wasn't going to do it. SO when I had to clear off the deck so it could be recoated I came out here with plastic bags on my hands - yes you read that right - plastic bags on my hands and I picked up all the nastiness that had been left behind. Now the deck is recoated and I have my beautiful space back! Yay! :) It is so warm in the condo I may have to sleep out here! :P

I drove in to work today - so when I was driving home across the I90 Floating Bridge I saw tons upon tons of sailboats out on Lake Washington - or blow boats as my Mom calls them. They were all in one spot kinda like they were having a convention. It looked like so much fun! It reminded of when I was little - ok Colleen, this is the time for you to start racking your brain and see if you remember this too! When we were little and it would be a warm summer night I remember Mom packing up a picnic dinner and when Dad got home from work ho would hook up the boat trailer and we would all climb in the car and head to Lake Sammamish. This was way back before the Lake started getting as crowded as it is today. We would take the boat out to the middle of the lake and just stop there - eat dinner - which I seem to remember sometimes was cold fried chicken and other times I think it was sandwiches - Colleen and I would jump off the boat in to the water and swim around the boat. I think I remember my Dad doing some water skiing too. Good Times! Wish I could be out there now - life was so much simpler back then.



In case you didn't know - This Friday is National Doughnut Day!! We plan on celebrating it at my work.

De

Hounddog

In my opinion, Hounddog is one of the best Dakota Fanning movies. It's not so much the screenplay or the directing - it's what this little actress - who was only 12 years old at the time - was able to do with this role. Her ability to make you see her as the character Lewellen and feel everything that she goes through is amazing. If the movie had been released across the country I fully believe that Dakota would have been nominated for a Best Actress Oscar and might very well have won.

The movie wrapped in 2006 and was set to be released in 2007. It was an independent film so before it could be released it was set to make the rounds of Film Festivals. Before the first festival there was already buzz - after the first festival the buzz was that no no one would put it in their theaters. Why?!? Because of one scene in the movie that lasts - at the most - 30 seconds. It was a rape scene - now before you suck in your breath and go omg let me say - you never see her and the actor in the same shot - you never see any "body" parts - the way Dakota was able to portray Lewellen going from excitement - to fear - to terror - then being inside herself - was incredible to see. Watching this I really appreciated the fact that this young lady has pure, natural talent for this craft. Other people weren't able to - or didn't want to see this - they were more interested in pointing fingers at her parents and saying how horrible they were to let her be in this movie. Where were these same "horrified" people when she was 11 and playing a part in Hide and Seek - which was a very bloody horror film.

It saddens me that because of a few very vocal people, this film was never released in theaters and that the only way people can see it is to rent it. And probably the only way people will know to rent this is via word of mouth. I recommend this movie!

De