Category Archives: Uncategorized

Song Lyric of the Day:

This wasn’t supposed to happen / I’ve been hit with your charm

Sugarcubes / “Hit”

9:58PM.
I’m wiped out, still recovering from the weekend. All told, my family and friends helped me raise an impressive amount of money for cancer research, the gang got Bang!ed, and I met two celebrities. Not too shabby for Friday through Sunday.

The Relay for Life went better than I hoped for this weekend. I started getting everything organized at 9AM Friday morning, loaded the Xterra that afternoon, and got to the site around 3:30PM. While in the middle of setting up our shade awning, an impressive thunderstorm hit. I got soaked, Samantha showed up and promptly got soaked, the awning ended up on the ground collecting water, and setup was delayed for a while. A fun start to our overnight event, no?

Pappa Doug showed up next, also a tad bit soggy from the deluge. He helped Samantha and me finish setting up our shade awning and set up our tent. The rest of our team showed up and Mom, Dad, Tom, and Marjie helped kick things off with the Survivors’ Lap at 7PM.

With the Relay officially started, we then took turns walking the track around the World’s Fair Park. Other than a tiny bit of drizzle, the weather became cooperative and we didn’t get any more substantial rain for the rest of the event. The Luminaria ceremony at 10PM was pretty emotional for everybody; as two cancer survivors played “Amazing Grace” on bagpipes and led the way, we all held a single white candle and walked the track as the names of those who lost their battle to cancer were read. I happened to be near the stage in time to hear Curry’s uncle’s name and Tamara’s mother’s name read, which was tough.

Dad took Mom home after the Luminaria ceremony, promising to come back by himself, which he later did. Tom and Marjie also headed home after the Luminaria ceremony, and the rest of us continued our walk through the night. I was pretty much fueled only by adrenaline at this point and didn’t eat anything substantial (not more than half a barbecue sandwich) or drink nearly enough water; it’s a wonder I didn’t get sick. Jonathan and Curry ran home at one point to walk their dogs and came back while I was trying to nap. I laid down from 3:30AM to almost 5AM and had no luck whatsoever in falling asleep; even with earplugs there was too much noise for me to tune out. And, as I mentioned, I was running on adrenaline, so I don’t think I could’ve slept even if I’d had total silence. Samantha, on the other hand, passed out almost immediately when she laid down to nap. I’m surprised my evil, resentful glare from the other side of the tent didn’t wake her up.

We started taking our site apart around 6AM. At a quarter to seven, we all participated in the final lap and Rich’s original artwork brought in an additional $60 for our tally. All told, once money I turned in last week is added in, our team raised almost $2000, significantly more than the goal of $1000 I set. I can’t thank Rich, Samantha, Tamara, Doug, Jonathan, Curry, Shawn, Benjamin, Marjie, Tom, Mom, Dad, and Brent enough for all their hard work and dedication. Not only did they help raise some serious dough, they’re all on board to do it again with me next year. And Pappa Doug is a serious power walker–he’s the kind of person you dream about having on your Relay team. Special thanks also to Momma Carol for her silent auction contributions and baked goods. I plan on sending an email this week to thank everyone who donated for their money and support, as well.

I got home at 7:30AM, managed to change into a fresh t-shirt, and passed out. I woke up at 12:50PM only to be asked by Rich, “Should you be up yet?” So I went back to bed and woke up again at 3:30PM. I managed to make some spaghetti for lunch (since I had barely eaten in the last 24 hours) and vegged on the couch in an almost catatonic state for a few hours.

Brent and Benjamin showed up at a little after 7PM, followed shortly after by Tamara, Jonathan, and Curry. We started our evening by watching Benjamin’s DVD of his recent skydiving adventure. After watching it, I’m now not so sure I want to try that someday. And I definitely don’t want Rich to try it unless he’s got a good life insurance policy set up first.

We then played a fun card game called Bang!, gamely taught to us by Rich, who’d played it before. Long story short, one of the cards you get to play is a Bang! card which means you shoot another player, so things devolved quickly with the obvious obnoxious comments being bandied about. I particularly enjoyed when Curry said that since Jonathan was getting on her nerves, she was going to Bang! him. Good times.

After wolfing down pizza delivered from Brunetti’s, we moved over to the living room to watch Happy Hell Night. After being subjected to Brent’s crapsterpiece, Last Slumber Party, on more than one occasion over the years, I decided it was time for a little payback. Everyone else was basically subjected to HHN simply for good measure (sorry, guys). I’m actually impressed that Rich made it through. And that he’s still talking to me.

Benjamin, Curry, Jonathan, and Tamara left for the night, and Rich, Brent, and I played Puerto Rico. Rich won, I came in second, and Brent lost, which is really all that mattered. Brent and I then watched some of his The Hills Have Eyes (Unrated Edition) DVD. Rich was upstairs in the office cringing every time Brent and I hollered in response to a particularly gruesome scene, which was more frequent than you’d expect; you would’ve thought we were watching sports bloopers, we yelled so often. We finally went to bed at 2AM, which, in retrospect, turned out to not be the healthiest or wisest move after having pulled an all-nighter (Brent stayed in our guest room for the first time).

We woke up around 10AM, had breakfast, and said bye to Brent. Rich and I then headed to the Knoxville Convention Center for Adventure Con; Rich was supposed to help his friends with the East Tennessee Gamers set up, so he was eager to get there early.

I’ve been to collector’s conventions before, but this was my first one with celebrities. The celebs on tap yesterday were Adam Baldwin, Corey Feldman, Hayley Mills, Burt Ward, Ray Park, Verne Troyer, Felix Silla (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century), and Robert Z’Dar (Maniac Cop).

After making sure Rich was on board, I paid for Adam Baldwin to autograph a photo “To Pattie;” both of us are huge Firefly fans. Rich then took a picture of me with him. I look positively tiny next to him; he’s got to be at least 6’4″.Rich then retreated upstairs to the game room and I decided to head over to talk to Ray Park, best known as Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace; I’m also a big fan of his work as the Headless Horseman stunt double in Sleepy Hollow (that’s him doing all the decapitating) and as Toad in X-Men.

I approached his table and told him that I’m a huge fan of his work and think that he’s really talented. He smiled, said thanks, asked my name, and I was very pleasantly surprised to notice an English accent. I then went on to say how I thought that stuntwork, when well done, is like watching ballet. He smiled and replied, “Yeah. I actually do ballet.” Me: “Neat. Well, I just wanted to say hi and let you know I think you’re great. I don’t have any more cash, or I’d get an autograph.” He laughed and said, “Thanks for stopping by, Pattie” as he shook my hand.

Giddy over how nice he was, the great smile, and the kicky English accent, I went upstairs to hit Rich up for some cash so I could get an autographed photo. Turns out my boy was tapped out, so I found an ATM machine and went back to talk to Ray Park a second time. “Hi. I’m back. And I have money now since I found an ATM.” He laughed and asked which photo I wanted. I chose his headshot since I wanted one of what he actually looks like, not him as Darth Maul. “Make it out to Patty?” “Yes, but with an ‘ie.” He handed me the photo and I asked if I could impose and get a photo with him, as well. “Absolutely.” He came out from behind the table and we posed for a photo together.


Keep in mind I’m 5’8″ and was wearing flats that day; I’d put him at 5’9″ or maybe even 5’10”–taller than most Hollywood men (although, obviously, not Adam Baldwin). He thanked me and shook my hand again, and I floated back upstairs to Rich. I showed him the photo and described the encounter.

“You like him now, don’t you?”

“Oh, yeah. I think I just found my next Fantasy Second Husband©.”

“Great.”

Rich then took another look at the photo and at the Adam Baldwin photo. “Way to get them autographed to us.” This after he’d said okay to Adam Baldwin signing it only to me and after I hunted down an ATM to get Ray Park’s autograph. I said I’d go back and bug both of them to add “and Rich” to their autographs, but Rich said not to bother in that tone he uses when he really means yes, bother. So I headed back down to the main floor. I didn’t see Ray Park at his table, so I headed over to Adam Baldwin. I explained the situation and he very graciously added “& Rich” to his autographed photo. While I was there, I remembered to ask him what his current project is; turns out it’s a high-concept cop show called Day Break, debuting on ABC in the fall and a lot of the X Files crew are involved.

Ray Park still wasn’t back at his table but I noticed a huge crowd gathered in the corner beyond–turns out he was getting ready to do a lightsaber demonstration. This is when I really took notice of how friendly and charismatic he was; he really enjoyed bantering with the crowd, goofing around, and was having a lot of fun explaining how to duel with a lightsaber. He dueled first with one volunteer (who happened to be in complete Jedi uniform with his own lightsaber) and then with another volunteer, a guy who was working the convention. After a few duels, Ray Park added a second lightsaber to the mix, again taking on both volunteers. For the grand finale, he showed some moves with the big enchilada: a red, double-edged lightsaber like Darth Maul uses. While he was windmilling the thing, I could feel a breeze coming off it even though I was at least eight feet away. He then finished things with a backflip. Very impressive, indeed.

Since people swarmed to talk to him after the demo, I headed back upstairs, figuring I’d head down again later when the crowd had dissipated to get “and Rich” added to the autographed photo. I called Tamara to arrange a pickup so we could grab lunch together since Rich was planning on staying for a while. I’d already met two cool celebrities and bought a Chewbacca action figure, so I was ready to go.

I headed downstairs again and went to find Ray Park. I noticed him walking back from the demo corner and walked up to him.

“Hey, Pattie,” he smiled.

Sweet Jazzie Chrissie, he remembers my name! Ahem.

“I’m back. My husband made a fuss about the photo only being autographed to me, so could you add “and Rich” to it?” He laughed and said sure. As we walked back to his table, I said that seeing his lightsaber demonstration made me want to learn how to fence more than ever.

“Yeah? That’s cool.”

“I’ve wanted to learn for a really long time, and I figure it’ll also be something to add to my acting resume.”

“You act? Good for you.”

By then we were back at his table. A few people were waiting in line for autographs, but he waved me ahead of them and added “& Rich” to the autographed photo. We exchanged smiles and handshakes again, and I headed off to wait for Tamara to come get me. I have now met two Sith lords: Darth Vader and Darth Maul. I can now die happy.

In closing, let’s review why Ray Park is now at the top of my list of FSH©s:

• He’s hot
• He’s Scottish
• He’s super friendly
• He’s got a great smile
• He’s a martial arts expert
• He’s someone I’ve actually met

Tamara arrived shortly after that, and I spent the rest of the day catching up with her and running around to a few different stores. Rich got home around 8:30PM, and we both ended up going to bed earlier than we have in a really long time.

And that was my weekend.

Song Lyric of the Day:

Keep it comin’ love / Don’t stop it now, don’t stop it no / Don’t stop it now, don’t stop it

KC and the Sunshine Band / “Keep It Comin’ Love”

11:15PM.
I’ve gotten almost everything I need for the Relay for Life, so I’m feeling good about that. I have a few things to go, but I can be ready by the time Friday set-up begins. I still fully expect to have my pre-event freakout tomorrow night, though, since this is my first time as a Team Captain. I might have to double up on the sleep medication tomorrow night.

Thanks so much to everyone who has donated to our team. I am amazed not only by everyone’s generosity, but truly awed by the fact that virtually everyone who has donated has done so in honor or in memory of someone with cancer. So keep up the support–there are plenty of us who need it and appreciate it.

Song Lyric of the Day:

I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind / There was something so pleasant about that phase

Gnarls Barkley / “Crazy”

1:21PM.
Holy cow. I didn’t realize it’s been two weeks since I last updated. Anyhoo, I’m here. Obviously, we made it back from Iowa safely (that recap is in the works). Work’s good and keeping me busy busy busy. I’ve been on poop squad duty since Saturday, petsitting for the parents while they’ve been in Hilton Head with Samantha, Shawn, and Benjamin. Mom and Dad get back tonight, and it won’t be soon enough. I miss my house, my babies, my bed. I also miss Rich, who is out of town on an overnight business trip.

It’s finally here–this weekend is the big event, the American Cancer Society‘s Relay for Life. So I’m once again asking for donations. As my nine loyal readers know, I’m walking in honor of my mom, a breast cancer survivor. Chances are you have also been touched by cancer in your life, so please donate to help raise money toward someday eliminating this disease. You can click here to make a donation on my personal page or click here to donate to the team as a whole. There are also links in the right nav bar.

Obviously, this is an event very near and dear to my heart. It makes me feel good to raise whatever money I can to fight cancer, and I’m very proud of my teammates in their efforts, as well. Which is why it truly pained me the other night when someone I am unfortunately related to through marriage put the event down. This individual, who I will call TA (figure it out), kept on insisting that there should be something more productive for us to do than “walk in circles.” Apparently, supporting cancer survivors, patients, and families, remembering those lost, and building a sense of community while having fun and raising money are meaningless according to him. This came from someone whose own mother is a cancer survivor. Go figure. Keep in mind, this individual freely admitted that he has never volunteered for any charity. He’s donated money, as many of us have, but he’s never actually done any volunteer or charity work. And yet he feels entitled to knock an American Cancer Society event.

A while back, I decided that life is too short and my mental health too precious to subject myself to being around people who make me unhappy. TA is someone who has consistently been argumentative and confrontational at virtually every family gathering, and slamming the Relay was the last straw for me. Which is why from now on, I will only subject myself to being around TA when it’s absolutely essential–the occasions where it will mean something to the family members who I love and respect if I am there.

I know I’m not changing the world. But at least I am doing what little I can to make it a better place and add meaning to the lives of my loves ones. I can only hope I make them proud.

Song Lyric of the Day:

The evening had turned to rain / Watch the water roll down the drain

Dream Academy / “Life in a Northern Town”

9:50PM.
Our trip to Iowa was fun. We saw lots of family, ate lots of good-but-not-good-for-you food, and generally had fun being away from home. I also had a shower experience straight out of a horror movie and discovered that, yes, I am still a human cow repellent. And now, a recap:

Day 1 – Friday
We got on the road at 8:30AM, later than Rich would have liked (I will take only some of the blame). Ahem. We grabbed breakfast on the road (Burger King) during our drive to Atlanta, got to the airport with barely any time to spare, checked our luggage in, and caught our flight. The flight to Memphis was pleasant enough, although we were not impressed to discover that Northwest Airlines doesn’t give you in-flight snacks; we’d have to pay $1 for a teeny bag of trail mix. At least we got whole cans of soda instead of just half.

Once in Des Moines, we deplaned and waited by the luggage carousel for our luggage. And waited. And waited. Rich went to the luggage claim counter to complain and was told that, for some reason, our luggage was on the next flight. Since it was only 4PM at the time, we decided to take our rental car and head to a local movie theater and catch a showing of Over the Hedge (loved it!) and then head back to the airport in time to meet our luggage. Or so we thought. Upon arriving at the airport a little after 6PM, when our luggage was nowhere to be found, we were told that it hadn’t cleared TSA in time to make the later flight and they had no idea when it would arrive. If it arrived in Des Moines before 10PM, it would then have to be flown to Sioux City before being brought out to us at the family farm in Storm Lake. Our trip was off to a fantastic start.

We hopped back in our rental Kia and headed to Roland for a late dinner with the Schultz family. At least we had a good time there; we had fun catching up with Linda, Pete, Tom, Anna, and Dion over a delicious barbecue dinner. We said our goodbyes and then headed to Storm Lake. Of course, since I was driving this leg, a major thunderstorm hit. Nothing like driving across miles and miles of roads you don’t know in almost pitch-dark conditions with no visibility. Rich and I switched at some point and made it to the family farm a bit after midnight. As soon as we stepped out of the car, we were greeted by the fresh smells of cows and hogs, so I hauled ass to get into the house.

Rich’s aunt was still up to welcome us. We said our goodnights and headed to bed in the same clothes we’d been wearing for over 16 hours. After the day we’d had, we fell asleep immediately and slept like the dead the whole night.

Day 2 – Saturday
I woke up to the sound of Rich talking with Grandma and Grandpa Edwards. I joined them in the kitchen only to be informed that Rich had awoken to a voicemail on his cellphone left by the airport. Basically, the message said that our luggage had been delivered–it had been covered with a tarp and left in the breezeway. What breezeway?!? Rich and Grandpa Edwards had driven to every farm in the area only to come back empty-handed. At this point, I almost went into hysterics. Why? Because this was the first–and officially last–time that I’d packed my planner in my checked luggage. Every other time I’ve traveled and taken my planner with me, I’ve always kept it in my backpack so it was with me at all times. And now they’re telling me that our luggage is out there in God-knows-whose hands, including my planner with credit card numbers, our mortgage number, etc. Every identity theft nightmare scenario I’d ever heard in my life was going through my mind now. Grandma Edwards tried to reassure me, telling me how good and honest the locals were. She drove me back to her apartment so I could get online and hopefully find a number that led to an actual human Northwest representative. The three numbers Rich and I had led to automated responses, including one on the dedicated-representative line from which we’d received the call. Go figure.

In the midst of logging on to Northwest’s website, I found myself distracted by the fact that their URL is nwa.com. What popped into my mind, you ask? The 80s rap group, N.W.A. I could hear their slogan in my mind: “N.W.A. Airlines, getting you to your motherf***ing destination, on time, every f***ing time.”

I logged on and tried a couple of numbers I found listed with no luck. I then logged on to CitiCard’s website to cancel my first credit card (when I freak out, I go all the way). I had just logged into My Account when Rich called with the news that our luggage was accounted for. The courier called and said he didn’t know why we got that message, which it turns out he left in the first place. Our luggage was on its way now and should be arriving at the house after noon. After much rejoicing with Grandma Edwards, we headed back to the farm house for lunch and to await the arrival of our luggage. We had a delicious lunch (which midwesterners call dinner) with Rich’s aunt, uncle, grandparents, and cousins. As soon as we finished clearing the table, the courier arrived with our luggage. While I happily reunited with my planner, Rich went to take a shower. When he first turned the water on, the shower backed up. Turns out the farm had been experiencing some sewage problems of late. No problem, though. His aunt cleaned the tub up and Rich went on to a problem-free shower. Then it was my turn.

You know what’s coming now, don’t you?

As I was enjoying my shower and the sheer joy that comes with cleansing yourself after over a day without a proper bath or change of clothes, I noticed that the tub’s water level was getting higher. And cloudier. I then noticed something floating in the water. While trying to decide whether to scream for help or to just go ahead and vomit, I frantically rinsed the conditioner out of my hair. Which was no small feat seeing as how I was essentially trying to straddle the tub walls with my bare, wet feet. My only goal was to not stand in the water. I finished rinsing off and hopped out of the shower. I immediately ran to the vanity where I washed my feet in the sink. I finished dressing and went out to share my experience with Rich and his aunt. Rich and I then said our goodbyes as we were off to Grandma Lee’s apartment in Alta for the night.

The first thing I did at Grandma Lee’s apartment (after hugging her hello) was run to the shower where I once again scrubbed my feet. That made me feel better–and cleaner–so I could now go on with my day. Rich and I spent the day catching up with Grandma Lee. I went down for a nap late in the afternoon, during which they drove around Alta. Once they came back, they woke me up, and we headed to the nearby sports bar for dinner. After dinner, we enjoyed just sitting with Grandma Lee and talking. I also treated her to a slideshow of some of our photos that I had on the laptop.

Day 3 – Sunday
Sunday morning, we went to church with Grandma Lee. Grandma and Grandpa Edwards also attend the same Methodist church, so we all went to the local big family diner for lunch afterwards. By now, our food intake consisted of barbecue, fries, chicken fingers, onion rings, cheeseburgers, pork roast, more cheeseburgers, spaghetti, salad, desserts, and gallons of soda. Keep in mind this was all ingested between Friday night and Sunday afternoon.

We dropped Grandma Lee off at her apartment, gathered our bags, and headed to Grandma and Grandpa Edwards’ apartment. From there, we changed and headed to Kerry and Susan’s wedding reception at the farm, which was our main reason for the visit. While there, we caught up with more of Rich’s assorted cousins, aunts, and uncles. And ate like the piggies that we are; I had five slices of cake of three different cakes, including a cheesecake. I decided to check out the cows and see if I had better luck than my last visit, where I repelled them. No luck. I guess their hatred of me is now generations-old and bred into their bovine souls. The closer I got, the warier they got. They actually stopped eating to get away from me. Pattie Lee, human cow repellent (patent pending). Three and a half hours later, we headed back to the grandparents’ apartment. We then spent the remainder of the evening playing games before turning in for the night.

Day 4 – Monday
I awoke Monday morning to the smell of very burnt bacon. Seems Grandma Edwards had started making us breakfast and then got distracted talking to Rich. We said our goodbyes and headed to Grandma Lee’s apartment to say bye on our way out. Then it was on to Des Moines to meet up with Uncle Gary before catching our flight home. We met Gary at his condo and headed to a nearby Quizno’s, where we were joined by his son, Sean, and Sean’s friend. Rich and I enjoyed hearing about Gary and Sean’s Italian adventure last year. They went while Pete was there, so they had a built-in tour guide.

After lunch it was off to the airport. We wished our luggage good luck and boarded the plane. Our layover was in Memphis again, and we grabbed a barbecue dinner before catching our second plane to Atlanta.

I can’t tell you how relieved we were when our luggage appeared on the carousel at the Atlanta airport. Of course, this was tempered a bit by the fact that it was almost 10:30PM and we still had a three-and-a-half hour drive to Knoxville. The drive was uneventful, save for me having to police myself during my turns driving Rich’s car. We got home a bit before 2AM and were in bed and asleep before 2:15AM. And that was our trip to Iowa.

Song Lyric of the Day:

So show me something we haven’t heard yet

The Academy Is… / “Season”

4:35PM.
Happy 6/6/06. Or 666, if you prefer. Having been raised Catholic, you’d think I’d be into all this mumbo jumbo about today being the beginning of Armageddon, the end of the world, the start of the Christmas shopping season, whatever. But I don’t. It’s just a date and 666 is just a number. At least the people of Hell, Michigan, have the right attitude about how to deal with today’s date. And with literally being in Hell (Michigan, that is); they’ve obviously got a good collective sense of humor.

Me, I’d love it if I were from there:

“Where are you from?”

“Hell.“

4:47PM.
I forgot to give a big shout out to Sanjay. While I’ve enjoyed the blog comments/compliments from Samantha and Shawn, Sanjay really made my day with his comment that I still look like I did in college. He’s my peeps.

10:36PM.
Our friend Ernie sent Rich some cartoons that he drew. In honor of the 666-ishness of today, here’s one of them.And now you know why we’re friends.

Song Lyric of the Day:

Sometimes you’re up / Sometimes you’re down / It’s just a ride, it’s just a ride / Don’t be scared / Don’t hide your eyes / It may feel so real inside / But don’t forget it’s just a ride

Jem / “Just a Ride”

9:22PM.
Vanessa requested a pic of my new hairdo, so here it is. The pic on the right is from the day my Aunt Bea got married so you can see how much length I had cut off.

On a serious note, today is the 25th anniversary of the first reported case of AIDS. Since then, 25 million people have died of the disease while another 40 million have became infected. Today the highest rate of new infection is among women, teenagers, and people over 50; this ceased being a “gay disease” long ago. New, stronger medications can keep HIV-positive people from developing AIDS for a very long time and living a productive, relatively healthy life. But while there are great advances in the treatment of HIV, we still have a long way to go to decrease the rate of new infections. Sex education needs to be taught in school; President Bush’s abstinence-only programs are ineffective–kids are going to have sex no matter how many times or ways we tell them not to. We need to teach them that if they are going to have sex, they need to protect themselves not only against pregnancy, but from sexually transmitted diseases, as well.

I don’t mean to get up on my soapbox about this, but this is too important an issue to not acknowledge. I hope all of you acknowledge it, too.

Song Lyric of the Day:

I am not your expectations no no / I am not my hair / I am not this skin / I am a soul that lives within

India.Arie / “I Am Not My Hair”

10:52PM.
I’m pooped; I stayed at Mom and Dad’s house last night to take care of their dogs while they visited Vanessa and Ken in Clarksville. That’s not why I’m pooped, though. I’m pooped because Samantha came over to spend the night and we stayed up until 3:30AM watching horror movies. We started out with 28 Days Later, followed by Friday the 13th (old school, as Sam says), and rounded out with the craptacular Happy Hell Night. Samantha admitted it was so bad she had to stay awake just to see how it ended. I’m impressed we managed to watch three whole movies; we usually crap out after two. Turns out an Ed Wood-quality movie is what it takes to get us to three.

I started out yesterday by getting my hair cut at Ross the Boss; my boss’s daughter works there and I had her lop off most of my hair. My hair was almost down to the middle of my back and now it’s barely shoulder-length; it feels great. I also let her give me long layers, so now I’ve got a lot more curl to my hair, which is normally just wavy since I always have it longer. Now I can stop going through conditioner like there’s no tomorrow.

Rich is also very fond of my new do. He commented on how lately he’s noticed that I’m dressing and primping much more than I used to–that I’m becoming more girly. He’s right–I have a job now where I can dress up or dress down, so when I dress up, I try to be as fashionable as I can. I’m painting my nails (even my toenails) and have even worn makeup a couple of days. Granted, one day it was to conceal the horrific dark circles under my eyes thanks to a sleepless night. I also wear high heels more than I ever have; since I’m 5’8″, I end up towering over most of my female coworkers. I’m definitely having fun playing dress up, though. It certainly makes me feel more grown up, too.

Speaking of playing dress up, I was Samantha’s model at David’s Bridal this afternoon. She had me try on a few different bridesmaid’s dresses. Since I’m the next best thing to seeing it on the hanger (ha ha), we got a pretty good idea of how the other bridesmaids would look in the different styles I tried on. We’ve got it narrowed down to three dresses now, so we’re making progress. Whichever we end up choosing, at least the styles are so contemporary that the dresses can be worn again for different social occasions, like Vanessa’s bridesmaid’s dress. Now I just need to be sure to get nice and tan before the wedding in October in case Sam chooses to go with this beautiful yellow color that she loves. In my current pale state, the yellow makes me look like a top candidate for a liver transplant. Seriously. I really am that pale right now.

Song Lyric of the Day:

He’s the one they call Dr. Feelgood / He’s the one that makes ya feel all right

Mötley Crüe / “Dr. Feelgood”

11:21PM.
I think my beloved, almost seven-year-old Sony Vaio is about done. Which means I really need to step up my credit card payoff plan so I can get my dream Mac. I almost have the trusty old Vaio here fully charged (after 4 days of trying; 68% and counting!), so I’ll be able to add some more pics to my first NYC recap post as well as finish my second NYC post recap. I’ll also be adding and removing links on my blog lists.

The past week’s been pretty good. Work is still going really well, and I’m having fun on my frequent lunch dates with Camille, Kelley, Susan, and Ralph, among others. Thanks to a thunderstorm this afternoon, the office lost power and we all got to go home early. Low visibility, dead traffic lights, and standing water made the drive home superfun.

Last weekend was really busy socially thanks to the holiday. Friday night we hung out with the Wheeler clan; Saturday afternoon I hung out with Mom and Vanessa; Saturday night Rich and I saw X-Men: The Last Stand with Elaine, Dale, Sallie, and Dave; Sunday afternoon I saw X-Men: The Last Stand with Mom and Vanessa; and Sunday night I had dinner with the parents, Vanessa, Tamara, Brent, and Benjamin at El Mezcal Mexican Restaurant.

Obviously, I liked X-Men. I thought it was a really good ending to the series, and you can’t go wrong with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. I’m sorry, but he is wearing those muttonchops. Seriously. I now want a pet wolverine. A 6’3″, Australian-born wolverine. Rowr.

Anyhoo, I digress. Rich went on a camping trip Sunday night into Monday; once he got home I had to pull a couple of ticks off his back which he couldn’t reach himself. The wonders of marriage never cease. We then headed out to run some errands and found a great deal on a futon at American Signature Furniture, which we’ll be picking up tomorrow. The rearranging of the office loft will commence shortly thereafter.

The last couple of days, it appears that some of my best friends have up and joined the MySpace bandwagon. I know a coworker, Watson, has a page, so I asked him today what the appeal is. He basically told me that resistance is futile and I should just give in. So I’m thinking about it. If I ever cave in to the peer pressure, my trusty old blog here will still be my primary site; I would really only use MySpace to reconnect with some old friends from high school and college, a few of whom I found tonight. Time will tell.

Before I jump off here tonight, let me wish a happy 34th birthday to my Fantasy Second Husband©, Wentworth Miller. May all his birthday wishes come true.

And a special thanks to my actual fantasy husband, Rich, with whom I had a terrific date night tonight. In spite of a torrential downpour and a stalled car. He very conveniently changed my wallpaper from a Wentworth Miller photo to his own beautiful photo. My kudos to the photographer.Ah, what the hell. It’s Wentworth’s birthday. Here’s one more for the road.

*Wentworth Miller photos courtesy of the fansites Forever Wentworth and Wentworth Miller Fan.

Song Lyric of the Day:

Half of the time we’re gone but we don’t know where / And we don’t know where

Simon & Garfunkel / “Only Living Boy in New York”

9:49PM.
Exhaustion led me to have my mom’s cousin, Sixto, and my own godmother, Flora, kicked out early Saturday night. We’d been up since about 1AM and had a long day, and as tired as Samantha and I were, we weren’t going to be able to get any sleep with everyone yapping. So I got them tossed from Carmelita’s apartment.

Sunday morning, Mom, Samantha, Carmelita, and I all got ready for Aunt Bea’s wedding. Long story short, the car company Bea hired to take us to The Lobster Box on City Island never came, so we had to grab a cab instead and got there late. We still had a good time and enjoyed getting fed good food and meeting new people, though. My tablemates included the man who performed the ceremony, his wife, and her sister. We had a fantastically flamboyant server named–wait for it–Genesis. Seriously. He was, of course, totally faboo and a big flirt (“Oh, my gosh, you are so tall, I love it!”). More than anything, though, I was ecstatic to see my precious aunt so happy. I’m thrilled for her and Louis. It’s not easy finding someone who understands you completely, loves you no matter your faults, makes you laugh, treats you well, and makes you happy. Bea and Louis have managed to find that, and more, in each other. Here’s to a long, happy life for them.

After the wedding, we went back to Carmelita’s apartment, where Samantha and I changed and immediately headed back out to explore the city some more. I did not succeed in my mission to find some unique fabrics for Rich (for art backdrops), so we went back and watched the Desperate Housewives finale. Basically I watched it because I was too tired to do much of anything else.

Monday morning, a coworker of mine at Food Network graciously gave us a tour of their amazing offices; she knew I would be in town and had offered to show me around. Highlights of the tour included walking through the gigantic, industrial kitchen (alas, no food samples) and walking around the set of Guy’s Big Bite in the same studio where Emeril Live and Iron Chef America are filmed. After our tour, Mom, Carmelita, Samantha, and I walked around the rest of the building, during which time I hit Fat Witch Bakery to pick up some brownies for the gang at work. We then headed over to Times Square to look for somewhere to grab lunch. We were on a fairly tight schedule as we had to go back to the apartment, pick up our things, and head to the airport. I refused to eat at Sbarro’s (I wanted genuine New York pizza), so Mom and Carmelita ate while Samantha and I looked for souvenirs. The three of them headed back to the apartment so I could zip over to the garment district and hopefully find fabrics for Rich.

I ended up finding a pizzeria Rich and I ate at on our last trip and wolfed a slice down so quickly the owner kept sending furtive glances my way via the wall mirrors. I guess he hadn’t seen someone eat that quickly in a while. I then continued setting a landspeed record on my run/walk to the garment district. The second store I hit had fabrics I deemed backdrop-worthy, so I picked a couple up. Actually retaining a sense of direction, I decided to head to the big subway entrance at 42nd street, since that way I could grab the one train back to Carmelita’s and not have to worry about transferring. I’m flying past a building (yes, I was walking that quickly) when, lo and behold, who do I notice running lines against the wall? Cameron Mathison, aka Ryan Lavery on All My Children.

Me being me, I screeched to a halt:

“Excuse me? You’re Ryan Lavery on All My Children aren’t you?”

He looks up from the script. “Yes, I am.” Holy shit, his eyes are wayyyyyy bluer than they look on TV. Wedding band on. So not filming for AMC.

“Could I impose on you for a picture?”

“Sure, but I’m in the middle of this right now. Could you wait a few minutes?”

“Okay.”

I started fidgeting a bit, because I was starting to worry that I would be late getting back and I didn’t want to miss my flight home. I decided to say something.

“Excuse me. Do you have any idea how much longer? I don’t want to be a pest, but I’m kind of on my way to catch a flight.”

“Oh, okay. Less than five minutes. Is that okay?”

“Yep.”

Not even two minutes later, he breaks away from the script. I hand my camera to the production assistant with whom he was running lines, and Cameron Mathison(!!!) wraps his arm around my shoulders for a picture. I, in turn, wrap an arm around his waist and lean in close. I was in hog heaven–he was nice, beautiful, and tall. He’s quite tall in real life, about 6’2″.

“It’s Cameron Mathison, right?”

He smiled. “You can call me whatever you want.”

Click.

He squeezes my shoulder and shakes my hand. “Thanks so much for waiting.”

Beaming, I thank him for the photo and continue on my way to the subway. I call Mom just to tell her I met a celebrity, and that she’d never guess who–she’d just have to wait until I got back with the photographic evidence.

On the subway, I looked at my camera. My giddiness was tempered a bit when I realize the P.A. didn’t take a picture, he shot video instead. Well, at least I can watch it anytime I want.

I get back to the apartment and toss my camera to Samantha on my way to use the bathroom. A second later I hear Mom: “Son of a bitch! You met Cameron Mathison! I should’ve met him! You should’ve met Harrison Ford yesterday!”

Samantha was bummed, too: “Aw, man, I should’ve stayed with you!”

A few minutes and several video playbacks later, we gathered our stuff and headed outside to hail a cab for the airport.

The flight home was fine, but the drive just about finished me off. But we got home in one piece, which is all that matters.

I can’t wait for my next trip to New York. Who knows who I might meet then?

Song Lyric of the Day:

When you get caught between the moon and New York City / I know it’s crazy, but it’s true

Christopher Cross / “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”

10:00PM.
So my first day of the New York City trip started at 1:33AM; I was congested and woke up because I couldn’t breathe. Then a storm hit, and between the sinus problems, lightning, and thunder, I wasn’t getting back to sleep. I got out of bed at 2:30AM when my cell phone alarm went off, got ready, and joined Mom to wait for Samantha to arrive at the house. We were officially on our way at 3:15AM in a torrential rain. As expected, Samantha and I were particularly snappish as we are not morning people. Once in Atlanta, my handy Google Maps directions promptly got us lost in the downtown area. We stopped and got directions, got to the airport in time, and then drove around and around looking for parking. We made it into the terminal at 6:30AM for our 8:15AM flight. Once on board, I passed out. I slept wonderfully up until our not-so-perfect landing at LaGuardia; I swear to God, the plane bounced. Not one of my better landings.

We got to Carmelita’s apartment in the city around 11:15AM. Samantha and I promptly took off to explore, and ended up getting lost and going in circles thanks to Mom’s poor directions. Regardless, we ended up finding Caesar’s Pizza nearby and eating the largest slices of pizza we’d ever encountered. We then headed to the Lincoln Center area, where I bought my souvenirs at Virgin Records Mega Store: Happy Hell Night and the original When a Stranger Calls on DVD.

Then it was on to Times Square, where we encountered the Naked Cowboy. Sure, Mom and my godmother, Flora, ran into Harrison Ford at the same time across town, but Samantha and I got pictures. We have proof we met the Naked Cowboy. He hams it up with every woman who asks to be photographed with him, and I was no exception. He actually placed my hand on his ass cheek for the second picture. After our pictures were taken, he kissed me on the temple and said, “Thank you, sweetie. Be careful. There’s a lot of nutjobs out there.” What a charmer. As you can imagine, Rich was less than thrilled to see the pics. I’ve promised to find the Naked Cowgirl and have his picture taken with her so we can call it even.

After running through Times Square, Samantha and I moved on to 34th Str eet and browsed in Macy’s (sooooo overpriced). Union Square was up next, where a political protest and an art project seemed to be going on at the same time. We then made our way home, or so we thought. Turns out we didn’t transfer trains when we should have, so we ended up in Queens; it was lovely that time of day. Very blue sky.

Once back at Carmelita’s apartment, our cousin, Cuqui, her husband, Ralph, and their daughter, Bianca, came over. A few of us, Flora included, walked to a nearby Chinese restaurant and picked up dinner to take back to the apartment. After eating, it was all Samantha and I could do to stay awake after having run around all day (5.32 miles per the pedometer). By the time everyone left for the night, it took all of three minutes for me to get in bed and pass out. The better to refuel for day two.