You're Here... That's All I Need to Know

Caught Les Mis last night on TV.  *sigh* SO GOOD. Every time.



Sunday Stealing: Funky Twenty-Five Meme

1. Most unflattering hairstyle you ever had? What made it so unflattering?
Super short about 18 years ago. I dunno. Like most girls, I just have the sort of face that needs hair framing it.

2. Favorite movie(s) that were made in the 90's? 
Titanic, The Silence of the Lambs, The Matrix, The Truman Show, The Sixth Sense, Contact, Toy Story, Pretty Woman, Aladdin, There's Something About Mary, Groundhog Day, Ghost, Dogma, Shakespeare in Love, Meet Joe Black

3. Do you rent movies? If so, from where? 
Redbox

4. Do you like cookies better when they're just out of the oven or after they've cooled? 
Depends on the cookie. Chocolate chip are best warm.

5. Do you still talk to the person who gave you your first kiss? 
Nope. Frank and I lost track of each other in college. He probably lives in Staten Island now. That's where his family was from. Our families were close friends while we were in elementary and middle school.

6. Did you go to pre-school? If so, what was the name of it? 
Yep.  I don't remember the name, but it was in Kansas City.

7. How do you take your coffee? 
with a little milk and Equal

8. Do you like fuzzy things? 
I like furry things, but not fuzzy things.

9. Favorite kind of chocolate? 
Belgian milk chocolate, or Godiva.

10. Are you more optimistic or pessimistic? 
Optimistic

11. What about peopleofwalmart.com? Do you think the site is mean, funny, or both? 
Both

12. Do you like fat sandwiches? If so, what does your favorite one have on it? 
What the heck is a fat sandwich? I don't like any sandwich that doesn't fit into my mouth easily.

13. One restaurant you'd never been to but would like to go to? 
 Bess Bistro

14. Last time you got a haircut? Do you need one? 
A few months ago. I need one desperately!

15. What's your favorite pattern for clothing (stripes, plaid, etc.)? 
I don't like lines, so my faves are random patterns like flowers and paisleys.

16. What's your age backwards? 
84

17. When you see typos in a survey, do you correct them? 
Yes. :)

18. When was your last vacation? Did you go someplace special? 
Jeff and I stayed a couple of days in San Francisco.  It was so nice! Until the earthquake.

19. What's your favorite kind of pancakes? 
plain buttermilk

20. Do you like movies with computer graphics, like Avatar? 
Yes

21. Do you know how to sew? 
Only buttons and very basic stitches.

22. Are you good at wrapping gifts? 
I'm pretty good, yes.

23. Do you like flavored yogurt? 
I don't like any yogurt.

24. How old will you be in December of 2015? 
48

25. What's the age difference between you and your siblings? 
My half-brother is 2 years older than me.

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Sat9 on Sunday

Hee! Silver lining.

Saturday 9: Hawaii Five-O (1969)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This is the theme from the TV show that originally ran from 1968 to 1980 and is on now again with a new cast. Were you/are you a fan?
My parents watched the original and I always watched with them. I haven't seen the new one.

2) On both shows, Five-O is an elite police task force led by Det. Lt. Steve McGarrett. Who is your favorite TV cop?
Frank "Ponch" Poncherello, of course! It was the tight pants.

Ya' know,  two of my mom's three celebrity crushes were TV cops- Telly Savalas (Kojak) and Don Johnson (Sonny Crockett). (Her other crush- Tom Jones.)

3) On both shows, the part of Danny "Danno" Williams was played by a second generation performer. (James MacArthur was the son of Broadway legend Helen Hayes; Scott Caan is the son of movie actor James Caan.) If you followed one of your parents into their chosen profession, what would you be doing?
I would be designing simulation software and hardware for training of astronauts, surgeons, the armed forces and others.

4) Both shows are filmed in Hawaii, the boyhood home of President Obama. Have any of our 44 Presidents hailed from your state?
Lyndon Johnson, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush

5) Kona coffee is made from beans cultivated on the Big Island of Hawaii. Are you a big coffee drinker?
I used to be, but I have taken to black and herbal teas lately.

6) This week's song was written by the late Morton Stevens. In addition to composing for TV shows, he was the musical director for a group of entertainers known in the 60s as "The Rat Pack." Can you name any "Rat Pack" members?
Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra... There are more.

7) This week's featured band, The Ventures, began when Don Wilson purchased a used car from Bob Bogle. During negotiations, they discovered a shared passion for playing guitar. Did you buy your current ride new or used? Did the negotiations go smoothly?
New. It went great.

8) The year this song was popular, 1969, is when Donald and Doris Fisher opened a San Francisco clothing store called The Gap. Today there are more than 3,200 Gap locations. Do you shop at The Gap or gap.com?
I don't shop there regularly, but I've bought a couple of things at The Gap.

9) Random question: What's on your Saturday to-do list?
Sam's and a prescription pickup. We made it to Sam's yesterday, but we'll have to get to the script today. Slackers!

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Bruce Jenner Interview

I watched the Bruce Jenner interview mostly because I love Diane Sawyer I am as surprised as most people are that a man I had always thought of as extremely masculine has always felt he is a woman.

But seriously, I do also think Diane Sawyer rocks. And I want to be like her when I grow up.

I don't have any issue with anyone being or becoming who they are, barring of course any sort of lifestyle that puts the person or their loved ones or anyone else in harm's way. I think it's interesting to hear how they've dealt with the feelings they struggle with and how they made the decision to cope with their particular differences in the way they've coped with them.

My only question was why someone would go through all of this at 65, after having lived one's whole life as a man. He talked about that specifically, and I get it now. I had no idea he had tried to transition in the 80's and then stopped or that he has been cross-dressing and wishing to be the person he feels like inside behind the scenes for all these years. He talked about dying and the tragedy of having never lived his true life, and that makes all the sense in the world.

I also understand that the people around him are shocked, as much as the public are. It's funny to think about how much of a role gender plays in our lives. For most of us, it's just not something to which we give a single thought each day, yet when Bruce Jenner tells us he's really a woman, we realize how much of our perceptions of a person are actually attached to their gender.

So... shocked? Yes. Supportive? 100%. He will be a much needed voice for those suffering through gender identity issues.

There was show on on one evening this week, where a transgendered woman was estranged from her young adult daughter. The daughter was crying and said, "You told me I can't call you 'Dad' anymore."

The father said it would be weird for her to call her "Dad" in public, since the father was a woman now. She wanted the daughter to call her by her name instead. If the daughter had been okay with that, then fabulous, but it meant a lot to her to call her father "Dad." She felt her father had left her to live a completely new life without her. It was incredibly sad.

So I found it very heart-warming when Bruce said he wants his kids to keep calling him "Dad"! 

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"Phones"

When we are going to stop calling these pocket computers we carry around "phones"? They're probably most rarely used as voice communication devices.

Just sayin'!

So what should we call them?...

I've been up since 4:15, which is way too early for anyone to be up. Thank goodness for the OWN network. They're the only channel with actual shows on in the early morning hours. Otherwise, it's a parade of soul-draining infomercials. Overzealous salespeople pitching to a crowd of oddly overeager lemmings just creep me out.

There's a guy on this episode of Dateline I'm watching, whose name is Louie "The Hat."  I need a name like that.

So, since we're here and all... let's do a Friday Five. It's been a while!

Friday Five

1. When you were seventeen, how did you spend most of your Saturdays?
   Typically out with my friends and/or my boyfriend, at our houses, the mall, Spoons (our fave restaurant hangout), my neighborhood pool (where Shane, Doug and Evans were all lifeguards), the beach
2. What was your high school locker like?
   Relatively neat, a Duran Duran photo taped inside the door
3. When did you last have to replace a missing screw?
   I don't know that I've ever replaced a missing screw. Do they fall out that often? Isn't that the point of a screw- not to just fall out?
4. What was the last thing you drank out of a Thermos?
   Soup, but it's been a while.
5. Do you still possess anything you created in high school (say, an elephant lamp that lights up when you pull the trunk)?
   I didn't make anything like that in high school. I have all the poetry and songs I wrote, along with many of our school papers featuring my articles.

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Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone

...myyy heart would break...
 
So Monday was one of those days the folks at the office who weren't at the old company HATE.  One of the old peeps showed up for a visit! Woohoo!!

The Director of ClinOps when I was at the old place was in town from Boston. She was the best, back in the day. I mean, really stellar. She is an extraordinary leader and such a positive person. I can see her clear as day, exactly as she was in 1994.

When I approached her to say hello, she didn't instantly recognize me. Of course, it's been 21 years and I was also 9 months pregnant the last time we were together, so... there's that. To be honest, I wouldn't have recognized her right away either.

I started to reach out to just shake her hand, since she wasn't quite sure if she knew me or not, but then there was that super-awesome, light bulb recognition moment and she grinned and opened her arms to give me a big hug. So great!! 

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S - A! T - U - R! D - A - Y! Night!

Workplace quote of the week, from Crystal--

*sniffing the air* "It smells like... rancid bitch."

Yikes! LOL

I had all my Data Ops gal pals over to watch Bridesmaids last night. We had dinner at The Park first (fantastic place- yummy Sangria Fizz, too). We were originally sat outside on the big patio, where it turned out there were smokers. Two of our group are pregnant, so we asked to move. They moved us to the other patio. Then they moved us to another table to create a 25-top. Then they realized that group had booked a private party, so they moved us inside. Talk about musical chairs!


Saturday 9: Neon Lights (2013)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Think of a neon sign you pass by often. What does it say?
"Open". It's in the window of the Milano Cafe on Southwest Parkway.

2) In the video for this song, Demi Lovato spends a great deal of time in the water. When is the last time you swam?
last fall in Kathy's gorgeous pool

3) The song encourages us to "look up at the sky." OK, we will. How does the sky look where you are today?
It was cloudy this morning, but sunny all afternoon. Blue sky with fluffy white clouds.

4) Demi is a contributing editor for Seventeen magazine. When she was in junior high school, Crazy Sam eagerly awaited each new issue of Seventeen. When you were younger, what magazine(s) did you read regularly?
Seventeen. Is there any other?!

5) Demi is an investor in the company that makes Texas Tea, a bottled beverage available at Whole Foods. Do you have any tea in your kitchen right now?
I have Louziane decaf unsweetened tea in my fridge and various individual teabags in my pantry.

6) Demi is currently on tour, performing halfway around the world in Australia and New Zealand. Have you ever had a job that required travel?
Both my jobs in clinical research have required travel.

7) Demi had a recurring role on the show Glee. That show's series finale aired last month. Is there a show that's no longer on that you miss?
Will and Grace

8) Fast-growing fast food chain Chipotle reports that their top sellers include a burrito bowl with steak or chicken, salad with chili-corn salsa, and a soft taco. Which of these would you order?
I always order a steak burrito bowl with sauteed peppers and onions, mild salsa, guac and a little sour cream and cheese.

9) What beverage would you like to enjoy with your burrito bowl, taco or salad?
unsweet tea with a smidge of sweet tea

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DANCE BREAK!

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Bethenny's Back!

Can I just say how thrilled I am that Bethenny is back on Real Housewives of NYC?! She has always been the most "real" woman in the entire franchise. She's smart, honest, successful, interesting and absolutely hilarious and watching her is like watching an episode of Gilmore Girls, where the one-liners are coming so fast that you have to rewind to catch them all. And Gilmore Girls was a scripted show! Bethenny is coming up with these gems on the fly. Very entertaining.

C and I were both officially promoted this week! I had already found out about both promotions from my European travel buddy, but each of us managed to look surprised when our bosses gave us the news.

We'd like to thank the Academy...


Saturday 9: Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (1970)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song asks, "Does anybody really care about time?" How about you? Do you pride yourself on being punctual? Or don't you really care?
I do pride myself on being punctual. :)

2) The lyrics refer to a stranger asking the time. When is the last time you conversed with someone you didn't really know? What did you two talk about?
I talked to a guy in my work parking garage about the construction traffic at the building next door.

3) According to the Top 40 tracker Tunecaster, this song knocked Tony Orlando and Dawn's "Knock Three Times" out of the #1 spot on the charts in January 1971. Are you familiar with "Knock Three Times?"
...on the ceiling if you want me. Twice on the pipe, if the answer is nooo-oooo-ooooo...

4) Chicago is not only the name of the group but also of the midwest's largest city. Chicago is the proud hometown of such luminaries as Bill Murray, Michelle Obama and Derrick Rose. Does your town have any favorite sons or daughters?
Matthew McConaughey, Richard Linklater, Andy Roddick, Willie Nelson, Drew Brees, Michael Dell

5) The group Chicago was originally known as The Chicago Transit Authority, after the city's public transportation system. When is the last time you were on a bus or a train?
Leslie and I took the train in London in December.

6) Four of the original seven bandmembers are still with the group … after 48 years! What's the longest you stayed at the same job?
Three years.

7) Lead singer Rob Lamm confessed that, at times, being in a band has been hard for him because he is by nature a loner. How about you? Are you more introverted or extroverted?
More introverted.

8) This summer, Chicago will be touring with Earth, Wind and Fire. Have you seen/will you attend any concerts in 2015?
Gosh, I hope so! I haven't been to any in a while. Maybe I'll see Kelly Clarkson with Pentatonix. Wish SO much I could get to Houston to see Bette Midler.

9) Random question: What's the last mess you cleaned up?
A Kiptyn hairball. Always a joy. He is a gorgeous cat, but that long hair sure is a pain in the butt.

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Tuesday

This post is called Tuesday, because I am all out of creativity for the day!

I hate when "I Still Get Jealous" gets stuck in my head. In the song, he says, It’s not your fault that they hover, I mean no disrespect but he also says, I don’t like the way he’s looking at you,
I’m starting to think you want him too. So which is it? It's not her fault or you think she's flirting with these guys?

Egads. I'm analyzing the lyrics of a Nick Jonas song.

Kathy told me this weekend that her department at work is disappearing in a sudden and almost comedic playing out of events. She just accepted a new position within her company. One of her colleagues has an internal offer as well. The other two product managers had been interviewing for a while.

She went to lunch with her boss to discuss her transitioning out. He told her he knew about the other girl possibly taking an internal offer and that he suspected that one of the others was interviewing. She told him there has been a lot of discontent in the group recently. He was surprised and disappointed and quite worried about the department and his own job.

As soon as they got back to the office, one of the remaining guys pulled Kathy aside to tell her he had just accept a job offer.

(She told me, "He took a job with a rival company, which is so great, because he's a huge gun enthusiast!" I was relieved when I figured out she had said RIFLE company.)

So that left the one last guy.

The very next day, that guy got a job with another company. No joke. When he told their boss, Kathy suggested the five of them should all go out to lunch. So they did. The four coworkers told the boss they will help him find a new job. Big drama!

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Where is My Phone???!!

After work yesterday afternoon, I brought a magazine, my phone and a drink outside onto my back porch to enjoy the absolutely beautiful weather. Crystal called me and after we had been talking for a little while, she asked me a question and I wanted to look something up on my phone.

I looked all over for it.

(Yes, the phone.)

She kept telling this story and I looked around until I became slightly panicked, because I KNEW I had brought my phone out there.

(Good. Grief. Seriously?)

When I realized what was happening, I just started laughing.

Me: I was just freaking out because I couldn't find my phone!!
Crystal: Your land line?
Me: No! My cell phone. The one I'm using to talk to you. It's in my hand!

*silence*

Crystal: Ahh. I'm just glad I could be a part of that.

LOL

Hoping to get out and see some wildflowers this weekend. The weather will need to cooperate!

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Friends in Low Places

My numero uno, all-time BOMB-DIGGITY FAVE PIANO BAR SINGALONG SONG sung by F'in' Timberlake and Garth Brooks a few months ago in Nashville.

I just saw it today.

So! Fun!

Everybody sing-----

Blame it all on my roots
I showed up in boots
And ruined your black tie affair...

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