Plumbers

Good Morning America on ABC called Joe the Plumber the most famous plumber in America. But I disagree.....








... nuff said.

Survivor: Gabwned

The new season of survivor started a few weeks ago, and as usual the Survivor pool has begun again. Here's the line-up:

Pickett
Charlie
Crystal
Randy

Bag
Marcus
Matty
Kelly

Alia
Ace
Sugar
Susie

Doug
Jacquie
Bob
Dan

Moon
Corinne
GC
Kenny

The coolest part of the picks this year is they lined up perfectly with the tribes switching up right after we made them. So in a season where I already feel it's anyone's game, it made the picks even that much harder to choose well. I'm really happy with my team. I think that Charlie is in the lead right now as most likely to win, but I've got my dark horse Randy in there who I think will do very well (despite being picked 2nd to last) and Crystal, who will probaby get far although she probably won't win (unless all hell breaks loose again).

The second-best picks I think go to Bag. He's got Marcus who I think is really strong and Matty, who looks like he's in better shape now with a tribal mix-up than he was before. Kelly is about as useless as they come, but with two other strong picks, Bag will probably get far in this pool.

Alia I think is the third strongest. Sugar has the immunity idol, which is a huge boost, and I think she's playing the game well besides. Ace is pretty indispensible right now, so I think he'll get further than he would have without the mix-up. Alia got stuck with Susie as the last person picked, but I still think that she is a better option than Kelly and GC, so it could've been worse!

Doug has probably been the most rocked by the tribes mixing up. His number 1 pick was booted the very next episode basically because she was playing the game too well and her new tribe saw her as a threat. His 2 other guys Bob and Dan are both average players, and I think one or both of them will make the jury, but it's unlikely that they will crack the top 4. They don't have the alliances going their way.

Moon I think has the worst team. Corinne is an okay pick, but I think one episode depicted her as being a bigger player in the game than she will end up being. Moon picking GC in the second round was probably the worst move I've seen in the draft, although he did pick Eric "stupidest survivor ever" last season, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.


The prize this season? Probably a dinner paid for by all the losers, but more importantly, the winner will break the current 5-way tie we have going. Everyone in this pool has one once: I won with Danni in Guatemala, Moon won with Yul in the race v. race Survivor, Bag won with Parvati in fans v. faves, Doug won with Earl in Fiji, and Alia won with Todd in China.

To infinity... and beyond!

I read in the news today that NASA has written up a plan to prepare our astronauts for a trip to Mars. It's one of those moments that I've always dreamed of, but never really could say for sure if I'd get to see happen. This is of couse some REALLY long-term planning. They first want to test the astronauts' voyage through simulations aboard the International Space Station and the Moon (our pretend Mars), which would probably last somewhere between 2-3 years. If that goes well, then they'd begin to put together plans for a real trip to the Great Beyond.

As an avid SciFi fan, I've read and watched about a hundred different writers' visions for what our lives would be like if we lived on different planets in the future. It's one of the final frontiers so the imagination can run wild with what might be out there. To think that these dreams may some day be a reality would be so amazing.

At this point I think that for sure I'll be around to see the first (wo)man walk on Mars. (Barring an untimely death on my part, or the Apocalypse.) And by the end of my life, I think I could even see people living on Mars, creating a new civilization, even. That would truly be remarkable. It's beyond words how I would feel if that happened.

With everything that's happening right now, I can't help but think back to the 50s and 60s, when the Cold War was icily raging, and everyone was living with a slightly nervous edge, or maybe even full-fledged fear. And then JFK turned that fear into competition and excitement when he turned the goal of the Cold War from potentially another world war into a race to the Moon. I think that's exactly the sort of thing we need now. Our economy's in a rut, our country is involved in a war that most people don't even want us to be in, gas prices are skyrocketing, and our politicians keep talking about how terrorists are out to get us so they're going to take away more of our freedoms. What we really need is a distraction from how crappy life is right now. And I think that distraction should be Mars.

Now that's cold...

Just read that Lane Kiffin was fired from the Raiders. Everyone was saying it was inevitable, not a surprise, etc. What I do find surprising is this little tidbit I read on ESPN:

"ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that according to sources, Kiffin was fired via the telephone and without pay....Linehan [the Rams coach who got fired] was allowed to speak briefly with his players on Monday. Kiffin will not be afforded the same opportunity, a source said."

It seems to me if the Raiders are looking to hire a new, good, strong applicant for the position, they should set a good example by treating the former coach with a little more respect than that. The more I see the way the Raiders franchise is run, the more I don't like that team. They're impatient, unsympathetic and most of all mean. The way it's looking now, I'm guessing they only way they'll get anyone good is by throwing a LOT of money into it.

Life and Politics

Okay, so I actually wrote this a while ago, but completely forgot to post it. So I'm sorry if you no longer care but I'm gonna post it anyways.....



I couldn't stop laughing when I heard that Palin's 17-year-old daughter was knocked-up out of wedlock and the response of several people was that it wasn't Palin's fault. After all, no one can control a 17-year-old.


Excuse me?

I'm not sure how that could possibly be considered a good response. I'm not a fan of the word "control" myself, particularly when discussing another human being, but I'm hearing the gist of the message and couldn't disagree more.


Sure, you can't "control" your daughter, but you'd at least hope that in the 17 years prior to the pregnancy both parents would have had some influence over what their daughter's standards and ethics are going to be. Even if by 17 parents don't think they have any influence over their child's decisions, they really should.

I'm not saying that pregnant at 17 is the worst thing in the world, or is in some way "unethical." But I'm pretty sure that the people who are saying that it's not Palin's fault think so.

Anyways, I think one of the most interesting things about this whole scenario is the way politicians handle other politicians' children. It's generally accepted to be a topic that they don't mess with. In a profession where everything tends to be criticized and put under the microscope I find this a nice standard for them to have. At least politics has some boundaries, right? But when I hear people say that this teenage pregnancy news shouldn't even be discussed since it's about Palin's personal life, I start to get upset. After all, it was the Republicans who brought it up in the first place. And it has a very real impact on Palin's message and image.

Palin believes that sex ed in high schools should be limited teaching them only about abstinence. I'm assuming that this was her message in the home as well. And we know what a success that ended up being. Shouldn't this be very real proof that this tactic does not work? And as a woman who has tried to deliver that message and failed, she should say, "Listen, it's a nice idea in theory, I know, but in reality it just isn't effective. So let's move on to something that might actually work." But it appears that she's going to stick to her guns, even though the guns have no bullets. And I can only believe that this sort of behavior would continue, if she became VP.

Feelin' fine....

George RR Martin will be in Denver starting tomorrow, at Denvention 3, a sci-fi/fantasy convention. I want to go for the following reasons:

1. Owning an autographed copy of one of his books would be awesome,
2. This is probably the only time ever that GRRM will be within an hour's reach of me
3. It'd be fun to see the kinds of crazies that go to these sorts of things, and
4. It might be fun.

The following reasons are why I don't want to go:

1. I'd be going to something called "Denvention" which disturbs me to the core,
2. Denver is far away (relatively speaking) and I don't like going there,
3. If I go to see the crazies at the convention, and I'm at the convention, that makes me a crazy by association,
4. I doubt anyone else would want to go with me, and
5. It might be no fun at all.


On an unrelated note, here's the premiere schedule for a bunch of shows I'm excited about. I'm listing them here because I just spent the last 20 minutes at work slacking off and needed something to distract me:

- Entourage starts September 7th
- Survivor: Gabon airs September 17th
- The Office season 5 premieres on September 25th

- Dexter season 3 starts on September 30th, so our cat will actually get to see his namesake soon

Guster

I'm sitting at my desk and rocking out to all the Guster that I put on my iPod. I haven't really listened to them since college and I realize now how cool they are. They'd probably be on my top 10 favorite bands if such a list existed. If you haven't heard them before I strongly recommend that you download some. Particularly "Demons."

Can't say much more since I gotta get back to work!

Wedding themes?

One of the first questions (after when is the wedding) tends to be "have you picked your colors yet?" Taken out of context, this question makes almost no sense. But in true wedding tradition, most couples have colors matched through their whole wedding. From the invitations to the website down to the napkins at the reception the colors are the same. Some people even pick a theme for their wedding. The more extreme versions of this include Star Wars themed weddings or medieval renaissance weddings. More likely though the theme would be winter, fall, waterlilies... you get the idea.

The question I now pose to you, faithful reader, (okay, I stole that from Stephen King but I always love it because it feels like he's talking directly to me. What a nice guy!) is what do you think our wedding theme should be?

Bridezillas

I've started watching "Bridezillas" on WE.

There. Admitting it is supposed to be the first step to recovery, right?

I first put it on because I figured that it was about brides and I'm going to be a bride so it could serve as a warning system for me. If I found myself doing any of the things that I saw these women doing on the show then I'd know I'd gone too far.

But after watching only 2 episodes I know that I will never go that far. This show is like the Real World, except it's so much worse because these brides are doing horrible things to their families and friends, not to strangers they've just met. One instance that comes to mind is when the woman stabs her husband-to-be in the head with a pair of scissors (it was a glancing blow and he was not injured), and then makes HIM apologize to HER for upsetting her so much that she was forced to attack him. If this wasn't a wedding show it would be a Cops episode where the mustached heroes arrive at their house to arrest the woman for domestic abuse.

In an interview with a bridesmaid (for a different bride) she tells the camera that this bride is a Bridezilla 365 because "she's been a bitch her whole life. Or at least since she was 10 when I met her." Which begs the question, why is she her friend?

It's a surprisingly entertaining show. I like seeing how far these women can push the limits and marvel at how much everyone else lets themselves be treated like shit. It's the sort of show I like to watch because it reminds me of how good my own life is. The only thing I don't like about it (besides it being trash in general) is that the narrator has this chirpy little voice that implies with every upbeat syllable that while she knows what these brides are doing is unreasonable, it's okay because it's their wedding day, and we can cut them a little slack, right?

Wrong. I don't care if a person is at a wedding, is drunk at a party, whatever. It should never be acceptable for someone to treat her friends like servants, her family like a bottomless ATM, and her fiancé-- the man she's supposed to be spending the rest of her "happy" life with-- like a puppy she can kick and yell at when there's no one else around to take her abuse.

But in the end I don't feel too bad for these guys. After all, they had to know what these women were like before the wedding and actually liked that bitchy attitude. If they didn't, they probably wouldn't have gotten engaged in the first place, and if by some chance they didn't beforehand, they definitely wouldn't have gone through with the wedding once they saw the Monster come out of its cage during the wedding planning! It's what I like to call the Mel Gibson situation. Maybe it takes a lot of booze or a wedding to bring to the surface the absolute worst in a person, but that nasty aspect of that person has always been there. And the men who are marrying them are attracted to the Monster just as much as the woman.

"When I say Rip, you say Ers"

Our softball team has played 6 games so far and while our record is a paltry 2-4, after last night's game I have reason to believe that this team could be a contender in the play-offs.

Our first game was what some people might call a disaster. We didn't know the rules (two different sized balls threw a lot of people off), our team was disorganized, our hitting was a disappointment, and our pitchers had been practicing at a distance probably a good 10 feet closer to the plate than what it turned out to be. We lost against a team that today we probably would beat.

Since then though, we've grown. Our batting has shown significant improvement, and our pitching is very good-- bordering on excellent. Most important to me, in this last game we made much better decisions than we have in the past. We held the ball instead of throwing it away, and when there were overthrows or misses people were there backing each other up. I think we listened to each other better than we have before.

Our batting was surprisingly poor this game considering how good it's been lately. This is mostly due to low pitching that the ump accepted as strikes, but besides that I think it was one of the best games we've played. It ended up going into extra-inning-overtime, where each batter only gets one pitch. If it's a ball they walk, if it's a strike or hit foul they're out. We really stepped it up and got 5 runs out of them and then played some solid D to hold them for the win.

It was suspenseful and exciting and so much fun. We even had fans-- the Boulderite parents showed up in force to cheer us on. I hope that the rest of our games can be as fun as this one.

We have a make-up game this Sunday: Stazio field 6 at 5:00pm against Intela, a team with a record similar to ours. Should be a good game. If you're around I hope I see you there!

Lessons from the Affianced

Zazu: Oh, just look at you two. Little seeds of romance blossoming in the savannah. Your parents will be thrilled, what with your being betrothed and all.
Simba: Be-what?
Zazu: Betrothed. Intended. Affianced.
Nala: Meaning...?
Zazu: One day, you two are going to be married!
Simba: Yuck.



It's been exactly one month since Ben and I got engaged. (If you didn't already know that well...sorry for not telling you. But better late than never, eh?) We knew each other for somewhere between 1-2 months just as friends. Then we dated for 6 years and one month (and 4 days, but who's really counting?). Now we've been engaged for 31 days, and while most of the time things feel pretty much the same, here are a few lessons I've learned already about the differences between "just dating" and "on the road to marriage."


1. The ring, holy crap, the ring!

I've never been big into jewelry, and when I say that I mean that a) my ears aren't pierced and I never wear anklets or bracelets, b) the only necklace I ever wear is a silver chain given to me by Ben, and c) I grew up playing sports, piano, and doing any number of other things that taught me that wearing jewelry will only hurt me in the end (and keep your fingernails trimmed at all times). But man I love this ring. I never knew that I could like a piece of jewelry as much as I do. Point C is still valid-- I've already made myself bleed at least twice that I can remember from this thing-- but the pain is worth it. The ring is gorgeous and every time I look at it I think about what it represents it only makes me happier.


2. There are a lot of ugly wedding dresses out there

Not only are they ugly, but someone out there must actually think they're pretty, otherwise they wouldn't be on the market in the first place. That bothers me.


3. I freak out more easily and more often now

I have two wedding books-- compliments of my mother-- that I am reading right now and coming to grips with the massive task ahead puts me more than a little on edge. One book said (paraphrasing here): "this is the most elaborate, biggest ritual/gathering you will ever host" which, when I think of it that way, is pretty overwhelming. I think my stress level is a notch higher on average than it was two months ago and I expect it will stay that way for the next year or so. But Ben's been a big help in keeping that stress level only one notch higher, rather than 4 or 5!


4. It's not "me and my boyfriend" anymore, it's "We"

Being a united front is key. It took me maybe 30 minutes to figure that one out. It's not something "I" was thinking about, it's something "We" were considering. I think the reason people go through engagements is to practice for raising kids. This is the precursor to the whole parenting technique of agreeing with your partner's decision whether or not you agree with them and then debating it later in private.

Howdy, Duty

About a month ago I got a letter in the mail that made my stomach roil. "Jury Duty" was stamped in clear bold red letters across the front. Ben tells me he's jealous, he's never been called and wants to see what it's like. But I've already been called twice before when I lived in NC and I knew it was no picnic. My experiences in NC involved angry government employees, dirty rooms in hard-to-find downtown administrative buildings.

This time however, was a pleasant surprise. Boulder's Justice Center is located on 6th and Canyon, pretty close to the library, the Boulder creek, and a lovely park is right next door. Parking is free right across the street, and signs are up everywhere so getting there was simple. The building itself is actually really nice too. Windows are everywhere, and if the outside looks a little outdated, they make up for it by providing a very soothing decor inside. I entered and a posse of mustached cops greeted me at the front entrance, waiting to tackle any ne'er-do-wells. They were really polite, directed me to where I needed to go, and told me to have a nice day.

When I got to the jury assembly room a nice lady took my forms and I read a book until they started a hokey video whose message was that being a juror really isn't all that bad. The cast of characters included a white-haired, wise but stern-looking judge, male and white. There were a few women, clerks and baliffs, all white, and then a big, bald and burly black man who played the "law enforcement officer" over the proceedings. Certainly stereotyped, but I found it highly amusing (my standards for amusement are low at 8:30 in the morning). The crazy part though, is that the message got through to me. By the time the video finished I was really excited about being a juror. For the first time ever I wanted to get picked for the jury! Let me do my duty, I want to do my part to keep this country running strong.

The video ended and the woman announced that the defendant had a medical emergency so the trial would not be happening. We were all dismissed. We didn't have to return tomorrow, and our duty had been complete. We wouldn't get summoned for at least another two years.

I walked out of the building feeling really disappointed. Not only had I not done my duty, but I wouldn't be allowed to participate again for two whole years! I started wondering if jury duty was the kind of thing you could volunteer for, before quickly realizing that would be a bad system and not really democratic at all.

It was the first time that doing my civic duty wasn't something that I just had to do, it was something that I wanted to do. Our country doesn't ask much of us, really. We pay her taxes, we obey her laws... mostly... and every once in a while we have to go to a justice center, and help enforce those laws. In exchange we get to live the easy life of a nation that has power, wealth, food, shelter, and all that other good stuff. But I think a lot of Americans are apathetic about their country and the kind of work it takes to make it so good. Maybe what this country needs is to demand more from its citizens. Maybe we should be required to do more for our own country and fellow countrywomen and countrymen so that we realize just how much work it takes to be successful.

This is just a random musing that I haven't thought through at all, but maybe all citizens should be required to do a year of duty in a civil group, something like Americorps. After high school perhaps. Everyone who did it would get paid by the government and work with their community to make where they live an even better place. Or they could travel to other states and help there. I think it could bring this nation together, and eliminate so much of the apathy that has a strangle-hold on our country. People would realize that they can make a difference, and maybe if our people help each other, then we could reach out and help the rest of the world too.

Eating my Words

I saw Across the Universe about a week ago and afterwards I said that I didn't care for it very much. I thought of it as a stoner flick... and I'm partly right. For those of you that don't know, Across the Universe a rock musical movie based entirely on the Beatles' songs. The writers took about 30 of their songs and strung them together (with some dialogue between them) to give it a plot. The plot therefore, has a lot of holes in it that bugged me to no end. They would often sing a song that seemed to have nothing to do with the movie at all, they just wanted another song in there. And halfway through the movie all the characters get into a bus and tour the country getting high on an assortment of drugs. In the middle of the drug tour there's a weird circus scene that I still don't come anywhere close to understanding.

But it's been a week since I've seen the movie and I can't get it out of my head. The songs stuck with me in a way that I never expected. I find myself singing them in my head when I'm at work, and I spent all of last week reading about the movie trivia on Imdb and then Wikipediaing The Beatles, several individual Beatles songs, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Charles Manson (because of references to them in the movie... okay so not Manson, but I was curious!). Last Thursday, I did what any person who wants to get these songs out of their head would do. I downloaded the entire Across the Universe album. Then I downloaded the original Beatles' versions and listened to all of them for probably a good four hours. I thought if I overdosed on it then maybe I'd finally get over it and they'd go away. But it didn't help. Then I found myself criticizing myself for not liking the movie enough in the first place. Why didn't I get it the first time? So this weekend, I bought the movie. I decided that if I didn't get it the first time I could at least give myself the opportunity to better appreciate it the second and maybe third time I watch it.What changed my mind about this movie? I realized that it wasn't meant to be a movie with a great storyline that is particularly coherent. It's supposed to be a reflection on life in the 60s, and more specifically an homage to the Beatles. What's really cool about it though is that they use classic songs but they twist the meaning into something that is often completely different from the original meaning. Which makes for an interesting mind-fuck because suddenly you're thinking not only about what the song means to the movie, but also what the original song was supposed to mean in the first place.

Across the Universe will never be my favorite movie, but I've learned to appreciate it for what it is. I recommend it to others too, keeping in mind that the plot should be taken with a grain of salt. But beware of the potential risks and side effects, mentioned above.

Favorite character: Max
Favorite song based on the twist of meaning: I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Favorite song based on song: I Want to Hold Your Hand

Jaded

I was in a meeting this morning where several random facts were revealed by various co-workers that were basically helpful little life tips. Things like how to keep your computer healthy, and which vacuum cleaners are the best (the robot ones that automatically clean your floor). At the end of the meeting someone said, "before we go, does anyone else have any words of wisdom to share?" and the only thing I could think to say was "there's no sex in the champagne room." Thank you Chris Rock.

ASOIAF Casting: Part X

In King’s Landing:

Varys: Philip Seymour Hoffman
Littlefinger: Edward Norton

Grand Maester Pycelle: Ian Holm
Barristan the Bold: Sean Connery
Gendry: Logan Lerman
Jaqen Ha’gar: Billy Crudup
Thoros of Myr: Ken Watanabe
Beric Dondarrion: David Wenham
Syrio Forel: Ben Kingsley

Rhaegar Targaryan: Jude Law
Mad King Aerys: Christopher Lee

Top Things making me Happy right now

8. Someone at work called me a genius

7. I played Catan for the first time in months and almost won

6. Summer is just around the corner

5. The promise of volleyball

4. Dexter

3. Softball!

2. I bowled a 200 on Monday - my best score ever

1. For our anniversary Ben got me a trip to my favorite place with my favorite person

Goodbye sweet Coke!

Since before I can remember I've always had a Coke for lunch. Maybe not in elementary school, when my parents probably gave me juice boxes, but definitely in middle school and beyond. It was the same every day for 7th through 12th grade: a can of coke (with a straw... I've had that habit since childhood), turkey sandwich, pretzels, and 2 Milano cookies. And since I've been regularly employeed, the sandwich has changed, but the soda remains the same... only it's Diet now.

But one day not so long ago I didn't have a can and I got a caffeine-deficiency headache. I told the Wolf that it proved how much I really needed caffeine. He said that it proved how much I really need to stop drinking so much caffeine. And for once I actually listened to him. I decided to start being a healthier person. I dropped my Coke addiction, and swapped it for V8. I used to hate V8 but I've recently discovered that it's not so bad as I remember. I haven't completely given up on soda, but this will significantly cut back on the amount of it I consume.

The most shocking part is how little I miss that Coke. I thought it would be hard, but it's really not. And it makes me happy to know that I can still make these sorts of adjustments to my life. Sometimes I feel like, even at 24, I'm set in my ways. It's a comfort to know that I can change. I know this is a small thing, but I still consider it at least a medium-sized step.

ASOIAF Casting: Part IX

This is the second-to-last posting, so those of you who don't care/like these posts anyways, have hope!

Arryns and Associates:

Mya Stone: Emmanuelle Chriqui
Lysa Arryn: Kirstie Alley

Robert Arryn: Charlie Tahan

Martells and Associates:

Arianne Martell: Mila Kunis

Doran Martell: Geoffrey Rush

Areo Hotah: Javier Bardem

The Red Viper: Hugo Weaving

A nicer Haiku for Zoe

Lips oh so floppy
The long claws of stretchiness
Zo Zo Zo Zo Zo

Haiku to Zoe

Zoe’s farts are rank
So much so they wake me up
I want to kill her.