insufficient focus: August 2008

Hot Wheels Road Trip night 1!

It's actually almost 2 weeks into the Road Trip but I am just now joining, so it's day 1 for me.

today was a travel day, - we had a lot of luck with the flights being on time! Only on the one hour ride from Chicago to Detroit did I have to deal with OUT OF CONTROL children and hairy-arm guy... Got to the hotel and went out for dinner - a lot of places are closed on Sundays here so we ended up Chelio's - Chris Chelios' Chili place. Food was ok... nothing great. mmm fried chicken. it was sweet!?!

The girls talking about techonology

He's not amused with me.

I am totally amused with me.

me and a tired Hladek.

One of the collectors, Joe, came out for a beer.

good night now!

On the flip side

This is me writing the last one

Just landed

SASTC and I are texting each other on the plane about this hairy guy I had to sit next to, he wouldn't put the arm rest down and his hair kept rubbing up against me. If I like you then I like your hairy-self, if I don't know you then keep your hair away from me!

Shuffle All playlist on flight 106

About an hour and a half into my flight, already failed at trying to take a nap, judged 1/3 of the people on my plane, read 83 pages of my book (AL was right, it's pretty good - I think the kids call it a page turner, well they would if they read books.) Felt like giving my thumbs a workout and motivate my brain a little and thought I'd track what songs are coming up on shuffle.

Jane's Addiction - Had a Dad

Mazzy Star - Free
(Went on a date with a guy once who claimed this album was written about him, and when I said "Get out" in my best Elaine/Seinfeld voice he said "if I were Johnny Depp you would believe me" - A) I wasn't doubting you and B) yeh - duh. First and last date. He made jewelry. He had two dining room chairs in his living room because he thought if he had a couch it would make him lazy and he didn't want to be discouraged from going out every night. Clearly he was not the right guy for me.

Gossip - Yesterday's News
(man, I love this live record - I love the line that says "if she asks I'm doin' fine" - her voice sounds awesome right there and sarcasm always gets me right in the place that my heart would be if I had one.

Tindersticks - Jism
(I wonder when their new cd is coming out domestically, I should just order the import)

Bad Brains - Attitude

The Dirtbombs - Race to the Bottom
(I GUARANTEE you this will not be the last time that The Dirtbombs come up, my player loooooooves to play the Dirtbombs. This song is like 8 minutes long, to that I say OH HELL NO, forwarding)

Soulsavers - Untitled (Instrumental)
(sounds like something Guy recorded, that's a compliment btw)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Lay Me Low
(mmmm, Nick + Hollywood Bowl = fuck yeh!)

(Just glanced at the movie playing, I think Debra Messing just was on screen - figures - wasn't I just talking about how I really didn't care for her?)

"If you wanna be my friend and you wanna repent...and you want it all to end and you wanna know when... Make a stand, take my hand...they'll interview my teachers who'll say I was one of God's sorrier creatures" Ahhhh Nick. So good.

Earlimart - Lazy Feet 23
(yeh a fine song but a really poor follow-up to Lay Me Low, and I never noticed they sounded so much like Elliott Smith.)

The Smiths - Hand in Glove

(My back hurts in these seats)

The Who - Love is Coming Down
(2nd Who song of the flight, I really wish Shuffle All meant shuffle ALL)

Buzzcocks - Lipstick

The Notorius B.I.G. - Just Playing (Dreams)

Beatles - Fixing a Hole
(I don't care what anyone says The BeeGees Sgt Pepper movie was AWESOME and this is my favorite Beatles album, comments are disabled for a reason, suck it.)

(Uh I just figured out my headphones weren't plugged in all the way, it sounds so much better now!)

A Tribe Called Quest - Sucka N***A
(is that how the song is listed on the album or just in the Zune? I can't remember.)

(Man something has to give - I've got my sweatshirt, the Zune, a book and a Magazine on my lap - I need a better plan for my seat situation)

Crawdaddys - You Can't Judge a Book.....

KMFDM - Virus (Dub)
(KMFDM has been getting me through some hard days at work lately)

The Black Keys - Yearnin'

Mary's Danish - Venus Loves Leaonard

Swans - Trust Me

The Smiths - The Headmaster Ritual
(Seriously, there are literally hundredes of other artists that could've been played between the 2 Smiths songs - Dirtbombs is probably next)

Thee Headcoats - Pldophile

Magnetic Fields - Xavier Says

Arab Strap- The Week Never Starts Around Here

(I'm totally about to eat a salad I got at Wolfgang Pucks ToGo- chinese chicken salad, my seatmates are going to hate the smell. Sorry seatmates!)

Lost Sounds - Don't Ask Why

The Dirtbombs - Correspondence
(Bah)

Reatards - Memphis Blues

Barry Adamson - The Snowball Effect

The Gories - He's Doin It
I guess it's Mick Collins that the Zune likes, not just the Dirtbombs.

(Done with the salad-first few bites were tasty but it was all down hill after that)

Black Hollies - That Little Girl

Elton John - Social Disease

Jane's Addiction - Three Days (the realllllly long version)

(I think I just found a typ-o in the 9/1 issue of Sports Illustrated, page 32)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore
(I always wanted a line like "once there came a storm in the form of a girl" to be written about me)

Misfits - Skulls

Swans - The Child's Right

Swans - Song for the Sun
(Seriously, 3 Swans songs and 2 in a row! Wtf. Was Mick Collins in the Swans??)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds -Midnight Man

Oh- descending! Electronics away!

Landed, taxi-ing, not spell checking, posting

Countdown to Road Trip

updated!

Leaving with SASTC in a few days for Detroit and then driving to NY. It's all work but I think we'll have a good time... Especially on the drive to NY, it will only take a few hours but I have high expectations for those hours - I should go online and see if there is anything we can stop and be goofy at - like world's biggest cupcake display or something. BETTER YET! You should look it up for me and let me know!

[note to self - print itinerary and directions to all stops!]

So much to do before we leave, feeling a little overwhelmed. Saturday's plans got postponed which is probably a good thing.

Cause I like to make lists:
Pedicure - nope. no time. it's ok though. It was a nice to have, not a have to have
~~Hair Salon~~ yes. lots of brown!
~~Breakfast with the girls~~ good company, cold eggs
Pictionary
~~Pack (7 days worth of clothes into a carry-on. yikes)~~ have the clothes laid out, we'll see if they fit into the carry-on!
~~Wireless card~~ thanks to BS and AL for the loan
~~Clean out my email~~ had to go in on Saturday to do it but it's done!
~~File everything I got behind on filing this week~~ CHECK!
~~Finish unpacking my desk~~ CHECK!
~~Chiropractor~~ crack check!
Not stress - minor success.
~~Charge camera~~
Play with new kitten - ongoing
Play with old cats - boring
Quality time with husband. - not enough!
Set DVR (living room) and TiVo (bedroom) for all the new shows that will start next week (yes, I do it in both rooms. I like options)
Update the Zune (that damn software crashes my computer)
~~Buy an airplane book.~~ Black Dahlia book recommendation from AL
Email this list to my phone so that I can have it on me!
~~Make some lists, check them twice, forget something.~~ already remembered two things I forgot, luckily I already forgot them again

Once we get there:
Yell at JB from BS on behalf of HW.
Baseball game with the Mulligans - Tigers v Angels - GO TIGERS!
Look for world's biggest cupcake display
Wine taste
Time with boss, friends and others at the HW event.
Meet MM's dad MM.
work. hmmph.
Post lots of pics to blog and FB. I can never decide which to send where...

Time for ~~Project Runway~~SUSHI!!

is 50% humidity high and other randomness___

Being from LA I tend to have no clue what "weather" is like. Was just checking the weather in Detroit and Watkins Glen and the humidity (which apparently is what I need to be concerned with) ranges from 37 to 70%. I would imagine 70 gets pretty sweaty, but lower than that I really don't know.

It makes me want to pack three outfits per day. The flaw in that scenario is that I am refusing to check a bag for this trip. Now, if you've ever gone anywhere further than Pomona with me you know what a true challenge this is going to be. I have what I consider to be my minimum amount of clothes ready for the suitcase and after dinner I will try to shove it all in. Plus I have my backpack (with laptop, book, etc) AND I have my purse with a camera, a Zune, two BlackBerry's (don't hate) and a wallet. I will do this. I am totally, completely confident that this will happen. I even researched the most efficient packing methods and will probably be up until dawn trying them all out.

We're going to have sushi right now. yum. Except I am kind of craving mexican food. But I've been cryin' for weeks about how I had to have sushi. Sushi is totally the right choice. Especially since the chiro is making me keep a food diary (and by making me, I mean he suggested it).

Oh and (of course) Guy is good at Pictionary. It's been proven with two different partners now. I'm not sooo bad at guessing but I am terrible at drawing. Last night I got "cheese grater" and after the minute was up and I told my partner (and fabulous hostess) what the word was she said "So, why didn't you draw a cheese grater" - yeh, I dunno, next time I'll try using that strategy in the game.

Hey, check it out, the Dodgers were winning, and can you believe it's tied now? shocking.

Plane takes off at 8:30 in the morning... fingers crossed that all goes smoothly!

From 10am to 4:30pm

Thoughts while running errands on a Friday

Holy shit- I am easily impressed with technology BUT the new parking system at Century City is awesome!

I wonder why container store would open at 9 when the other stores don't open till 10

Clearly the employees wonder why they open at 10 also. I appreciate a loose atmosphere but when you're open to the public stop acting like fools.

I always wondered how you can have a medium and not have a small. Medium, large and xlarge doesn't make sense to me

McCain picked a woman? Odd. He's a fool

Man, there's a lot of traffic on Santa Monica bl.

Uhhh why would the Sex and the city book be in the Sociology section?

Last year I got the girls a book called something like What Your Poop is Telling You and I just saw that now they have poop journals and page a day calendars, funny, but maybe poop overkill?

Man, I've been looking for a houndstooth pencil skirt forEVER. Thought I spotted one, it was a jacket

Getting hungry, on my way to breakfast, I've done a lot already today.

Quote o t day: this is how I know I am close to 40, I like the coldplay album

Breakfast w the girls was nice - good to see them. My eggs were cold tho

At the hair salon. Should I read Entertainment Weekly or should I save that one for the plane ride tomorrow?

NOT the quote of the day: "I love your mustache, it's so rad"

I always am terrified that a natural or unnatural disaster will hit Abbott Kinney while I have foils in my hair

Reading entertainment weekly and waiting for a natural disaster - page 47, I really don't like Debra Messing very much. P 50-Hamlet 2? What was Hamlet 1? Desperate Housewives skips ahead 5 years? Dumb

Getting sleepy sitting here.

These flip-flops are kinda hurting my feet. I was planning on wearing them all next week, might have to rethink that plan

On my way home. Lots of brown in my hair - the girl said "call me if you feel like an anchor woman"

Fantastic then.

No more errands! Fun time!

Construction continues!

Some day this will all be cubicles.

This is why my computer isn't working

Bad luck black cat is too close to it

Best comment on Biden so far.

"He's young but not that young and old but not McCain old" [LAist]

btw - you should totally be reading LAist . . . or if you made the mistake of not living in LA and have your own ist you should be reading it.

Where can I buy some perspective?

I was thinking today about that scene in Purple Rain where Prince is talking to a puppet and the puppet says to him "Life's a bitch" (except I remembered him saying, "Man, I don't know, life's a bitch" but when I looked it up online that didn't appear to be right, ANYWAY).... I don't know why I thought about that, could be because I'm too hard on myself for losing my credit card, losing my driver's license, forgetting (for 1 day) to pay my credit card bill, and not realizing I needed a smog check on the car (all things I have total control over and are not "life's a bitch" kind of things) or could be because I just heard about someone at work who passed away (which totally is a life's a bitch" kind of thing). And I was gonna write about that here and then I thought NO! I am not gonna write about something negative. (I'm trying here). But I am feeling a little unchallenged and brain dead so I thought I would go online and just see what random writing exercise Live Journal has up. BTW - I have never done this before I just know they have it and figured it would be a good way to challenge my unchallenged brain. again, ANYWAY, today's writing exercise is:

"What's the most romantic thing you have done for someone?"

srsly? you.have.got.to.be.FUCKING.kidding.me.

talk about kicking a girl when she has no reason to be down. I am pretty sure I have never met a person as unromantic as I am. bah. what the fuck I say, what.the.fuck. Maybe tomorrow's topic can be "write about the last 4-course meal you prepared for your husband" or "how did it feel the first time you changed your oil" or "write that first Iron Man triathlon you finished."

Anyway, I have a fantastic husband, a new kitty, two old, fat lazy and awesome cats, a pretty sweet job and live in the best city anywhere with the best friends a girl could ask for so fuck off live journal, I don't have to justify my OCD, ADD, unromantic, unchallenged self to you assholes.

we've got kitty

Where was that to-do list?

Didn't I make a to-do list a while back? Man, that was a motivated week. I've totally regressed.
I am just so tired lately. I know that the people say it's myth that you can't really catch up on sleep but I really feel like 15 straight hours of REM sleep would be exactly what I need.

I need to go find my to-do list and find some motivation.

Man, my back hurts lately. I went to the gym 4 days in a row and then 4 days of back pain. Monday, I'm going back. Really. If I am going to look anything like Joan Jett in 15 years (and not 14 thank you very much) I really need to get cracking.

Work is wearing me out. Next few weeks are going to be interesting. And in two weeks I'm leaving for a week - man, that was a terrible idea. It'll be fun. Stressful though to be gone a week.

This will be a good weekend, Imax, Pool party, Gangi (maybe), and a new edition to the Vaughn household on trial. Should be interesting. And exhausting. Is 6:20 too early for dinner?

I put two holes in my new favorite t-shirt today. Bummer.

this Family Guy episode I am watching is kinda lame.

Joan Jett doesn't have a great website.

But she puts on an awesome show!

Starving.

Dust 1, Cindy 0

So I think I've mentioned that I work in a construction zone one or 20 times by now. And... if you've come around my desk while I was bitching about the dust or the smells then, well, you know how I feel. Today I lost it. I went to bed with a CRAZY itchy pair of eyes and woke up with my right eye super swollen. I thought I had picked up pink eye from the gym (4 days this week thankyouverymuch) and was about to let that be my excuse for never going back. Was able to squeeze in to see the eye doctor though and she asked if I have been around any environmental changes, when I mentioned the construction she said that she had treated someone else from my building yesterday. Three eye drops prescriptions, a recommendation to not wear my contacts to work until construction is done (6 months, a year?) and a lost hour from the office later I'm really aggravated....

I went and gave the only 4 people that should care a piece of my swollen-eyed mind and yeh, I don't know if they really cared, but I think they should. This sucks ass. I wonder if I can expense the $45 office visit and $25 eye drops. I love my job, but for fuck's sake, a girl with allergies can really only take so much y'know.

thanks for listening. I have to go and google "ways to win at pictionary when you're playing against actual artists"

Still? Really? Things that make me say "Still? Really?"

Apologies in advance if you support these things in any way. This is my list - you can make your own list and put Crow tattoos in position numero one.

Things I think are sort of tired and don't really need to see/hear/smell anymore....

Smoking. sorry to any friends that smoke. It doesn't bother me when you do it. Only when randoms are reeky
seeing the rendering of a proposed NFL stadium in LA and/or listening to people debate about it. How many years do we need to do this... get your shit together, figure it out. Everyone knows that there needs to be a team here and I don't care where they play cause I'm probably never gonna go - and I don't care if it's a relocated team or a new team cause they're gonna suck anyway like all other LA teams (except the Lakers). So just make it happen so we can stop being a Raiders city staring lovingly at renderings. booyah.
"staycations" --- for fuck's suck. why does something need a name before people think it's a good idea.
complaining about real estate and gas prices. yeh - we know. they suck
Pepsi
U2 - I just read they have a new album this year... seriously? wasn't it just like 6 months ago that we had to see their mugs everywhere and hear the hype about the stupid ipod...So basically we're gonna go from the overplayed Coldplay (see below) ipod commericial to another U2 commercial. ARGH. yay for TiVo. And remotes so I can change the channel.
midriffs - unless you're 12.
belly button piercings
white shoes - duh. white pants are a close second
The Sundays/Coldplay. Are you happy Chris Martin - you are now on par with the Sundays in my head! Sure, you're probaby not on Muzak yet - but it's only a matter of time before a last minute and only in extreme desperation induced trip to my local drugstore forces me to hear one of your ear piercing songs. (Sundays heard 6/18 11:35 am Bed Bath and Beyond, Sepulveda)

this is an ongoing list - updates will be in bold.