Acupuncturist
Hair salon w foils in my hair
Swimming pool (stuck for days in just my bathing suit?! eeek.)
Missing Facebook groups and status updates
I think we need these groups on Facebook (they could actually be there, I really haven't searched):
- Just click Yes or No on Evite. No one thinks your replies are funny and "maybe" just about always means no.
- I judge you by what you feed your children
- I judge you by your font
- I judge you by whether or not you judge others
- Liberals of the world unite against those close-minded and judgmental conservatives!
- No, you can't ask the meaning of my tattoo
- Fuck, like, meh and seriously are tops in my vocabularly.
And here are some status updates that I want to write but can't (yet, somehow I feel it's ok to blog? interesting.)
- Cindy does not want to look back and laugh, she wants to laugh now.
- Cindy would like you to go fuck yourself. (usually only on Mondays and I don't mean you, silly!)
- Cindy has pooped 6 days in a row (If you know me you know this is status update worthy)
- Cindy doesn't care what club you are going to, but she would like to hear about if you had a good time or not. (it's not where you are it's who you're with that's important!)
Seriously. Fuck man, the snark is, like, in full effect tonight...meh - time to bust open the wine!
- Cindy hopes no one takes any of this personally otherwise Cindy will suggest you join the group "fuck you if you can't take a joke" j/k love you. bye.
- Just click Yes or No on Evite. No one thinks your replies are funny and "maybe" just about always means no.
- I judge you by what you feed your children
- I judge you by your font
- I judge you by whether or not you judge others
- Liberals of the world unite against those close-minded and judgmental conservatives!
- No, you can't ask the meaning of my tattoo
- Fuck, like, meh and seriously are tops in my vocabularly.
And here are some status updates that I want to write but can't (yet, somehow I feel it's ok to blog? interesting.)
- Cindy does not want to look back and laugh, she wants to laugh now.
- Cindy would like you to go fuck yourself. (usually only on Mondays and I don't mean you, silly!)
- Cindy has pooped 6 days in a row (If you know me you know this is status update worthy)
- Cindy doesn't care what club you are going to, but she would like to hear about if you had a good time or not. (it's not where you are it's who you're with that's important!)
Seriously. Fuck man, the snark is, like, in full effect tonight...meh - time to bust open the wine!
- Cindy hopes no one takes any of this personally otherwise Cindy will suggest you join the group "fuck you if you can't take a joke" j/k love you. bye.
This is how I listen to music. What?
Many years ago my then-roommate and still-good friend, Jodi, got into my car for the first time in a few months and said "You're listening to this cd again?" My answer was - "No, I am listening to this cd still." It was Tindersticks - Curtains and it was sooooo nice.
In 1984 and 85 when I was listening to Purple Rain I refused to listen to side B until I knew every single word on side A. what? (man, I can't EVEN tell you how excited I was to finally to get to "I Would Die 4 U" (U. Iwould. Die4. U. sing it with me. U. Iwould. Die4. U. complete with hand signs. U. Iwould. Die4. U.).
Now, with no side A's or side B's to create goals and no turntables in my car (where the serious, loud, private music appreciation happens) I have had to perfect a new system for my OCD music listening madness.
I listen to it all the way through a couple of times. Wait, first I BUY the CD - crazy concept doncha think?
Ok - Again.
I listen to it all the way through a couple of times. Usually by the third listen I will have identified one or two songs that are really catchy, have a line or two that is really beautiful and/or is a song that I feel would be a challenge to learn all of the words - White Stripes "Hotel Yorba" comes to mind (Well its 1 2 3 4. take the elevator. at the hotel yorba. I'll be glad to see you later. all they got inside is vacancy). I TOTALLY mastered this song. Only it took about 30 consecutive listens. AND I probably had to pull the car over at one point and read along with the lyrics. When I get stuck in one place in the song I will start the song over. Sometimes I get to the end of a song and remember how much I liked the chorus, or a certain line and will go back to the beginning of the song. Eventually I master the song or come close to it and move on to the next song that interests me until I've made my way through the entire CD. The problem is - and it's only a problem if you ride in my car a lot - is that this can literally take months. I am lucky enough to have a really short commute and I can MAYBE get through 3 listens of one song during a one-way trip to work.
So right now I am obsessing over learning TV on the Radio's first full-length CD - Desperate Youths, Blood Thirsty Babes and if you have even KIND OF listened to TVOTR's lyrics you know that their shit is fucked up. Fucked up in that FUCK these guys are amazing, genius, insane and inspiring all at the same time. So yeh this will take awhile. Apologies in advance to those riding in my car who don't like track 2, 3, 5 and 7 which I am working on right now. (Leave your treadmill power trip behind. I will be your one more time if you will be my one last chance. - fucking beautiful.)
I have never been able to really get the whole Black Lips "Navajo" from Good Bad Not Evil. That one is hard. Maybe some day I'll go back to it. I have the first and third TVOTR cd's to get through first though. Oh and the EP. shit.
In 1984 and 85 when I was listening to Purple Rain I refused to listen to side B until I knew every single word on side A. what? (man, I can't EVEN tell you how excited I was to finally to get to "I Would Die 4 U" (U. Iwould. Die4. U. sing it with me. U. Iwould. Die4. U. complete with hand signs. U. Iwould. Die4. U.).
Now, with no side A's or side B's to create goals and no turntables in my car (where the serious, loud, private music appreciation happens) I have had to perfect a new system for my OCD music listening madness.
I listen to it all the way through a couple of times. Wait, first I BUY the CD - crazy concept doncha think?
Ok - Again.
I listen to it all the way through a couple of times. Usually by the third listen I will have identified one or two songs that are really catchy, have a line or two that is really beautiful and/or is a song that I feel would be a challenge to learn all of the words - White Stripes "Hotel Yorba" comes to mind (Well its 1 2 3 4. take the elevator. at the hotel yorba. I'll be glad to see you later. all they got inside is vacancy). I TOTALLY mastered this song. Only it took about 30 consecutive listens. AND I probably had to pull the car over at one point and read along with the lyrics. When I get stuck in one place in the song I will start the song over. Sometimes I get to the end of a song and remember how much I liked the chorus, or a certain line and will go back to the beginning of the song. Eventually I master the song or come close to it and move on to the next song that interests me until I've made my way through the entire CD. The problem is - and it's only a problem if you ride in my car a lot - is that this can literally take months. I am lucky enough to have a really short commute and I can MAYBE get through 3 listens of one song during a one-way trip to work.
So right now I am obsessing over learning TV on the Radio's first full-length CD - Desperate Youths, Blood Thirsty Babes and if you have even KIND OF listened to TVOTR's lyrics you know that their shit is fucked up. Fucked up in that FUCK these guys are amazing, genius, insane and inspiring all at the same time. So yeh this will take awhile. Apologies in advance to those riding in my car who don't like track 2, 3, 5 and 7 which I am working on right now. (Leave your treadmill power trip behind. I will be your one more time if you will be my one last chance. - fucking beautiful.)
I have never been able to really get the whole Black Lips "Navajo" from Good Bad Not Evil. That one is hard. Maybe some day I'll go back to it. I have the first and third TVOTR cd's to get through first though. Oh and the EP. shit.
Blue screen sadness
My work laptop has had it twice. This was waiting for me when I got back from lunch.
Sage advice from Master Guy Vaughn
So. You know on Sunday I did that whole temple/om/God thing. Well I thought a lot about the sermon and how I need to be more positive, not influenced by people's negativity (blah blah blah). And for ONE WHOLE DAY I was totally feeling it. YEH! You - grumpy narcissist - you're not gonna get me down. YOU - negative Nathan, you keep your bah hum bug to yourself. You - irritating person who follows up an email with a visit asking if I read your email - I will not waste my brain power thinking about how that is absolutely one of THE most annoying traits a co-worker can have (unless you're my friend and it is really important and/or you know I would appreciate the break). No. For ONE WHOLE DAY I was all mellow and zen and shit.
Then Tuesday came. And sometimes I just REALLY wake up on the wrong side of the bed. I'm moody, I know. I own it. I don't love that about myself, but you walk a half-mile to Starbucks in my red boots before you think you can judge me.
ANYWAY. I was struggling with how to be positive when I just felt so shitty for no reason. And since the guru wasn't available (I assume) I went to the next best thing - Guy. I asked him for advice on how to turn a random bout of bad mood around into something positive. I don't really know what I was expecting, but what I got was amazing. It didn't make me feel any better necessarily but it made me feel normal (don't laugh) and human and loved. I am TOTALLY reprinting this without his permission - he just rushed home to make us dinner while I sit on the couch wishing a glass of wine would magically appear in front of me. And hopefully he knows how amazing I think he is. Thanks Husband!
From: Guy.BestHusband@thisisnotarealurl.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 11:47 AM
To: Vaughn, Cindy
Subject: RE: puppet
I highly recommend getting a Guy of your own, but in this tough economy I would be willing to loan you mine in exchange for food and beverage.
Then Tuesday came. And sometimes I just REALLY wake up on the wrong side of the bed. I'm moody, I know. I own it. I don't love that about myself, but you walk a half-mile to Starbucks in my red boots before you think you can judge me.
ANYWAY. I was struggling with how to be positive when I just felt so shitty for no reason. And since the guru wasn't available (I assume) I went to the next best thing - Guy. I asked him for advice on how to turn a random bout of bad mood around into something positive. I don't really know what I was expecting, but what I got was amazing. It didn't make me feel any better necessarily but it made me feel normal (don't laugh) and human and loved. I am TOTALLY reprinting this without his permission - he just rushed home to make us dinner while I sit on the couch wishing a glass of wine would magically appear in front of me. And hopefully he knows how amazing I think he is. Thanks Husband!
From: Guy.BestHusband@thisisnotarealurl.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 11:47 AM
To: Vaughn, Cindy
Subject: RE: puppet
well that's part of a bigger discussion. it's one of the many issues that I have with religion and enlightenment. it's one of the reasons religion has been called the opiate of the masses. it's one of the things I found sad about [person you don't know] working the day his sister died in a car crash.
I want to feel sad, angry, bitter, etc, from time to time (but not for too long). It reminds me that I am (what's a fancy word for it) er, let's just say, "human".
I like all that eastern philosophy stuff, and try to apply some of it to my life, but I can only take it so far. What fun would life be without some negative emotions? Well I can tell you we wouldn't have Grandaddy, Nick Cave, or The Rolling Stones. I can also imagine our book cases would be pretty empty. And movies? No "The Wrestler"? I try to imagine a life where I don't occasionally retreat to Prince 'O Wales to drown my bad day in Bud & hot wings and it makes me shudder. That would suck.
So if you are looking for the advice from a guy that doesn't wear an orange robe, I say just "do your thing" (great song btw).
You should add the remake of Razor's Edge (with Bill Murray) to Netflix. My favorite quote from that movie, "It's easy to be a holy man on top of a mountain".
I highly recommend getting a Guy of your own, but in this tough economy I would be willing to loan you mine in exchange for food and beverage.
I challenged myself and started a journey.
To say I am not a religious person is a serious understatement. I was “raised” by a man who on any given day was an Atheist, a Buddhist or a follower of the religion of Rock n Roll (his words). Religion scares the hell out of me. I get terrible anxiety when I am in a church. I get angry and/or totally shut down when people try and talk to me about religion. Sometimes I look at religious people and think “Wow, they are really lucky; they have found a way to deal with/understand/cope with (insert whatever thing I happen to be struggling with at the time). They have a place to gather with like-minded seekers and connect on a level totally foreign to me. Other times I look at them and think – what a bunch of fucking lemmings.
That being said.
Sometimes I get curious. Sometimes I want to know if there is a place out there where I can go and find answers to my questions and I can stay for longer than 45 minutes and don’t have a $40 co-pay.
So.
I’ve been researching where such a place might be. My semi-weekly, and highly respected, recipient of aforementioned co-pay has for many years recommended a place in the Palisades. I’ve looked at their site at least 50 times and have never summoned the courage to actually go. But – she has also been asking me to challenge myself. So, in the interest of getting my money’s worth I actually made a plan to go, and not only that, I went. Guy and I have been talking about getting active, getting outside and going hiking. So I thought – we can go get our preach on and then go talk about what we thought of it while hiking. We got up at 7AM, packed a picnic and went to get spiritual. (on Super Bowl Sunday even!)
If you want to stop reading now, the end result was kind of – meh.
We got there early (of course) and as we sat waiting for the sermon to begin I started to get anxious. Guy laughed at me. I pretended to be mad but was glad that he helped me realize I should just laugh at myself. That being in the presence of something spiritual was ok and not anything to be anxious about.
When we went into the temple I quickly had one answer to my search. I immediately understood that I have no interest AT ALL in worshipping one man as a God. I also am fine with chanting but I don’t want to speak to my Lord or say amen or ask someone’s heavenly father for anything. People were worshipping/idolizing/praying to the guru. No thanks. I’m sure he’s a lovely and gifted man who can bring guidance. But I will not treat him as anything more than a respected human. If I am going to bow to one man, I will bow to all men.
The service opened with a chant, which was very nice, thankfully we were sitting near people with excellent singing voices. Then there was a prayer. Oy. Then announcements (mmmm… no, I will not be going to the tea social), then some very nice lady talking about volunteering (I think). Then a brief meditation (that was nice, except Guy kept fidgeting and distracting me away from my 3rd eye). Then the sermon (more on that later). Then, umm, another chant? (Not quite as nice, but still ok). Then a weird pause where I wasn’t sure if people were going to leave because there was a lot of bustling. The bustling was everyone getting their donations ready for the prayer. Then the basket got passed. Then another prayer. And that was it.
The chants and the prayers just had too much God. God this, God that. God God God. (Marcia Marcia Marcia) I am just not sure who they mean when they said God. They seem pretty open minded and also tossed in a lot of “OMs” during the prayer and the chant – so is God whoever/ whatever I want God to be? Is God the man in the framed picture at the front of the temple who people have been bowing too? Is God the guy that helped us park?
I did really enjoy the meditation and the sermon though. The theme was “Happy at Will” (or Happy On Demand if you’re a tv addict). I really enjoyed hearing about how to not let other people’s negativity and bad moods affect me. I always seem to absorb the energy of the people around me. That’s always been a challenge for me. I will definitely take some of the teachings from today’s sermon and try to apply it in my life. It was all very obvious and nothing I had not heard before. It’s like a spiritual GPS. I know where I need to go, I just forget how to get there sometimes and I like having that voice remind of the path (and let me know if there will be traffic on the way).
In case you are curious, the 3 ways to Happy on Demand are 1) the mood thing, don't be a puppet to other people and let them influence you 2) give 3) meditate deeper today than you did yesterday - 3 will be easier if Guy is not sitting next to you. There was a lot more to it, obviously. But I am not your guru so I cannot tell you how to find Happiness At Will. You gotta get up at 7 and drive to the Palisades yourself.
If I ever go back again, and I probably will, I will definitely try to figure out who they mean by God before I go. And I will take singles because I think $5 is too much. And I will go to the 11am service, because apparently that’s when the famous people go.
I totally think it was worth it to go though. I challenged myself. Was able to cross one place off my list to look for answers and it got me to use the right side of my brain. Most Sundays I would be on the couch watching tv and thinking about how I should update my blog or do some “actual” writing. I was inspired enough to sit down IMMEDIATELY when I got home and write about my experience. So, for that I guess the $5 was worth it.
That being said.
Sometimes I get curious. Sometimes I want to know if there is a place out there where I can go and find answers to my questions and I can stay for longer than 45 minutes and don’t have a $40 co-pay.
So.
I’ve been researching where such a place might be. My semi-weekly, and highly respected, recipient of aforementioned co-pay has for many years recommended a place in the Palisades. I’ve looked at their site at least 50 times and have never summoned the courage to actually go. But – she has also been asking me to challenge myself. So, in the interest of getting my money’s worth I actually made a plan to go, and not only that, I went. Guy and I have been talking about getting active, getting outside and going hiking. So I thought – we can go get our preach on and then go talk about what we thought of it while hiking. We got up at 7AM, packed a picnic and went to get spiritual. (on Super Bowl Sunday even!)
If you want to stop reading now, the end result was kind of – meh.
We got there early (of course) and as we sat waiting for the sermon to begin I started to get anxious. Guy laughed at me. I pretended to be mad but was glad that he helped me realize I should just laugh at myself. That being in the presence of something spiritual was ok and not anything to be anxious about.
When we went into the temple I quickly had one answer to my search. I immediately understood that I have no interest AT ALL in worshipping one man as a God. I also am fine with chanting but I don’t want to speak to my Lord or say amen or ask someone’s heavenly father for anything. People were worshipping/idolizing/praying to the guru. No thanks. I’m sure he’s a lovely and gifted man who can bring guidance. But I will not treat him as anything more than a respected human. If I am going to bow to one man, I will bow to all men.
The service opened with a chant, which was very nice, thankfully we were sitting near people with excellent singing voices. Then there was a prayer. Oy. Then announcements (mmmm… no, I will not be going to the tea social), then some very nice lady talking about volunteering (I think). Then a brief meditation (that was nice, except Guy kept fidgeting and distracting me away from my 3rd eye). Then the sermon (more on that later). Then, umm, another chant? (Not quite as nice, but still ok). Then a weird pause where I wasn’t sure if people were going to leave because there was a lot of bustling. The bustling was everyone getting their donations ready for the prayer. Then the basket got passed. Then another prayer. And that was it.
The chants and the prayers just had too much God. God this, God that. God God God. (Marcia Marcia Marcia) I am just not sure who they mean when they said God. They seem pretty open minded and also tossed in a lot of “OMs” during the prayer and the chant – so is God whoever/ whatever I want God to be? Is God the man in the framed picture at the front of the temple who people have been bowing too? Is God the guy that helped us park?
I did really enjoy the meditation and the sermon though. The theme was “Happy at Will” (or Happy On Demand if you’re a tv addict). I really enjoyed hearing about how to not let other people’s negativity and bad moods affect me. I always seem to absorb the energy of the people around me. That’s always been a challenge for me. I will definitely take some of the teachings from today’s sermon and try to apply it in my life. It was all very obvious and nothing I had not heard before. It’s like a spiritual GPS. I know where I need to go, I just forget how to get there sometimes and I like having that voice remind of the path (and let me know if there will be traffic on the way).
In case you are curious, the 3 ways to Happy on Demand are 1) the mood thing, don't be a puppet to other people and let them influence you 2) give 3) meditate deeper today than you did yesterday - 3 will be easier if Guy is not sitting next to you. There was a lot more to it, obviously. But I am not your guru so I cannot tell you how to find Happiness At Will. You gotta get up at 7 and drive to the Palisades yourself.
If I ever go back again, and I probably will, I will definitely try to figure out who they mean by God before I go. And I will take singles because I think $5 is too much. And I will go to the 11am service, because apparently that’s when the famous people go.
I totally think it was worth it to go though. I challenged myself. Was able to cross one place off my list to look for answers and it got me to use the right side of my brain. Most Sundays I would be on the couch watching tv and thinking about how I should update my blog or do some “actual” writing. I was inspired enough to sit down IMMEDIATELY when I got home and write about my experience. So, for that I guess the $5 was worth it.
25!
This is from my Facebook page but since I have not posted in a while (and someone who refuses to get a Facebook account has been asking me to update) I thought I would throw it up here too...
**
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click post)
**
1 - I LOVE reading these but I had absolutely no intention of doing this thing until I actually read the instructions and saw this: "If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you." Awww, ok. I'm a sucker for people being nice to me. The people I tagged are mostly women that I would like to know 25 random things about. Some of them are my closest friends, but I have also left off some other close friends, I don't love you less.
2 - I look at the clock almost every day at 3:21 - 3/21 is also my birthday. I dunno, I think that's cool.
3 - I am probably THE laziest person you know.
4 - You should absolutely posifuckingtively never try to have a conversation with me or, especially, ask me a question within the first 2 hours of me being awake. So you're usually safe after 9. Unless it's Monday, then I would just wait until Tuesday
5 - I have lived in the same 30 mile radius for my entire life but I think New York is absolutely the best city on the planet but I could never live there (permanently - but I would love to do a year or two). Oh and I think LA is second best and get irritated when people complain about it.
6 - I have not seen or spoken to a single person in my family for 17 years. (BUT I did just discover through Ancestry.com that my grandfather was a criminal, and I thought that was kind of badass)
7 - When I was in 6th grade, I had a sleep over and we were playing Red Rover in the street and the girls just unclasped their hands and let me through, but it ended with me totally face planting in the middle of the street, breaking a tooth and scratching the hell out of my face. I was pissed but also secretly happy that the girls thought I could actually break through their arms (not a chance).
8 - I think common sense is waaaaay more impressive and important than booksmarts.
9 - I've recently figured out that coffee makes me crazy
10 - There is almost nothing I like better than coffee
11 - I can remember your birthday and your phone number but not the ending of my favorite book or movie. Or the beginning. I can tell you IF I liked or disliked something but can't tell you why.
12 - I get crazy anxious - almost to the point of anxiety attacks - when I am in a church.
13 - I am trying trying trying to be more positive and rid my life of negative things and negative people but I will always be snarky. I do think people can change, but I happen to love sarcasm and don't fully understand why people think it's bad. I was recently called an "opportunistic slammer" and it took me a second to figure out if it was meant as an insult or compliment.
14 - I absolutely love musicals but I can't stand plays.
15 - I don't expect anyone to reply to this, so my feelings won't be hurt if you don't
16 - I have never learned a foreign language. I'm trying to master English first
17 - I have erased at least 5 things that would offend people that might read this
18 - I get soo happy when I hear sad music. Especially on sunny days. Sad music on rainy days just puts me to sleep.
19 - I think it's not too late to learn how to play the violin, but it is too late to master it, so that's that. No violin for me.
20 - The fact that the instructions said to write "goals" is stressing me out - I never really had goals - I just sort of do things. Goals. Goals. uhhh... yeh. I hope to hang up my clothes every day this week so I don't have to do it all on Sunday. (see #3)
21 - Neil Young was the first concert I went to. I was probably around 7. And was mad to be dragged to it. My dad's girlfriend was hiding drugs in her crotch (see #6). I think it was at Irvine Meadows or Pacific Amphitheatre? Some place that was outside and we were in the lawn section and I couldn't see the stage because I already needed glasses, and was apparently high on second hand smoke.
22 - I thought about making all 25 of these sex-related. But only for shock value and to be funny, not because I want you to actually know 25 things about my sexual history.
23 - There is almost nothing more important to me than music.
24 - I was in 3rd grade the first time my back went out - I was playing hopscotch and collapsed to the ground. It's been nothin but back problems since then.
25 - I have an amazing husband and we have an amazing life. duh.
**
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click post)
**
1 - I LOVE reading these but I had absolutely no intention of doing this thing until I actually read the instructions and saw this: "If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you." Awww, ok. I'm a sucker for people being nice to me. The people I tagged are mostly women that I would like to know 25 random things about. Some of them are my closest friends, but I have also left off some other close friends, I don't love you less.
2 - I look at the clock almost every day at 3:21 - 3/21 is also my birthday. I dunno, I think that's cool.
3 - I am probably THE laziest person you know.
4 - You should absolutely posifuckingtively never try to have a conversation with me or, especially, ask me a question within the first 2 hours of me being awake. So you're usually safe after 9. Unless it's Monday, then I would just wait until Tuesday
5 - I have lived in the same 30 mile radius for my entire life but I think New York is absolutely the best city on the planet but I could never live there (permanently - but I would love to do a year or two). Oh and I think LA is second best and get irritated when people complain about it.
6 - I have not seen or spoken to a single person in my family for 17 years. (BUT I did just discover through Ancestry.com that my grandfather was a criminal, and I thought that was kind of badass)
7 - When I was in 6th grade, I had a sleep over and we were playing Red Rover in the street and the girls just unclasped their hands and let me through, but it ended with me totally face planting in the middle of the street, breaking a tooth and scratching the hell out of my face. I was pissed but also secretly happy that the girls thought I could actually break through their arms (not a chance).
8 - I think common sense is waaaaay more impressive and important than booksmarts.
9 - I've recently figured out that coffee makes me crazy
10 - There is almost nothing I like better than coffee
11 - I can remember your birthday and your phone number but not the ending of my favorite book or movie. Or the beginning. I can tell you IF I liked or disliked something but can't tell you why.
12 - I get crazy anxious - almost to the point of anxiety attacks - when I am in a church.
13 - I am trying trying trying to be more positive and rid my life of negative things and negative people but I will always be snarky. I do think people can change, but I happen to love sarcasm and don't fully understand why people think it's bad. I was recently called an "opportunistic slammer" and it took me a second to figure out if it was meant as an insult or compliment.
14 - I absolutely love musicals but I can't stand plays.
15 - I don't expect anyone to reply to this, so my feelings won't be hurt if you don't
16 - I have never learned a foreign language. I'm trying to master English first
17 - I have erased at least 5 things that would offend people that might read this
18 - I get soo happy when I hear sad music. Especially on sunny days. Sad music on rainy days just puts me to sleep.
19 - I think it's not too late to learn how to play the violin, but it is too late to master it, so that's that. No violin for me.
20 - The fact that the instructions said to write "goals" is stressing me out - I never really had goals - I just sort of do things. Goals. Goals. uhhh... yeh. I hope to hang up my clothes every day this week so I don't have to do it all on Sunday. (see #3)
21 - Neil Young was the first concert I went to. I was probably around 7. And was mad to be dragged to it. My dad's girlfriend was hiding drugs in her crotch (see #6). I think it was at Irvine Meadows or Pacific Amphitheatre? Some place that was outside and we were in the lawn section and I couldn't see the stage because I already needed glasses, and was apparently high on second hand smoke.
22 - I thought about making all 25 of these sex-related. But only for shock value and to be funny, not because I want you to actually know 25 things about my sexual history.
23 - There is almost nothing more important to me than music.
24 - I was in 3rd grade the first time my back went out - I was playing hopscotch and collapsed to the ground. It's been nothin but back problems since then.
25 - I have an amazing husband and we have an amazing life. duh.
A name is just a name is just a name
I love music. love love love it. When I find out that a favorite artist is coming out with a new cd I get school-girl with an ice cream cone and a new kitten giddy. I research street dates, tour dates, singles, all of it. What I don't do or understand is getting excited over the announcement of an album title and what I really can't comprehend is why I should care about a track-listing. Until you hear the music they are just words. I don't think it's giving you any sort of insight into the music at all. words. I mean, go to NME - and right now the number 3 story is "Pete Doherty names solo album - exclusive" - really? I care about what he's calling his album? Not at all... I mean I am not a Pete Doherty fan but I'm sure there was a similar story when Nick Cave named his last cd and you know what - I probably didn't click on it. I would have read the words Dig Lazarus Dig and thought "huh." MAYBE I would have thought "huh?!" if they correctly inserted the exclamation marks (DIG!!!). But I wouldn't have tried to figure it out and for sure it has not changed my feelings about the cd itself.
The fifth story right now on NME is "Bob Mould reveals new album details" - again - a title and a tracklisting. WHO CARES? Do you think you are going to enjoy it any more (or less) because 4 months before it's released you know that track 4 is called "MM 17" (unless of course there was an MM 1 - 16 and this was just a continuation of those songs)? AT LEAST they gave us the street date and tour dates. Finally - something I could get excited about - if I liked Bob Mould that is. I really don't have feelings about him. I'm sure he's worthy of 30 years of praise I just never got into him.
You see it in all music news outlets - indie and mainstream - and I have never understood it. Please explain it to me.
The fifth story right now on NME is "Bob Mould reveals new album details" - again - a title and a tracklisting. WHO CARES? Do you think you are going to enjoy it any more (or less) because 4 months before it's released you know that track 4 is called "MM 17" (unless of course there was an MM 1 - 16 and this was just a continuation of those songs)? AT LEAST they gave us the street date and tour dates. Finally - something I could get excited about - if I liked Bob Mould that is. I really don't have feelings about him. I'm sure he's worthy of 30 years of praise I just never got into him.
You see it in all music news outlets - indie and mainstream - and I have never understood it. Please explain it to me.
I have no focus
Late today I was wandering around the office making the rounds to some friends complaining about how I don't have any focus and trying to distract them from theirs. Most of em were surprisingly engaged in their work considering it was after 4, or in a meeting or not at their desk. One of them suggested I write about how I have no focus on my blog INSUFFICIENT FOCUS. oh right. That IS sort of the point of this thing right.?.
I have actually had HUGE focus so far this year - yeh yeh I know we're only like 4 work days into the year but I still feel accomplished. At home too. I'm feeling pretty good about this year so far. There are a couple of things that can still be improved - but fuck yeh - things are pretty good so far.
It's funny how when you start to really prioritize things in your life and become aware you find a lot of similarities around you and people saying the same things. I've been talking about how I want to multi-task less and have been thinking about how I need to be more present and concentrate on the now and blah blah blah and I swear 3 people have said the same thing to me this week. Maybe it's just the new year and people wanting a fresh start and are looking for a more positive experience in a shitty world and feeling optimistic about Mr Change swooping in to save the day in a couple of weeks. Whatever. I don't know. Hopefully I can remember to stay focused and present into at least February. It's also funny how when you start to be more aware you become more aware of all the stuff you can improve. I guess I need to make another list.
I have actually had HUGE focus so far this year - yeh yeh I know we're only like 4 work days into the year but I still feel accomplished. At home too. I'm feeling pretty good about this year so far. There are a couple of things that can still be improved - but fuck yeh - things are pretty good so far.
It's funny how when you start to really prioritize things in your life and become aware you find a lot of similarities around you and people saying the same things. I've been talking about how I want to multi-task less and have been thinking about how I need to be more present and concentrate on the now and blah blah blah and I swear 3 people have said the same thing to me this week. Maybe it's just the new year and people wanting a fresh start and are looking for a more positive experience in a shitty world and feeling optimistic about Mr Change swooping in to save the day in a couple of weeks. Whatever. I don't know. Hopefully I can remember to stay focused and present into at least February. It's also funny how when you start to be more aware you become more aware of all the stuff you can improve. I guess I need to make another list.
With a little help from my friends
I am good at a few things - eating, sarcasm, shopping - and for the things I am not good at I have Guy. When all else fails we pay people. We were expecting to have to pay a boatload recently for some repairs on the Honda. Thankfully, one of my good friends from work came to the rescue and kindly volunteered to take a look at it. Because this is something HE is good at I eagerly accepted his offer. It's stilling running great 3 weeks later! Oh shit, I just realized I still haven't paid him back for the part. damn!
Click here for full photo documentation of the event.
Click here for full photo documentation of the event.
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| Honda repair |
We like wine
We went wine tasting over New Year's Eve. It was big fun. We hit a few new wineries and found a couple new favs - Four Vines and Le Cuvier and of course visited old favorites - Halter Ranch, Turley.
Here are 200 pictures for your viewing pleasure:
Here are 200 pictures for your viewing pleasure:
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| Wine Tasting 08 |
Music - 2008 favorites
So, as I mentioned, I really don't make best of/top 10 lists. But this year, why the hell not right? I listened to a lot of new music this year and these were the ones I found myself constantly returning to. Here it is.
The Black Keys, Attack & Release
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple
Gossip, Live in Liverpool
The Kills, Midnight Boom
King Khan and The Shrines, The Supreme Genius…
Mudhoney, The Lucky Ones
Jay Reatard, Matador Singles '08
Times New Viking, Rip It Off
TV on the Radio, Dear Science
These came out in 07 but I am lovin em in 08. It's my list, I make the rules.
The Black Lips, Good Bad Not Evil
Kanye West, Graduation
There were a few songs that I absolutely COULD NOT get enough of this year:
Gnarls Barkley - "Little Better" from The Odd Couple (some day I will write about how this song totally and completely describes me)
Magnetic Fields - "California Girls" from Distortion
Jay Reatard - "An Ugly Death" from Matador Singles '08
Tilly and the Wall - "Too Excited" from O
live favorites:
Black Lips @ Detour fest
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds @ The Hollywood Bowl.
Ray Lamontagne @ The Wiltern (have never been to a show in LA at a venue so big that stayed so quiet)
Jay Reatard @ Echo
Spiritualized @ The Hollywood Bowl (technically this was the same show as Nick but they were so.fucking.amazing that they get a separate listing)
TV on the Radio @ the Wiltern
Kanye West @ Nokia
The Black Keys, Attack & Release
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple
Gossip, Live in Liverpool
The Kills, Midnight Boom
King Khan and The Shrines, The Supreme Genius…
Mudhoney, The Lucky Ones
Jay Reatard, Matador Singles '08
Times New Viking, Rip It Off
TV on the Radio, Dear Science
These came out in 07 but I am lovin em in 08. It's my list, I make the rules.
The Black Lips, Good Bad Not Evil
Kanye West, Graduation
There were a few songs that I absolutely COULD NOT get enough of this year:
Gnarls Barkley - "Little Better" from The Odd Couple (some day I will write about how this song totally and completely describes me)
Magnetic Fields - "California Girls" from Distortion
Jay Reatard - "An Ugly Death" from Matador Singles '08
Tilly and the Wall - "Too Excited" from O
live favorites:
Black Lips @ Detour fest
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds @ The Hollywood Bowl.
Ray Lamontagne @ The Wiltern (have never been to a show in LA at a venue so big that stayed so quiet)
Jay Reatard @ Echo
Spiritualized @ The Hollywood Bowl (technically this was the same show as Nick but they were so.fucking.amazing that they get a separate listing)
TV on the Radio @ the Wiltern
Kanye West @ Nokia
2009 To Do List
ok, so I didn't exactly complete everything on my '08 to do list. But I did not do too bad either. So, I have a lot that needs to be done, might as well make a list for '09 right?
It's kind of a daunting list actually. Will have to baby step it . No problem!
Before I die:
Have some will power and say no to things that I know are bad for me - it's a long slow process
Stop multitasking and just do things one at a time - I actually think I am making some improvements here
- Finish the living room. (buy a chair, rug and do up the south wall)
- Complete 4 classes (I've already signed up for 3, now I just need to take and finish them plus one more)
- Photo Albums (need to do one per month)
- Finish the dining room (get a new hutch dealy and west wall)
- Start the bedroom (everything - if you want to donate anything let me know)
- 12 new restaurants
- 12 books (that sounds easy but it's been really difficult to get much read the last couple of years) (or I guess you could think that sounds really hard in which case I love you)
- Find myself Los Angeles print or t-shirt (this is left over from my old list and I don't have any room for anymore t-shirts so I think it needs to be a print)
- new tattoo.
- not gain back any of the weight I lost, if you don't count the last two weeks of '08.
- hydrate
Before I die:
Have some will power and say no to things that I know are bad for me - it's a long slow process
Stop multitasking and just do things one at a time - I actually think I am making some improvements here
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