Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Maybe I should just let Gerard and Attu take over.

Everything I want to post I found on The Presurfer and Attu sees all today. So...um, without being a copycat, I'll just point you to the links that Gerard and Attu pointed me to:


Oh, and Idol totally sucked tonight. We didn't really like anyone's performance. Bad. Yuck. Do-over!

-ganza

Shhhh, don't tell anyone, but the following items are going to arrive at my house within the next few months:

    1 Pink Dogwood tree
    1 Japanese flowering cherry tree (Yoshino)
    1 Catalpa tree
    1 Tulip tree
    1 Overcup Oak tree
    2 Sugar Maple trees
    3 flowering shade trees
    2 hybrid shade trees

    3 purple Rhododenra
    1 white (hybrid) Rhododendrum
    3 Norway Spruce trees
    2 Red Azaleas
    2 Yellow Azaleas
    2 Hydrangeas
    1 Hummingbird vine

    1 set of Seascape, Everbearing strawberries
    2 sets of Honeoye strawberries

    1 lb perennial wildflower mix
    1 Summer bulb garden assortment
    2 sets of double red-white bi-color Tuberous Begonias
    1 super value pack of Liatris
    1 collection of Spiderworts
    1 set of Physostegia virginiana Crown of Snow
    1 set of “The President” Bright Red Canna Lily bulbs
    1 set of Anneke deep purple Calla Lily bulbs
    1 set of Calla Lily bulbs, mixed colors
    1 set of “Impression Flamenco” Butterfly Dahlias
    1 set of “Otto's Thrill” Super Dinnerplate Dahlias
    1 collection of Astilbes, mixed colors
    1 mix of Aquilegia hybrid McKana Giants
    1 mix of Sparaxis famous jewel-tone flowers

    1 super value pack of Hostas
    1 set of Cortederia selloana Pink Feather
    1 set of Cortederia selloana White Feather

I also have in my possession the following three seed mixes from WishingFish:
    1 Bird Lovers scatter garden
    1 Fragrant Flower scatter garden
    1 Pretentious Poppy scatter garden

Sooooo, which of you all are coming over to help me and Hay plant and water all of this stuff?!?! ;)

Zahara is a cutie pie!

I understand that the joining of Angelina and Brad is a bit shady, but Angie really does have fantastic kids. Look at baby Zahara! (Sorry, looks like some other folks got in trouble for posting the photos, even with source credit, so I don't want to be in that boat too, just click the link and you can see her in all her cuteness!!)

I definitely want to pinch those itty bitty cheeks and munch on her teeny tiny hands!!!!!

Monday, February 27, 2006

ADHD

I posted six times today. I need to slow down. Whoops, here's #7. Oh well. Must be the Hot Cinnamon IceBreakers®.

The flavor of spit. Ew.

MK at Popbytes and Tabloid Whore! both have posted a pretty hilarious video of one of the finalists on the Flavor Flav's next girlfriend competition (real name: The Flavor of Love) spitting on the other girl then running for her life.

This clip shows the lead-up to the spitting incident and what happens after:




...while this one shows just the spitting incident, with comical sound effects. Disgusting, but the sound effects RAWK:




Let them eat single-layer cake!

Yesterday Hay had a hankerin' for cake, so we bought a single-layer chocolate cake with traditional frosting:



Here's the piece Hay cut just for me:



It was really pretty, but now it's in our tummies*. :)


*Ok, by now it's not in our tummies anymore, but it's gross and rude to talk about poop, especially when you're luring readers in by talking about eating something as yummy as single-layer chocolate cake with traditional frosting!

I'd like to borrow a Vowell

I've been waiting for Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation to be available at my library ever since it came out. I wasn't having high hopes for ever catching it on the shelf for the next several years at the rate it was being checked out.

Today I visited the library to pick up Cell by Stephen King, at Mishka's recommendation, but before walking to the King section I hopped onto a computer and looked up the call number for Sarah's book. By some small miracle, the book had been returned on time (its old due date was 2/25/2006) and it was still on the shelf! Of course, when I wandered over to the King section the only gaping hole in the section was where Cell should have been, so I was giddy about my backup plan.

I changed floors to where I was promised that Assassination Vacation would be waiting for me, and it actually was! So, I am now the proud borrower of the quirkiest book of one of my favorite authors and social observers. Yippy!

High School meme

Borrowing from P'nut who got it from our mutual blogrollee Mishka.

Year: 1989 1992 (dur!)


1. Who was your best friend?
Jim.

2. What sports did you play?
Whatever the gym teacher told me to play!

3. What kind of car did you drive?
Some AMC silver shiny car.

4. It's Friday night, where are you at?
At home chatting with my friends on a BBS. (Geeky nerd alert!)

5. Were you a party animal?
No.

6. Were you in the "In Crowd"?
I was in every crowd therefore no crowd.

7. Ever skip school?
No, I loved school. And the principal had a no tolerance policy for cutting class/school.

8. Ever smoke a cigarette?
Not that particular year.

9. Were you a nerd?
In certain circles, yes. In others I was looked at as an idiot. (That's what introversion does to a girl.)

10. Did you ever get suspended/expelled?
No! Although, I do have a vague recollection of visiting the detention room, but no memory of why (if I was just there for quiet time or if I was in trouble for something...)

11. Can you sing the Alma Mater?
Wait, did we have one?

12. Who was your favorite teacher?
Joe and Mr. P.

13. Favorite class?
Yearbook!

14. What was your school's full name?
I can't tell you that. (I'm with P'nut on that one.)

15. School mascot?
I could tell you, but it's unique enough that I'd have to kill you.

16. Did you go to Prom?
No (by choice).

17. Would you go back again and do it over?
Definitely!!

18. What do you remember most about graduation?
Mr. P and I jumping up and down, which was called “[insert my real nickname here]-ing” in my circle of friends.

19. Favorite memory of senior year?
Being Co-editor & Photographer for the Yearbook Staff. (Yah, me too P'nut!)

Update: Oops, I was a layout person. I was remembering photography from a special project we did in Computer Club. I guess my favorite memory is actually doing layouts and walking around with the photogs to take candid shots. :)

20. Were you ever posted on the senior wall?
What is that? If we had one I don't have any idea if I was.

21. Did you have a job your senior year?
Yah, school! (I was a hardcore student.)

22. Who did you date?
A boy I didn't love, another boy I didn't love, then a boy I loved. :)

24. Have you gained weight since then?
Yes, but have lost most of it.

25. What did you do after graduation?
Went to college and got a job at my school.

Drew Lachey in the limelight

I didn't watch any episodes of Dancing with the Stars, but Tabloid Whore! had a great write-up and some great video clips of Drew and his dance partner receiving two perfect scores so I was convinced to share the amazing performances. My only criticism, which has nothing to do with the performance, is Drew's comedic reaction (see second clip below) to being told his cowboy performance meant he was ready for the musical version of Brokeback Mountain. Way to be homophobic, dude... Otherwise, awesome stuff!

This is the best dance rendition of Thriller I think I'll see in my lifetime:

Paso Doble - Thriller


And for the cowboys and cowgirls out there, a little bit o' country:

Freestyle - Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy


Husky pug

My virtual running buddy Oregano, who incidentally is getting married to the love of his life very soon (yaaaaay!), saw my pug flickr group post and asked me “Are you a pug?” Turns out I am not a pug, but rather a Siberian husky:



I don't disagree that I am a space cadet, but I have a knack for remembering names (and any kind of numbers) so I'm a husky who'll remember your name but not what you told me five minutes ago. :)

(Yep, I edited that photo so it would fit in my blog but so you could still read the text. Sorry it's not as pretty as it should be.)

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Hammers and drugs don't mix.

MC Hammer has a blog! (Thanks, Gerard!)



And, neither Hammer nor Attu explicitly said not to do this, but I am: Don't do meth. It's bad for you. This is you...this is you on meth 1 year later.



Any questions?

Sunday discovery: Nickelback

I was listening to our local jack station in the car and heard Photograph which is a song I've always loved but didn't know who sang it. I finally wrote down the song so that I could look it up when I came back home. At home I listened to several songs from the All the Right Reasons album and decided I needed to buy the whole thing from the iTunes music store. I am now the proud owner of my first Nickelback album. :)

An Oprah lightbulb moment

She seriously says profound things without even trying. I was watching an episode of Campus Ladies (sorta similar to Strangers with Candy but not exactly) on Oxygen which finished and Oprah after the show came on. Oprah opened the after show about being in debt by trying to keep up with the Joneses with the following little gem:

“[E]verybody was born to do great things in their own life, and as long as you are trying to be somebody else you will never be what you were created to be.”

This is such great advice. I am not big on Oprah like I used to be, but I can appreciate when she's trying to help keep me on a good life path, and this is one of those times. It's time to live my life and not worry about the people around me making more money or having more tangible possessions. What was I born to do? Not make more money than my next door neighbor. I am here to be compassionate, accepting, and loving. That's me. Worrying about having money, prestige, filet mignon every night: Not me.

That said, who are you?

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Game on!


Looks like Katrina couldn't stop the best party in the world. I'm so glad New Orleans is rebuilding instead of remaining an aftermath wasteland. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that The Big Easy gets at least a century's break from any more natural disasters.

(I just watched 15 seconds of the Bourbocam and someone showed her boobs, hehe. :)

The queen of Fat Camp

Did anybody else catch Fat Camp on MTV last weekend? Did anyone else love and hate home-schooled Fat Camp-er Dianne at the very same time? FourFour has immortalized her with a lengthy tribute post. I sure hope we are given more opportunities to look into Dianne's life, she's strangely mesmerizing.



Rock on, little lady! ;)

Want to go to the same camp as Dianne to "lighten up" and sleep in her same bunk? Visit the Camp Shane website.
What Your Sleeping Position Says

You are calm and rational.
You are also giving and kind - a great friend.
You are easy going and trusting.
However, you are too sensible to fall for mind games.


You Are 56% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side.
Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.


Thanks, B! How hilarious that you are more evil than I am. ;)
ARE YOU HERE?
IS THIS YOU?






Peruse this collection of found photos. If you see yourself (or someone you know) contact the site owners who will then send you your photo back!

One of the photos on the site looks so much like me when I was younger that I had to click on the thumbnail for the larger image to see if it was me. It wasn't me, but the thumbnail is almost spot on!

99 and 44/100 percent impure

Hay got braces in January. Mine are still on too, so we're overlapping a bit in our braces-wearing endeavor. He recently told me that the extended purity test has a series of questions about kissing and being intimate with someone wearing braces. So, apparently he and I are now less pure simply because we have braces. :) That amuses me.

Friday, February 24, 2006

the monkey cartoon

As I promised earlier...


Click to see the full-sized version


*stfu, for those who don't know, means “shut the f|_|ck up” :)

stream of conscientiousness

I ate two donuts. Just now. I walked around A LOT today, and even though I had lunch at 12pm I was starving. I washed them down with water, so that's something. I guess I won't be having dessert tonight, or donuts for breakfast tomorrow. :P

Earlier I went to shut the stall door in the bathroom and the handle was wet. You know, like with someone else's pee. I realize people get a little excited when they're going to the bathroom, but if you have an accident in which you shoot pee onto the stall handle, could you kindly wipe it off so I don't know it ever happened? Merci bien!

I miss American Idol the days it's not on (such as today). I miss The Office the weeks it's not on (such as this week). I miss Hay the days I don't see him (such as when I am out of town, or such as when he is out of town).

I really want to take a nap. All that walking around today really just zonked me. Anyone else want to take a nap, too? We need a blogger nap room... I've got $50 virtual dollars to contribute to the cause. That should buy 1/12th of a couch?

If you're wondering why I don't talk about cheese or the furry kids much anymore it's because I say it all in the other blog. Please be sure to visit to at the very least catch up on the lives of Allie, Ripley, and Georgia. They like it when you care.

Hay is on his way to come pick me up. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Even those of you dead set against it. ;)

Learn something new everyday: Sex edition

Sex with a partner is 400% better

LOVERS know only too well that men usually need a "recovery period" after orgasm, and that sexual intercourse with orgasm is more satisfying than an orgasm from masturbation alone. Now scientists think the two phenomena might be linked.

Following orgasm, the hormone prolactin is released into the bloodstream in both men and women. The hormone makes us feel satiated by countering the effect of dopamine, which is released during sexual arousal.

Stuart Brody of the University of Paisley, UK, and Tillmann Krüger of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, measured blood prolactin levels in male and female volunteers who watched erotic films before engaging in masturbation or sexual intercourse to orgasm in the laboratory.

Surprisingly, after orgasm from sexual intercourse, the increase in blood prolactin levels is 400 per cent higher in both sexes compared with after orgasm from masturbation (Biological Psychology, vol 71, p 312).

This explains why orgasm from intercourse is more satisfying than masturbation, says Brody. Since elevated levels of prolactin have been linked to erectile dysfunction, this may also explain why most men need a recovery period after sex.
(New Scientist)

pug crazy

Thanks to city rag for introducing me to the flickr group Pugs in Hats :) So cute, I want to pinch their little cheeks and give them puppy kisses!!!!



Best movie of 1981: Looker

This movie haunts me. I love it. I used to watch it over and over again. Susan Dey's performance is wonderful, and I found the plot to be very intriguing for the time it was made. I doubt today's general movie-going audience would be wowed by it, but put your 80s shoes back on and give this movie a try (if you can find it!).

Plot summary via Moria/Richard Scheib:
Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr Larry Roberts becomes implicated in the murder of several models, all who have come to him requesting he make micro-surgical alterations to their features. Roberts realizes that model Cindy Fairmont is one of the next intended victims and tries to protect her. In so doing, he uncovers a scheme by an advertizing company to hypnotize TV viewers with pulses of light hidden in the on-screen images of models' eyes and to eliminate and replace the original models with computer-generated simulations.

Not that this is particularly exciting, but it's one of only two movies in which you can see The Partridge Family's Susan Dey nude.

monkey!

Two nights ago Hay and I had a small disagreement. I chose to go upstairs to cool off. I sat in the office/front bedroom and decided I wanted to draw a picture to get out my emotions. I ended up drawing a weird cartoon about an annoying monkey. Suffice it to say I was no longer mad after completing the drawing. I left it on the office desk and didn't think much more about it. The next morning Hay was sitting on the couch in the office. I sat down next to him and he said, "monkey?" I said, "huh?" He said, "monkey!" and then it occurred to me that he must have seen the drawing that was on the other side of the room. He thinks it's weird, too.

I took photos of the drawing this morning and plan to post one tonight. I'm weirdly creative - it makes no sense to me why I think the way I do, and how the way I think appears on paper.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

50/50

We guessed Becky and Bobby correctly.



Stevie and Patrick in place of the others is fine by me, as long as America continues to vote off the weaker folks instead of that nasty habit of voting off the best.

Entertaining Poppy

Movies Poppy has seen in 2006...
+ = a personal favorite
* = movies I recommend
@ = movies I definitely don't recommend


At the theater:
    Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby*
    Barnyard
    Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest@
    Clerks II*
    Nacho Libre*
    Cars (2006)
    - the pre-show short One Man Band deserves a *
    Over the Hedge
    The Shaggy Dog (2006)


On DVD:
    Miami Vice
    The Descent
    Lady in the Water
    Little Miss Sunshine**
    Elf (2003)*+
    The Wicker Man (2006)
    My Super Ex-Girlfriend
    Monster House
    Stay Alive
    The Final Cut
    The Da Vinci Code
    The Prairie Home Companion@
    Tristan and Isolde (2006)*
    One Body Too Many
    Reign of Fire (2002)
    Crash Test (the first 20 minutes, then I turned it OFF.)@@@@
    Superman Returns
    Body Double (1984)
    Fear (1996)
    Spellbound (2002)*
    Reservoir Dogs
    Bottle Rocket (1996)
    Strangers with Candy (2005)* (love Amy Sedaris!)
    Lewis Black: Unleashed
    Click (2006)
    Mission: Impossible III*
    Eddie Izzard: Definite Article*
    SLiTHER (2006)
    Broken Flowers*
    The Omen 666
    Lewis Black: Black on Broadway
    American Dreamz
    Eddie Izzard: Glorious
    Devil's Playground*
    Eddie Izzard: Circle
    *batteries not included
    The Proposition (2005, très violent)
    Thank You for Smoking
    X-Men: The Last Stand
    Mommie Dearest (Hollywood Royalty Edition)*+
    RV
    Banlieue 13, aka District B13 (US)
    LolliLove* (if you like mockumentaries)
    Lucky # Slevin*
    Stick It* (if you love women's gymnastics)
    The Benchwarmers* (if you love baseball)
    Eddie Izzard: Definite Article*
    Friends with Money
    Mindhunters (2004)*
    Japanese Story*
    King of the Zombies
    The Sentinel (2006)
    Zombie Honeymoon
    Dellamorte Dellamore, aka Cemetary Man
    Finding Nemo*
    Lady and the Tramp*
    Silent Hill@
    Poseidon (2006)
    Slipstream (1989)
    Brick
    Scary Movie 4
    (The) Slumber Party Massacre
    Inside Man*
    Good Neighbors: Complete Season 4: Disc 1, aka The Good Life (British title)*
    Good Neighbors: Complete Season 4: Disc 1, aka The Good Life (British title)*
    Good Neighbors: Complete Seasons 1-3: Disc 4, aka The Good Life (British title)*
    Undead (2003)*
    V for Vendetta*****+
    Day of the Dead
    Good Neighbors: Complete Seasons 1-3: Disc 3, aka The Good Life (British title)*
    Final Destination 3*
    Good Neighbors: Complete Seasons 1-3: Disc 2, aka The Good Life (British title)*
    Good Neighbors: Complete Seasons 1-3: Disc 1, aka The Good Life (British title)*
    Swimming Pool (2003)
    The Matador (2005)
    Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta (1986), aka Laputa: Castle in the Sky (US)
    Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi, aka Spirited Away (US)*
    Ultraviolet (2006)
    Stay
    À ma soeur!
    Underworld: Evolution
    Connections 2: Disc 1
    Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)*
    The Pink Panther (2006)
    16 Blocks
    Mystery Science Theater 3000: Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies, 1964
    The Brothers Grimm
    The Warriors (1979)
    Brokeback Mountain
    Hard-Boiled (1992)
    Hostel@
    Red Dwarf: Series 8, Disc 2 (the final episodes of the series)*
    Monster-in-Law*
    The Family Stone*
    Last Holiday
    Red Dwarf: Series 8, Disc 1*
    Kissing Jessica Stein*
    Fun with Dick and Jane
    Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
    Two Weeks Notice*+ (yup, again)
    Shopgirl (2005)
    Two Weeks Notice*+
    Zathura
    Donnie Darko*
    Corpse Bride* (watch the extras!)
    Red Dwarf: Series 7, Disc 3 (this one contains only bonus material)
    The Ice Harvest*
    Derailed@
    A History of Violence
    Domino (1995)
    The Name of the Rose
    The Weather Man
    The 40 Year Old Virgin*
    As Time Goes By: Reunion Specials*
    Red Dwarf: Series 7, Disc 2*
    Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit*
    Heavenly Creatures*
    CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Season 1, Disc 1*
    Bridget Jones's Diary*
    Fahrenheit 451 (1966, silly!)*+
    Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Lodger - A Story of the London Fog (1927)
    Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Sabotage (1936)
    Where the Truth Lies*
    The Cave@
    Red Dwarf: Series 7, Disc 1*
    Bully (2001)
    Wedding Crashers
    Red Eye (2005)
    Serenity (2005)*
    Firefly, the series*+
    2046*
    The Skeleton Key
    Sweet Sixteen (2002)@
    The Aristocrats (2005)
    The Transporter 2
    Flightplan
    Dark Water (2005)*
    Lord of War
    Cry_Wolf
    Sassy Sue@
    The Pigkeeper’s Daughter@
    The Producers (1968)*
    Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)*


On TV:
    Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
    Freaky Friday (2003)
    The Fifth Element
    Just Like Heaven (2005)
    A History of Violence (2005)
    Superstar (1999)
    The Transporter 2
    Jingle All the Way
    War of the Worlds (2005)
    Pride & Prejudice
    Groundhog Day*+
    Elf*
    Funny Farm*
    Raising Helen
    Tsunami: The Aftermath
    Reality Bites
    Must Love Dogs
    Kingdom of Heaven
    Cheaper by the Dozen 2
    The Wedding Singer*+
    The 40 Year Old Virgin*
    Madagascar*
    The Constant Gardener*
    Melinda and Melinda
    Thin*
    Prime*
    Cadence
    Friday the 13th*
    The Island
    Coach Carter
    Raising Arizona*+
    North Country*
    Batman*
    You Got Served
    In Her Shoes
    My Summer of Love*
    Mom and Dad Save the World
    Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story
    Titanic (the second half, which is feature-length in itself)
    National Lampoon's Animal House
    National Lampoon's Vacation*+
    Shaun of the Dead*+
    I, Robot
    A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
    Ocean's Twelve
    The Chronicles of Riddick*
    Independence Day (1996)
    Batman Begins*
    A Home at the End of the World
    Napoleon Dynamite*
    (I finally “get it” after seeing it twice)
    The Perfect Man (2005)
    Star Trek: The Motion Picture*
    Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
    She's the One
    Father of the Bride
    How I Got Into College
    9 to 5*+
    He Said, She Said (1991)*
    My Flesh and Blood*
    The Goonies*
    The Neverending Story*
    Jersey Girl*
    Wisdom
    The Wedding Date
    Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantasy Island*
    Touch of Pink
    Sling Blade*
    PCU
    Surviving Christmas
    Regarding Henry
    Single White Female*
    Picture Perfect
    The War of the Roses*+
    Fat Albert (2004)
    Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead*+
    Catwoman
    The Dentist 2@
    Hide and Seek (2005)
    She-Devil (1989)*+
    Wonderland (2003)
    Foul Play (1978)
    A Cinderella Story
    Wishcraft
    Crossworlds
    Taxi (2004)
    The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love*
    Scary Movie 3*
    High Art (1998)*
    The Con (1998)
    Kill Me Later
    Heathers*
    The Faculty (1998)
    Agnes of God*
    Futureworld
    Reconstruction (2003)
    Galaxy Quest*
    Wicked Stepmother
    See Jane Date*
    Sin noticias de Dios (Don't Tempt Me)*
    Infection (2004, Kansen)

I'll continue to add to this as I watch more movies. (Did I even need to say that? No, I didn't think so either. Ah, well, whatcha gonna do? What's said is said.)

If you'd like to see the 2005 list of movies I saw go here.

New Ben & Jerry's flavors for 2006

Borrowed from the wonderful Ben & Jerry's site:

Pints

Black & Tan
Cream stout ice cream swirled with chocolate ice cream

Neapolitan Dynamite
Cherry Garcia and Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice creams, side by side

Turtle Soup
Vanilla ice cream with fudge & caramel cashews & a caramel swirl

Vermonty Python
Coffee liqueur ice cream with a chocolate cookie crumb swirl & fudge cows



Sorbet

Berried Treasure
Chunky Blueberry and Blackberry Sorbet Swirled with Zesty Lemon Sorbet

Jamaican Me Crazy
Chunky Pineapple sorbet with a passion fruit swirl

Strawberry Kiwi Swirl
Chunky Strawberry sorbet swirled with kiwi sorbet



Bars

Vanilla Original Ice Cream
Vanilla ice cream with a milk chocolate coating



The Cone

Cherry Garcia
Unique waffle cone filled with Cherry ice cream with sweet dark cherries and topped with fudge chunks

Cookie Dough
Unique waffle cone filled with Vanilla Ice Cream with a Cookie Dough Swirl and fudge chunks, topped with
fudge chunks.



Only at your local Scoop Shop

Bananas on the Rum
Banana ice cream with a buttery rum brown sugar swirl

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl
Milk chocolate ice cream with a thick peanut butter swirl

Lemonade Sorbet
(B&J's simple description: Lemon sorbet)

Vanilla Fudge Chip No Sugar Added
Vanilla ice cream, sweetened with Splenda Brand Sweetener, with fudge chips

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

AI guys and our picks to GO

My American Idol men picks: Chris and Ace (the new Constantine, har har). I really liked Bucky, too, but I'm concerned he's hurting his vocal cords to give us what we want, and having some idea of what it's like to sing incorrectly and injure your voice I just cannot condone that. Sorry, sweetie, try out Simon's suggestion for next week.

I guess Elliott's voice is good, but his image creeps me the f out the door.

The four we think will go home tomorrow: Kellie, Becky, Bobby, and Will, although we'll accept David in Will's place.

Against all odds

Many of my family members are on medications for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and general maladies related directly to obesity. My cholesterol is "fantastic" (the doctor's word), my bp is below normal, my resting pulse is average, my weight is almost within normal range for my heigh, and I don't smoke. I'm living until I'm 92. Take that, family history! :)

Bully, part 2

I thought this movie sounded familiar, like a crime I'd heard about that happened in real life, yet I could not find anything on the box to tell me so. Does it not make it worse that this was completely based on a true story?! (It totally makes it much worse.) The back of the box sure didn't give that away:

Acclaimed director Larry Clark delivers his most powerful fiml since Kids. Marty is a tormented surfer who, despite vicious abuse, relies on his longtime pal, Bobby, for rides to the beach and local South Florida bars. When Bobby turns his unwanted attention to Marty's new girlfriend Lisa and her best friend Ally, Lisa decides Bobby's reign of terror must end. Assembling a crew of alienated suburban teens, she forms a deadly plan to get Bobby out of the way once and for all. As the conspiracy unfolds, friends turn into enemies and casual acquaintances become co-defendants to a murder that rocked America to its core.


I found pictures of the real people in the Special Features section of the DVD which is what tipped me off to this being a true story. In retrospect I see how that very last bit of the very last sentence was meant to tell me this is based on a true story, but it also could have just meant that the story shows that America as a character in the film (like "the nation") is shocked.

At the end of the film the sentences for each of the people involved with Bobby's death are shown. Marty's is listed as death by electric chair. On the Florida state inmate population site Marty's listed status is life in prison along with Donny and Hitman. Lisa, the mastermind of the plan, is said to have received life in prison for her involvement in the crime, but in actuality she served approximately 10 years then was released in 2004.

I'm still blown away that this was a true story. Much worse than Kids could have ever hoped to be.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Bully

Has anyone else seen this movie? To state it bluntly, this film is pretty fucking sick and twisted. Drug abuse, rape, brutal violence – all among a group of teenagers. I'm left
wondering just who I was supposed to be rooting for, if any of the characters have any redeeming qualities other than Lisa's mother, and what lesson I was supposed to take away. Am I supposed to think that no matter how hard I tried to be a great parent, supportive in my child's endeavors, trying to keep bad influences away from them, that my kid is going to be a devil spawn that spends her days getting knocked up, knocked out, and drugged out of her skull? Oh, and maybe raped once in a while by someone she'll then plot to have killed? I was watching this film with my headphones on while Hay talked to his parents on the phone and I actually needed to pause it to check back in with reality only to realize that I was super angry, taking everything the wrong way, ready to get into a physical fight if anyone tried to mess with me (yah, like that's gonna happen...). If you've seen it I'd really appreciate your comment about it. Did you just think it was a messed up movie, or did you actually learn something from it? Did you feel ashamed, disgusted, fearful, enraged, bitter, amped, ...?

Why would you dedicate that to your parents?

Okay, so Mandisa and Paris broughted it. My girl Paris is my American Idol despite her wild eyes and boppin' around a little too much, but her performance is always perfect. And Mandisa had a great performance tonight. I hope she can keep it up and doesn't have any Frenchy-like secrets in her closet to get her kicked off the show.

What's up with this Heather Cox girl dedicating a song to her parents in which one of the lyrics is "every time you touch me"?! That's a NO, GO, TELL moment, girl! Yikes...

Monday, February 20, 2006

That's what I ordered?! Whoops...

I just spent almost the entire President's Day holiday doing paperwork for reimbursement. Gimme my money!

I did leave briefly with Hay for lunch. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I ordered a dish I never would eat when in my right mind. When the plate arrived I had this horrified look on my face, confirmed that the dish was what I ordered, which I realized it was as the words came out of my mouth, then for the rest of the time I was there the server (who was also the bartender) attempted to appease me. If I order the wrong thing please don't try to make this your problem, Ms. Bartender. I made my bed, I lie in it, and I still tip well so no worries. I felt so bad for opening my mouth. This event will never happen again. Even though lunch was not awesome the company was wonderful (yes, I love that husband of mine :) and we went to Olive Garden to pick up our favorite Black Tie Mousse Cake dessert for later.

Hope you had a happy and/or productive President's Day!

Sunday, February 19, 2006

le stop

Found this when doing a search for my tax document on my drive using OS X Tiger's spotlight feature:



Weird. No recollection of where I picked it up...

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Serenity now!

We finished watching Firefly last night, so tonight we get to watch Serenity! I am soooooooooooo excited!


Photo cred: Dragon*Con

Oh, and for the fans out there, Moxie posted over at Not Safe for Children about a River Tam/Summer Glau video. Scaaaa-ry!

Friday, February 17, 2006

spot on

Wow. I found this quiz via Candyland and it's so accurate that I'm in awe...

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion:
You have low extroversion.
You are quiet and reserved in most social situations.
A low key, laid back lifestyle is important to you.
You tend to bond slowly, over time, with one or two people.


Conscientiousness:
You have medium conscientiousness.
You're generally good at balancing work and play.
When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.
But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.


Agreeableness:
You have medium agreeableness.
You're generally a friendly and trusting person.
But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism.
You get along well with others, as long as they play fair.


Neuroticism:
You have medium neuroticism.
You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic.
Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy.
Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of.


Openness to experience:
Your openness to new experiences is medium.
You are generally broad minded when it come to new things.
But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it.
You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.


*snort*

Yah, riiiiiiiiiight...


Poppy Cede --

[noun]:

A real life terminator



'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com


Thanks, Lil!

for the tini drinkers in the house ;)

You Are A Blueberry Martini

You are an eclectic drink - liking to change drinks and venues often.

You are usually the first of your friends to find a cool new dive bar or cocktail.

You should never: Drink mystery drinks strangers hand you. Unless you want to wind up in a foreign country.

Your ideal party: Is mobile, hopping from party to party.

Your drinking soulmates: Those with an Orange Martini personality.

Your drinking rivals: Those with a Chocolate Martini personality.

how embarrasing, part 2

The PJ's You Are Most Like: His Shirt

You're a loyal and caring girlfriend who can't get enough of her man
So much so that you love to have him with you 24-7
And when he's gone, wearing his shirt is the next best thing


I don't often wear Hay's clothes, but I do hang out with him as much as possible. When I was younger and dating I totally did wear my boyfriend's or f-buddy's clothes so I could obsess about him, preferably with his scent on it. Murr.

No squirrel poems

Not surprising, and embarrasingly so, all of my poems from that college poetry class were about sex with my roommate at the time except a boring one about my best guy friend in college and this one, which is about a rabbit (not a squirrel, sorry to disappoint everyone including me):
    Villanelle du lapin

    She walks the floor, her cautious eyes aware
    of me. She turns her head and sees the way
    my hand is dancing on the hallway stair.

    She sits and wonders, thinking “do I dare?”
    She runs to me and bats my hand in play;
    she walks the floor, her cautious eyes aware.

    My hand continues dancing as the hare
    begins to strike at me again, But hey,
    my hand is dancing on the hallway stair

    and if I didn't want to pay the fare
    I shouldn't tease the bunny on this day.
    She walks the floor, her cautious eyes aware.

    I start to move my hand away from where
    it rests but Bunny wants my hand to stay!
    My hand is dancing on the hallway stair.

    And so I lay my hand with utmost care
    upon the bunny's cozy nest of hay.
    She walks the floor, her cautious eyes aware:
    my hand is dancing on the hallway stair.

I have no recollection of what this poetry style is really called, but it should be called dog-freakin'-awful-yo poetry. Just terrible.

If you want some good poetry you should encourage Bdogg to post hers! You can tell from her pout* that she has a true gift, even though she plays like she's bad at it. Doesn't her mouth in this photo kinda remind you of TJ? Yah, I knew you thought so, too!

---
*Please click that link so you'll realize why she's making that face. It has to do with patience, and she's adorable. :)

unpregnant craving

I would really like a cheese sandwich right now. Swiss with mustard or swiss with mayo, onions, pickles, and banana peppers. (What about lettuce?) No lettuce. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Another look at Baby V

You may recall that Vonzell Solomon was a top 3 finalist in last year's American Idol competition. Baby V did not become our next American Idol, but she deserves some credit for having the total package - image, personality, and incredible singing ability. Her official site offers her pre-Idol CD for purchase as well as information about concernts, appearances, and the recording of her next album on an independent label. I personally think she's someone who deserves to succeed in the music business. Her next appearance is, ironically enough, on psycho Tyra Banks's daytime talk show next Friday. I sure hope Baby V just performs and doesn't need to talk to the crazy lady...


Photo cred: Tyra / Vonzell

Somebody's watchin' me

Whenever I am doing the following activities I get a sense that I am being watched by close-circuit camera, so I try to ham it up a bit:
  • taking a shower alone
      ham activity: try to move around seductively and bat my eyelashes

  • singing in the car alone
      ham activity: change pitch/keys to show my voice range, sing all the words with clear enunciation very loudly and with a smile on my face

  • eating alone at restaurants
      ham activity: look around at everyone without really looking, eat slowly, look like I'm having fun, read the menu with a furrowed brow

  • going to the movies alone
      ham activity: choose an aisle seat in the middle of the theater to show that I am not ashamed to be alone, laugh heartily or gasp loudly as called for by the events on the screen

  • walking down the street alone
      ham activity: wear a purpose-drive expression on my face, keep a brisk yet somehow leisurely pace, read something with a furrowed brow, continually check the time on my imaginary watch

(Have you noticed a pattern yet? :) No one has ever admitted to filming my activities, but it definitely makes solo activities seem much more interesting if I assume I am being observed.

For Thérèse

I am posting this for Thérèse in hopes that it might stop her sister from poking her in the boobs. (Yah, I dunno, don't ask me.)


Source: Medieval Chain Mail Armor

pas de bohème poème

Hi, happy Friday! I hope...

I thought all night about going down into the basement to retrieve the red binder. I was even down there to scoop poopies and watch Georgie pee! But, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'll dig it out this weekend. It's sitting on top of a box, so there's actually no digging involved. Sad. That's how pathetic the poetry is. There's one about a squirrel, though! And, in that class I had to also write stories, so I might publish my pigeon story, the catalyst for which was a real event in my life. I admit it - I love squirrels, pigeons, seagulls, mice, rats (okay, not love but at least like), and anything else commonly thought of as a varmint animal. But, don't ask me about bugs. I can't. No. Not the bugs. Go away. No. Shoo!

Thursday, February 16, 2006

bohème poème

I'm awful at writing poetry. A few months back I found my English poetry class binder from college. I reread all the poems. Just terrible. Really bad. None of them make any sense, even after multiple revisions and class feedback and feedback from the prof. Ugh. I'll dig one out for you later. Just ridiculous stuff. I thought I was so ...clever and abstruse (but in a literary, stuffy, vous do not understahnd moi kind of way). Nope. Straight up badness.

I think I might cry

The Celebrity Blog reports:
Celebrities like Jessica Simpson, Jack Johnson*, Westlife, Ms Dynamite and The Pussycat Dolls have been named the worst musicians of the past year. The Naomi Awards, organized by British digital broadcaster Music Choice, branded Simpson the Worst International Female Solo Artist and Johnson the Worst International Male Solo Artist, while Westlife were the biggest ‘losers’ this year, receive the Worst International Group and Worst International Album and a special award for Outstandingly Bad Contribution To Music.

Rapper Ms Dynamite was named Worst Urban Act, while sexy six-piece The Pussycat Dolls took the Worst International Breakthrough Artist title.

*Jack Johnson? Que la freakando f? He rocks! I don't care about those other people, but Jack's my boy. Aww, that's just sad. I heard him sing Sitting, Waiting, Wishing live and it was awesome, so I really don't know what the f Music Choice is thinking. Maybe his voice doesn't ring right in the UK...

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

bok choy

Poppy loves bok choy in her wonton soup. She thought you'd like to know that. :)

I created a virtual person via The Generator Blog, answering all the questions as if the virtual person were me, and came up with the following virtual woman:

    Name: Ivy
    Gender: Female
    Age: 41
    Eyes: Deep Blue
    Star Sign: Taurus
    Marital Status: Married
    Height: 5, 11
    Weight: 150lbs
    Occupation: Farmer
    Favorite Actor: Steve McQueen
    Favorite Actress: Jennifer Lopez
    Favorite Movie: Pulp Fiction
    Favorite Food: meatloaf
    Favorite Color: Salmon


Ohhhhhkay there, pal-y.

itchy

Anyone want to take a guess as to why Poppy's arm is all disgusting?





(I know the answer, just giving you the chance to be creative.)

fleurs~de~me

One of Hay's gifties to me yesterday:



I happened to mention the other day my obsession with the color pink so he decided not to get me a traditional bunch of roses. He's such a sweetie. :)

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

take the psi-q psychic test yourself

Happy heart-shaped/phallic banana day!


Tattooed Banana Blog


And, to continue with our phallic theme...


Which random phallic object are you?
Quiz by Andrea.


How appropriate that Poppy is a popsicle! :D

SAAAAAARSGAAAAAAAAARD!

Happy heart day, especially to all you Peter Sarsgaard fans who want to see the SNL pirate skit over and over and over again. ;)



AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR! :D

O Captain, My Captain

I have learned something about myself this week that has been right in front of my face all this time, but I never chose to acknowledge it: I take things personally.

If someone does something that has an impact on me directly, I assume it was done intentionally to upset me or to use me or to have some sort of negative effect on me. I don't want to be this way anymore. I want to act like an adult, not like a childlike "victim". I'm working on ways to change my thought processes so that when situations arise in the future I will not assume the victim role. It's tiring, it's damaging to my self esteem, it's counter-productive, and it likely damages the personal or professional relationship between myself and the other party. I need to fix this part of my personality before it's "too late" and I alienate everyone around me.

The fine line I have yet to let go is that I also don't want to be walked all over, so I'm getting stuck on the concern that if I give up the victim game I'm also giving up my sense of what is right and wrong for myself. I don't know if I'm on the right path yet, but the first step is acknowledging the problem, so I'm at least to that point.

Monday, February 13, 2006

a severely dumb question

Please don't look at me that way. I don't like asking any more than I like you knowing that I feel dumb about this.

Is it illegal to be drunk in public?

like wildfire

This multi-touch screen demo is making its way around the Internets today:



It's patented by Apple, and is thought to be the pre-cursor to a TabletMac, but let us not put the cart before the horsie.

Bombay TV movie generator

I'm not feeling very creative, but I bet you are. Make a Bombay TV movie then enter the link address in the comments section. Need an example? See Gerard from Presurfer's movie!

cinq-a

Finally, the meme that B tagged me for! Surprise, surprise, since B and I are similar people I stole a bunch of her answers.

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:
1) St. Peter’s Helpers
2) SFO Mom
3) Minivan Mom
4) Bdogg McGee
5) Poppy Cedes

Select Five People To Tag:
1) Kim (yes, you're first again :P )
2) Mel
3) Stef
4) Lil
5) Melissa.in.London

What Were You Doing 10 Years Ago?
Drinking my ass off (21, legal!), cheating on my long-distance boyfriend with my hot roommate, realizing I wasn't smart enough to continue with a pre-vet degree, living with my friends in a deathtrap apartment which I almost burned down once by mistake.

What Were You Doing A Year Ago?
Turning the big 3-0 and psyched about it, experiencing the beginning grief of an injured back.

Five Snacks You Enjoy:
1. Cheese
2. Chocolate
3. Ice cream
4. Cheez Doodles
5. Popcorn

Five Songs You Know All The Words To:
1. Ana Ng, They Might Be Giants
2. Grade 9, Barenaked Ladies
3. Pretty much any 70s or 80s song I ever heard before the age of 15 when my brain started filling up with other useless information...
4. Beautiful World, Colin Hay
5. Naked Eye, Luscious Jackson

Five Things You Would Do If You Were A Millionare:
1. Pay off all our debts
2. Invest some of it
3. Finishing paying off our house and pay someone else to clean it!!!
4. Travel
5. Purchase the York Beach, Maine Zoo, and maybe the Ogunquit Theater and Movie Theater, and maybe a house on Long Sands. Lots of purchases in that area of Maine. :D

Five Bad Habits:
1. Being short-tempered
2. Not exercising
3. Procrastinating
4. Messiness
5. Talking over people

Five Things You Enjoy Doing:
1. Reading
2. Blogging
3. Traveling
4. Snuggling with Hay and the kittos
5. Soaking in a hot bath

Five Things You Will Never Wear Again:
1. A dress made by my former employer (maker of women's clothing)
2. A nametag for anything other than a conference
3. Any clothes from ex-boyfriends
4. Sweaters with pompoms
5. Knickers (Those half-length pant things)

Five Favorite Toys:
1. Hay
2. Big screen TV/DVD/DVR
3. iPod
4. My laptop
5. My riding lawn mower

close call

I changed my password for Blogger yesterday then promptly forgotted it. Since my email listed on my account page is modified so that I won't get spam to my address I couldn't get Blogger to send me an email with a password change option. Luckily I just came out of my panic haze and remembered the password. Would it not have been sad to have to no longer post here just because I forgot my password? Yikes... I guess I'd have a lot of free time. :D

Sunday, February 12, 2006

quickies

B tagged me for a meme, and I've started to do it but I'm having a hard time thinking of some of the answers, so....it will be published eventually, just not quite yet.

I found out today that we now have a channel devoted to documentaries: DOC - The Documentary Channel. I love documentaries, so have set up a ton of recordings for the next week. P-syched!

We are starting the Firefly series right now since Serenity arrived from Netflix on Friday. Yip yip!

I have finished searching through the blogroll for dead/new addy links. There were a few sites I made a judgment call about - if you've been blogging for a few years and haven't posted in 4 months you're not off the roll. If you started blogging 6 months ago and haven't posted for 4 months you're in the graveyard. Such is life. If I took anyone off the roll who should go back on it, leave me a comment. Or, if you have new blogs to suggest please follow in the blogsteps of the magnificent Helen and leave me the addy in a comment. Thanks!! :)

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Click this link

C'mon, do it, I promise it won't hurt. Click me.

(Thanks, ZenGrrl, teehee. 8.)

Saturday, February 11, 2006

clappy hands!

I can finally see PopSugar from home again! Woooohoooo!

memo

From: Lori of Lori's Life
To: Poppy Cede of Poppy Cedes
Cc: All bloggers of their respective blogs
Subject: A meme

1) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.
“The Internet is full of inconsequential personal web pages, as many people seem to embrace the absence of a private, inaccessible dimension to their lives.” -- In the Age of Distraction (How positively ironic...)

2) Stretch your left arm out as far as you can and see what you touch.
My glass of ice water

3) What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Miami Ink

4) Without looking, guess what time it is.
11:10pm

5) Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
11:14pm

6) With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
Fulltime Killers on IFC

7) When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
I went out last Saturday to watch my co-worker's daughter in the lead role of a play.

8) Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
Lushly Alive

9) What are you wearing?
Jeans, t-shirt, Busch Gardens sweatshirt, W-t-P slippers (natch!)

10) Did you dream last night?
I did, but I don't remember what about.

11) When did you last laugh?
Before the fight at the McD's drive-thru (Hay and I always fight there).

I went to bed at this point, so today's a new day...

12) What is on the walls of the room you are in?
An oil painting of the ocean view from a beach

13) Seen anything weird lately?
I see something weird every day

14) What do you think of this quiz?
Until now I thought it was good. I don't appreciate conceited questions.

15) What is the last film you saw?
2046

16) If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
The York Beach Zoo

17) Tell me something about you that I don't know.
I get very mad when people don't listen to me. Very. Rage.

18) If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
No more war.

19) Do you like to dance?
No

20) George Bush
A sad, confused, incompetent man who doesn't understand that in our country religion and politics are separated on purpose.

21) Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Popette

22) Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
Hay, Jr

23) Would you ever consider living abroad?
Yes, I have considered it already.

I have removed question 24.

Friday, February 10, 2006

Number 1 Single

Dearest Lisa Loeb,

If you are reading my blog: I love your new show. You are so gorgeous! And, you are a wonderful person at the very same time! I love your hard edge while at the same time your adoration of the color pink and Hello Kitty. Why no one has snatched you up yet is beyond me.

I wish I had a single friend to set you up with. I do, however, know a hardcore Hello Kitty fan or two, so if you need more HK friends drop me a comment. :)

Kisses,
Poppy

Thank you, James.

You have won me back over. Coming clean is all we ever wanted you to do. You're back on the good side. :)

A Million Little Pieces is about my memories of my time in a drug and alcohol treatment center. As has been accurately revealed by two journalists at an Internet Web site, and subsequently acknowledged by me, during the process of writing the book, I embellished many details about my past experiences, and altered others in order to serve what I felt was the greater purpose of the book. I sincerely apologize to those readers who have been disappointed by my actions.

I first sat down to write the book in the spring of 1997. I wrote what is now the first forty pages of it. I stopped because I didn’t feel ready to continue to do it, didn’t think I was ready to express some of the trauma I had experienced. I started again in the fall of 2000. I had been working in the film industry and was deeply unsatisfied with what I was doing. I had wanted to write books and was writing films. I saved enough money to give myself eighteen months to write the book.

I didn’t initially think of what I was writing as nonfiction or fiction, memoir or autobiography. I wanted to use my experiences to tell my story about addiction and alcoholism, about recovery, about family and friends and faith and love, about redemption and hope. I wanted to write, in the best-case scenario, a book that would change lives, would help people who were struggling, would inspire them in some way. I wanted to write a book that would detail the fight addicts and alcoholics experience in their minds and in their bodies, and detail why that fight is difficult to win. I wanted to write a book that would help the friends and family members of addicts and alcoholics understand that fight.

A Million Little Pieces is about my memories of my time in a drug and alcohol treatment center. As has been accurately revealed by two journalists at an Internet Web site, and subsequently acknowledged by me, during the process of writing the book, I embellished many details about my past experiences, and altered others in order to serve what I felt was the greater purpose of the book. I sincerely apologize to those readers who have been disappointed by my actions.

I first sat down to write the book in the spring of 1997. I wrote what is now the first forty pages of it. I stopped because I didn’t feel ready to continue to do it, didn’t think I was ready to express some of the trauma I had experienced. I started again in the fall of 2000. I had been working in the film industry and was deeply unsatisfied with what I was doing. I had wanted to write books and was writing films. I saved enough money to give myself eighteen months to write the book.

I didn’t initially think of what I was writing as nonfiction or fiction, memoir or autobiography. I wanted to use my experiences to tell my story about addiction and alcoholism, about recovery, about family and friends and faith and love, about redemption and hope. I wanted to write, in the best-case scenario, a book that would change lives, would help people who were struggling, would inspire them in some way. I wanted to write a book that would detail the fight addicts and alcoholics experience in their minds and in their bodies, and detail why that fight is difficult to win. I wanted to write a book that would help the friends and family members of addicts and alcoholics understand that fight.

As I wrote, I worked primarily from memory. I also used supporting documents, such as medical records, therapists’ notes, and personal journals,when I had them, and when they were relevant. I wanted the stories in the book to ebb and flow, to have dramatic arcs, to have the tension that all great stories require. I altered events and details all the way through the book. Some of those include my role in a train accident that killed a girl from my school. While I was not, in real-life, directly involved in the accident, I was profoundly affected by it. Others involved jail time I served, which in the book is three months, but which in reality was only several hours, and certain criminal events, including an arrest in Ohio, which was embellished. There has been much discussion, and dispute, about a scene in the book involving a root-canal procedure that takes place without anesthesia. I wrote that passage from memory, and have medical records that seem to support it. My account has been questioned by the treatment facility, and they believe my memory may be flawed.

In addition, names and identifying characteristics of all the treatment patients in the book and all of the facility’s employees, characteristics including occupations, ages, places of residence, and places and means of death, were changed to protect the anonymity of those involved in this period in my life. This was done in the spirit of respecting every individual’s anonymity, which is something we were urged to do while in treatment, and to continue to do after we left.

I made other alterations in my portrayal of myself, most of which portrayed me in ways that made me tougher and more daring and more aggressive than in reality I was, or I am. People cope with adversity in many different ways, ways that are deeply personal. I think one way people cope is by developing a skewed perception of themselves that allows them to overcome and do things they thought they couldn’t do before. My mistake, and it is one I deeply regret, is writing about the person I created in my mind to help me cope, and not the person who went through the experience.

There is much debate now about the respective natures of works of memoir, nonfiction, and fiction. That debate will likely continue for some time. I believe, and I understand others strongly disagree, that memoir allows the writer to work from memory instead of from a strict journalistic or historical standard. It is about impression and feeling, about individual recollection. This memoir is a combination of facts about my life and certain embellishments. It is a subjective truth, altered by the mind of a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. Ultimately, it’s a story, and one that I could not have written without having lived the life I’ve lived.

I never expected the book to become as successful as it has, to sell anywhere close to the number of copies it has sold. The experience has been shocking for me, incredibly humbling, and at times terrifying. Throughout this process, I have met thousands of readers, and heard from many thousands more, who were deeply affected by the book, and whose lives were changed by it. I am deeply sorry to any readers who I have disappointed and I hope these revelations will not alter their faith in the book’s central message—that drug addiction and alcoholism can be overcome, and there is always a path to redemption if you fight to find one. Thirteen years after I left treatment, I’m still on the path, and I hope, ultimately, I’ll get there.

James Frey


This is from his site which doesn't have an archive of posts, so I didn't want to show you only part of the post then point you back to his site where you might not be able to see this post in the future.
I got this from Mel who tagged us all :)

What color are your kitchen plates?
White plates with apples

What book are you reading?
I don't recall the title, but it's about stress management.  I'm trying to improve myself. :)

What is on your mouse pad?
I use a trackpad, no mousepad.

Favorite board game?
I love Stratego even though I totally suck at it.

Favorite smell?
The ocean

Least favorite smell?
Deadness

What is the first thing you think of when you get up in the morning?
“Where are the cats?”

Favorite color?
Green in theory, blue to wear

Least favorite color?
Baby turd

How many rings until you answer the phone?
As many as it takes to get to the damn thing (stolen from Mel)

Future child's name?
Popette or Hay Jr. :D

Chocolate or vanilla?
Chocolate most of the time, but sometimes only vanilla will do.

Do you like to drive fast?
Eh, I do what I do.

Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
Nope

Do you like thunder storms?
Yes

What was your first car?
I don't remember, but it was tiny and silver

What is your sign of the zodiac?
Rawr

Do you eat the stems of broccoli?
Yes, although I don't care much for them

If you could have any job, what would it be?
Vet, or running an animal rescue league (sounds good, Mel!)

If you could have any color hair?
Silver (I get giddy when I find a grey hair)

Is the glass half full, or half empty?
Full with a smidge of empty

Favorite movie?
I can't answer that.  I'd be hurting the feelings of all the other movies.

Do you type with your fingers on the right keys?
Yup.

What's under your bed?
A futon mattress.

What is your favorite number?
4

Favorite sports to watch?
Women's tennis, women's gymnastics, and women's billiards tie for top spot.

Your single biggest intense pain?
It is yet to be had.

Ketchup or mustard?
Either/both

Hamburger or hot dogs?
Burger

What is your favorite season?
Summer

The best places that you have ever been?
A tie: York Beach, Maine; Quebec City, Quebec, Canada; Reading, England; Liège, Belgium

What screen saver is on your computer right now?
The Cosmos

Favorite fast food?
Taco Bell or Wendy's ...oh wait, is Subway fast food?  How about them, or any sandwich shop!

Biggest regret?
Hmm, I'm not sure.  I've said before how my life might have turned out differently if anything were changed, so I don't want to regret things that have been negative because I'm enjoying my life in the present.

Greatest accomplishment?
It clearly hasn't happened yet since I can't think of an answer.

Your full name:
Poppy Milicent Cede

sexy jack carmen braces paris zoom web junk 20

It makes me very happy to know that people are reaching my blog via a healthy mix of keyword searches:

stupidity wrapped up in a bun then deep fried

It amuses me to no end that people sign up for electronic mailing lists, then when they're sick of getting the mail from the list they have the audacity to send a message with the subject "take me off this list, all the posts are junk and it's cluttering up my inbox" as if to say that everyone on the list is responsible for this person's traumatic experience and that we all must band together to help this poor soul unsubscribe for the list. Nope. Remember that email you got when you signed up for the list that said "SAVE THIS MESSAGE FOREVER, IT INCLUDES INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE"? Yah, you were supposed to keep that one. You got yourself onto the list, you get yourself off. Dumbass.

Okay, I'm all done. :D

Thursday, February 09, 2006

dead dead deadski

I've been going through the blogroll to see which blogs are no longer in existence or being updated, and it's been a fairly depressing process. The blog graveyard list was getting so long that I decided to hide it from publication. If you view the source code of my blog you can see the full list, but otherwise just know there are dozens of blogs that were in my blogroll that are now closed for business, and I'm only up to the C's*. Sad. C'est la vie, c'est la guerre...

*If you view the blogroll you'll see dead blogs that start with letters in the alphabet past C, but those are from olden times when I would randomly click through the blogroll. Now my method is to go to each blog in order to check its pulse.

Sequel

The Dark Crystal is about to be sequeled:
The Jim Henson Co. has set Genndy Tartakovsky to direct "Power of the Dark Crystal," sequel to 1982 fantasy film "The Dark Crystal."

Tartakovsky, who created the animated series hits "Samurai Jack," "Dexter's Laboratory" and "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," will involve his Orphanage Animation Studios to take the lead on the CG animation elements for the puppet-driven film. (Variety)

Thanks to Bad News Blonde for posting the info. :)

tick tock

You don't need to like Gorillaz or Madonna to respect this as an incredible performance:



Very well done. This is from last night's Grammy awards show which I didn't watch but Perez had been hyping the performance since before there had been confirmation that Madonna was the opening act, so I was curious enough to check it out. It was much more than I ever expected.

PS - Dare is my favorite Gorillaz video/song of all time. :)

learn something new every day

Three things I learned in the doctor's office this morning:
  1. Before a blood draw drink plenty of water to make your vein “juicy” which prevents the need for multiple needle stabs
  2. The stomach muscles are connected to the back, so doing stomach tightening/strengthening exercises helps to relieve back pain
  3. It is possible to lose weight even in the winter (I lost 3 more pounds since my visit a month ago!)

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Best line evah

Me: *placing water bottle on floor*
Client: “Oh, please don't put your water bottle on the floor. People with radioisotopes on their shoes walk there.”
Me: “Erm, okay, is it still safe for me to drink it now?”
Client: “Oh, yes, you should be fine.”

Hehehehe. I'm so going to die from drinking radioisotopes. :) That amuses me.

blueberry



I must insist that you click on this one to see its full beauty. Right?! Right!

That put a smile on my face!

You Are a Natural Beauty!

You're the kind of beauty that every guy dreams about...
One that looks good in the morning - without a stich of makeup
That's doesn't mean you're a total hippie chic though
You have style, but for you, style is effortless


Thanks, B. :)

Solid

Today's playlist to get me motivated for work:

Just Friends, Charlie Parker
Any Way You Want It, Journey
Money Changes Everything, Cyndi Lauper
The Bully, Sia
Everything Will Be All Right, The Killers
Rock Wit You, Alicia Keys*
If You See Me, The Black Keys*
Get What's Mine, Ellie Lawson
We Got The, Beatie Boys
I Just Wanna Be Your Everything, Andy Gibb

*Oh, that funny iTunes, choosing two "Keys" in a row.

2046 with an AI on top

Hay and I watched half of 2046 last night which we've actually had in the house since the end of December but kept putting off the viewing of it. It is a Chinese film, so subtitles, but it's freakin' A steamy. I love to listen to the male lead (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) speak because he has a strange accent I've not heard before in all my experiences of spoken Chinese, but also because he has this flirty way of ending his sentences by carrying over his words for a bit, with a playful tone. Anyway, I think you'll have to just see it to get what I'm saying, but he's what Hay referred to as "a real man's man" -- lots of lady callers, and when he finds someone special to be his main girlfriend he refuses to get close to her, and at every opportunity where she tells him she wants more he makes it clear that won't be happening. (Ziyi Zhong was incredible as Bai Ling, even I wanted to do it with her, and my heart broke for her when Chow Mo Wan rejected her.) I physically hurt from this. I felt like he was talking to me, because I've had this experience several times in life before, and it just made me tear up and be angry but not have any way of resolving that anger. I expressed this feeling to Hay and, the wonderful man that he is, he cuddled with me to make me feel better and assured me that he would never do that to me. How I went from falling for the bad guys to ending up with the best guy in my whole universe is truly beyond me...

I'm very much looking forward to the second half of 2046 tonight. There was a lot of passion and full out raw and wild sex scenes (sans frontal nudity, but it was still H-O-T-ness!) and I'm wondering where the film could possibly go from there.

We stopped 2046 so we could watch the Boston American Idol auditions, and I was glad to see a different door than I'd always seen before in all the other auditions. I did always wonder how the contestants left the big room with a "golden ticket" in their hands, but last night I finally caught a glimpse of an exit room after the audition room, which confuses me because when Mike/Clay Aiken Jr. left to go pee then came back there was only the audition room behind that door. I wish they'd do a behind the scenes of AI so we could more understand the flow of the audition process. I guess I'll just have to lie about my age and go to an audition next year.