Slacking February 23, 2007

I know this is going to be hard to believe (for the one person who reads this, anyways) but I do not have enough information to blog about American Idol.  I know tonight was the first kick off show of the season but it is also the night The Office comes on and I have to say, The Office is winning out over Idol.  I did take a few notes and hope to be able to blog about this week and next week’s Idol next week.  That is, if I am near a computer.  The next two weeks are looking to be jam packed with mayhem and foolishness (I got that expression from Niecy Nash-one of my new favorite personalities).  I am going to be burning up the roads if all goes as planned.  We will see.  At any rate, I am hoping it will be a good time to reflect on some old news and make some new! 

In regards to my last post I would like to extend a warm thank you to all of you who got me something really good for Valentine’s Day (and some of you did!) or just forgot about me altogether (which means you did not get me something bad like a Tweety Bird pencil case).  It was a lovely day that was filled with lots of sweet love and of course, the everpresent drama that comes with living and working on a college campus.  There is no way I could be in charge of this many residents and not ever run into some drama.  It is good for me, though, and sure keeps things interesting.  We recently had a holiday-one of the many joys of living in the Port City-and of course, had the day off for it.  We celebrate President’s Day on campus buIt the rest of the Gulf Coast celebrates Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras.  I decided to spend the day in New Orleans (I came to that decision with the help of Brandie J.).  It was well worth my time and going without sleep for about 36 hours.  It was one of the craziest experiences of my life and I would encourage you to visit the city during Mardi Gras and catch a few beads at a Fat Tuesday parade.  It was definitely a cultural experience.  And, as usual, quite an adventure for me and the crazy people with whom I spent the day.  As some of you know, my only other experience with Mardi Gras was about 5 years ago when I went to a parade in downtown Mobile.  I have a real problem with food products that are not on plates or going into someone’s mouth so you can imagine the horror I felt when my foot (clad in a flip flop) stepped on a hamburger.  In that moment, I vowed never to attend another Mardi Gras parade in Mobile.  Now some of you may think that is silly but if you know me at all, that makes perfect sense.  I must admit that when I found out that I would be attending parades in the Crescent City, I was on high alert considering that most  everytime (ok, all the time) I have ever been in the city the streets are littered with various food products and unidentifiable liquids and such and it always smells like hot garbage and urine.  This time was no different, in fact, it was hot garbage times a thousand with all the people who were celebrating around the clock.  We arrived in New Orleans around midnight and surprised some friends who live there and some who had flown back in for the celebration.  It was such a good surprise!!!! They literally fell down!  We got ready for bed since we knew we had to get up so early the next morning.  After everyone was in their bed or on their air mattress, Jaclyn spoke up and said that she was hungry.  We all agreed and decided that maybe we should just get up and get ready and stay up until the parades were over.  We needed to be down on St Charles at an early hour to get a good spot and there was no since in sleeping for 2 hours and getting up.  We got ready and headed out into the Nation’s Murder Capital.  I would like to say that the streets were full of danger and that we were so scared but it was quite the opposite.  Everyone -minus us four-were drunk as a skunk and consumed with having a good time.  No one that we saw was looking to murder anyone.  We rode around looking for a 24 hour food establishment (which are few and far between thanks to Trina).  We were directed to a dive in Metarie known as the Tic Toc Cafe.  My, oh my!  Was this ever a dive!  It was evident that Trina had not even thought about knocking on the door of this establishment.  It was brown and dark and dirty and great!  We were all really hungry so we were contemplating what to get when we our first friend of the evening.  To say he was under the influence would be an understatement (although the waitress later told us that he comes in all the time and was not drunk).  He was talking some crazy mess for the whole time he was in there and trying to get us to go up and sit at the counter with him.  We eventually did that, after he left, of course, and it was a good thing that we did.  There was one waitress working the whole place.  She definitely had her hands full.  When we weren’t ordering or people watching, they had the direct tv set on USA so that we could watch Bring it On Again.  I can safely say that I have never been to a resturaunt as varied as this one (except for, maybe, Mama Misatonos up on Sand Mountain-An Italian Restaurant that is also a shooting range housed in a double wide trailer right outside of Boaz, AL).  There is so much I could say about this place and maybe I will one day.  It is too late to hit all the details. I will just say that if I know what it is like to be on the set of a movie because there was no way this place was real.  After our meal we went to the Quarter and walked around.  Not our best idea but it is a must see if you are in town, especially during Mardi Gras.  It is one of the saddest, most bizarre, loud, smelly, hopeless, colorful, dramatic, places on the face of the planet.  It is not for the faint of heart.  We took in the scene and decided to head uptown since it was almost 4 Am.  On the way out, we stopped by to see if New Orleans’ newest famous residents were home but all the lights were out.  Maybe next time we are in town, Bradgelina will want to hang out with us.  We got to a parking lot around 5 Am and slept for a while in the car.  I was so excited that I did not sleep at all.  I just kind of sat and looked at all the craziness going on around our car.  We decided to head on to St Charles on foot around 5:45 AM so that we could get a good spot.  We got a great place right on the parade routes for Zulu and Rex.  There is not enough time nor could I ever give you all the details of what we saw from our spot on St Charles.  It was a feast for the senses-BBQ chicken on the grill, a brass band, drunk Tulane students living in a tent city on the street car rails, a cool breeze…….all before 6 AM on a Tuesday morning!  There is so much I could tell you and maybe later, but like I said before it is late and I don’t even know how I am still typing right now!  We caught many a strand of beads and several coconuts from the Zulu folks.  After it was all over there was a late lunch and a short nap and then back to Mobile.  I guess I was somewhat punished for going because I was definitely sick the next day.  It was all worth it though and I would highly recommend taking in at least one Mardi Gras in your lifetime.  Maybe I can provide you with more details when I can hold my eyes open. For now-Peace out!

In case you were wondering… February 12, 2007

I know that I wrote about this last year around this time but I feel I should revise my list and make sure to get it out there before the big day!

What NOT to buy me for Valetine’s Day

*A Kellie Pickler or Carrie Underwood cd

*A stuffed animal of any shape, size or character.  I HATE THEM!

*A t-shirt of any kind-my dresser drawers are overflowing with them

*A season of Everybody Loves Raymond on DVD.  I don’t love Raymond so make that Everybody minus one.

*Anything that has a cartoon character on it.  This includes, but is not limited to shirts, shorts, purses or bags, jackets, pants, overalls, pajamas, posters, book covers, candy, scarf, hat, socks, underwear, backpack, shoes, flip flops, toothbrush, wallet, earrings, necklace, bracelet, ring, toe ring, chapstick, sweatshirt, hooded sweatshirt, towel, bath cloth, soap, toothpaste, vitamins, hair brush, comb, shampoo, stationary, pencils, pens, markers, colored pencils, stickers, TV, VCR/DVD player, framed pictures, cereal, fruit snacks, pillows, sheets, blanket, etc.  I know that is a lot but you get the idea.  I am sure I left quite a few things off but when I say ANYTHING with a cartoon character on it (especially Looney Toons-Tweety in particular) I mean ANYTHING.  Just because I haven’t thought of it to put it on this list does not mean I want it.

*Anything that has velvet on it anywhere. 

*Silk Flowers (unless you have a death wish)

*Perfume-Chances are, you don’t know me like that and I am picky about scents to a certain degree.

*Anything that is priced “Buy 3 for $10″ or “buy one get one free” or “Just Reduced”. I am not all about how much you spend, I do think it is the thought that counts, but I think even thinking of buying something that falls into these price ranges is a bad thought.

*Dinner at Taco Bell, any Mexican restaurant, Krystal, Hardees, CiCi’s Pizza or McAlister’s. 

*A box of chocolates-That really is a lame gift especially since I am not your grandmother.

If I think of anything else, I will post it. For now, that is all I can think of.  Hope this gives some of you out there some ideas about what NOT to get me for Valentine’s Day.  Peace out

Blog Stew February 10, 2007

Anna Nicole- I love a crazy news story and this one is nuts!  Now, I know that sounds heartless and I am not glad that a woman is dead, but it has caused me to do some serious thinking.  Reading all the things about her, most of it well known by the public with a few new details (like Zsa Zsa Gabor’s husband might be the father of her 5 month old daughter) has got me thinking about obituaries.  I read a supposed obituary online and was shocked at all the information it contained.  I guess I always thought that those were for “celebrating” the life of the deceased.  This particular obituary contained every wrong ever committed by Anna Nicole.  What in the world?  I know she was no saint and certainly had some public struggles but do bad choices deserve such an obituary?  I thought about what my obiturary might be like.  Would someone write that I have overdrawn my checking account and played pranks on people who did not deserve them and that I have harbored genuine hate against people before and I have wasted time and resources on things like television and buying cool shoes……….the list of wrongs could go on and on.  I wonder if we would all (regardless of spiritual condition)  live different lives if every wrong we ever committed were broadcast for all the world to see upon our deaths.  I know that is kind of crazy considering we are talking about a woman who, at times, reveled in her bad behavior and actually used it to “get ahead” in life but I have just been doing some thinking.  Now, I know there are those out there who would not care if every wrong were brought to life when they died. I mean, they won’t be around when it is broadcast.  However,I would like to think that most people would care, regardless of what they believe about spiritual things.  I am really sad for the 5 month old (I hate to sound like Nancy Grace right now), but that is really the tragedy here.  Anna Nicole is gone.  Her time is over on this earth.  What about that child?  I have thought about what her life will be like and how confusing it already is in just the 5 short months she has been on the earth.  Enough about all this-

I am reading ”1984″ and have been kind of confused about all the things I had heard about the book prior to reading it.  I know most people were required to read it in high school but it did not make my reading list until now.  I have always heard people say that it is so scary and all that jazz but I have not found that to be the case for me……until today.  I was reading on the drudge report (I recommend that you check out drudgereport.com at least 5 times a day to stay up on all the latest news and odd reports from around the world) about how brain surgeons have found a way to read people’s minds.  I am not kidding!  They say that there are areas of the brain that can be read so that you can tell what people are thinking, including their intentions before they even act!  Hopefully, the Thought Police have not recieved this information.  Otherwise, I am in a lot of trouble.

Islam and such-I continue to be amazed at all that I see and read in the media about Islam and the Muslim population.  I have been facinated with this topic for some time (ever since Saddam was gassing the Kurds back during the Gulf War-I was in the sixth grade!) and my interest only grows with each passing day.  I wish I could say that September 11th was a suprise, but it wasn’t.  I can say I was shocked, but not surprised.  I distinctly remember reading about schools for Islamic militants, run by Bin Laden, in the mountainous regions of Afghanastan back in 1999.  I wish I could track down the Newsweek article I read laying on my bed in Germany.  I knew then that there would be some kind of attack.  I did not have to read between the lines to know that Holy War meant attack.  I know everyone has an opinion about what is going on in the world and I am not posting this to start any kind of debate (so if you have something to say about it, say it to yourself!) but this whole mess (and it is a hot mess!) in Iraq and the Middle East and the uprising that is growing everyday in England is not new and it is not going anywhere.  It has nothing to do with oil or big money or rich white men in suits (whether you like Bush or not, he is a minor player in the great big scheme of things) but everything to do with divine rights and divine orders.  All the goverments involved can talk about human rights, social justice, democracy and peace but those are so not the issues.  The whole thing has to do with good and evil in their purest sense.  I know there are so many opinions on this and like I said before, I am not interested in a real discussion, but I just needed to get that off my chest.  (I just watched an interview and it infuriated me! That is the main reason I had to get this out!)

Well, not too much else to talk about, I guess.  I could type all night but this is enough rubbish for one evening!

See ya

For what it’s worth….I just realized that the time wordpress is saying this was posted is so not right.  I don’t know how to fix it but I just did not want anyone to think that I am blogging all into the night like I am getting paid to do so. 

A Woman Who Boarded A Wrong Bus Gets Lost For 25 Years! Finally home… February 8, 2007

After boarding a wrong bus, she gets confused when she arrives in the city. Not speaking the language, she boards a second wrong bus and ends up in another city. There, with no money and not being able to speak the language, she ends up stranded and begging for money for five years. She then gets arrested for possibly being an illegal immigrant…

read more | digg story

Is this even possible in today’s world?  This may be proof that it is NOT a small world after all!

Are we, as a society, really this lame? February 7, 2007

If you know me you know I love American Idol.  Actually, last year I started blogging for the sole purpose of blogging about Idol.  I have been a fan ever since the second season- you know, Clay and Reuben?  Anyways, I have enjoyed it every season and one of the main things I have loved about it have been the auditions.  Most people I know who don’t really follow the show, watch the auditions because they love to laugh at all the crazies who come on claiming to be the next American Idol.  I hate to say this, but this year has been a sore disappointment.  There are several reasons for this.  One of them has been the consistent stream of would-be Idols walking in telling Ryan or the judges that they know they are the next American Idol because their parents or spouse or friends or co-workers say they have what it takes.  I do not understand this.  One of the hardest things I ever had to hear as a child (but turned out to be the single greatest thing my mother ever told me) was that there will always be someone better at something than I was.  This may be one of the truest statements I have ever heard.  There will always be someone better than you!  When one hears this, they may be tempted to feel bad about themselves and think there is not really anything they are ever going to be good at.  This is so not the case!  If there is always someone better at something, eventually you will be that someone!  The obvious fact that these Idol hopefuls have not ever heard this is not what troubles me the most.  I am most concerned with people being satisfied with crap.  We (myself definitely included) are so satisfied with mediocre and even below average.  This is in all areas of life-not just what we listen to on the radio or watch on television.  Enough serious talk….

I would like to say that the best part of the show came at the end and kind of sums up how I feel about all these wannabes and their tears- The last person to tryout was a guy they called “Little Reuben”.  I thought he did a great job but at the end of the audition with his golden ticket in hand he walked outside and greeted his screaming family.  Ryan told him that he did not think the little girl who was with them understood what was going on so the guy kneeled down and got right in the little girl’s face.  He said, “I am going to Hollywood” to which she replied,”So”.  I love it!

Peace out

A Hearty WordPress Welcome February 6, 2007

Well, due to popular demand (or the observation of ONE friend) I have decided to blog on a site that allows comments from nonmembers.  After searching for a new online home, WordPress seemed to be the best of the bunch.  As for the new name, let me know what you think.  It makes me laugh out loud because I took it from Jim on the The Office.  I am not so sure that it sums up my life in the blogosphere.  If you have any ideas on what I should call this new blog (which is just on a different site, it will be everything I would have posted on Xanga) please leave me a comment with your suggestion.  Peace out for now-see ya!