i just don't get it...

how can someone so brilliant be such a packrat? i'm referring to my mom, the once child prodigy who skipped grades in China and went to college at the age of 14...

what gives?

for the past week, susie and i have been at the house, rummaging through piles of stuff that she has bought, forgotten about, and bought again. a small list of items:

28 mugs
seven boxes of envelopes...totaling 670 that she won't use in this lifetime
three or four dozen photo albums...all unused
a dozen assorted picture frames
ten boxes (150 ct.) of sandwich bags
eighteen rolls of aluminum foil
120 cassette tapes of Chinese operas that haven't been touched in 15 years
taxes from 1982
letters that were forwarded from 1722 Lafayette, where they lived until 1963

after assessing the situation, susie and i decided to move some stuff into the garage, which lacks the space to fit their car anymore because of:

400 canned goods...bomb shelter anyone?
eighty rolls of paper towels
at least 200 rolls of t-paper
30 boxes of laundry detergent
another dozen rolls of aluminum foil and plastic wrap
fifteen boxes of garbage bags (at least we'll be using those up ;)

i think you get the idea...

i'm not here to air any dirty laundry, but geez...it just blows yer mind after awhile. funny that even though i'm not in field, cleaning my parents' house is like excavating without the elements and dirt. nothing old enough to date with carbon samples :) or worthwhile for soil samples, but i still can do some stratigraphic studies as well as seriation (a relative dating method derived from cultural regularities of style or frequency...knowledge of sizes and styles of automobiles over the years is a good use of seriation).

so far, i believe we have filled about 20 lawn size trash bags in the past week - about average. over the past 15 years, susie and i would always look for a window of opportunity to clean...usually when mom & dad were out of town. it was always easier to do it on the sly than fighting with mom about why she utterly has no use for up to 100 long, styrofoam chinese takeout boxes. unless you have a new found passion for sculpture or public art, these stacks gotta go - NOW!

i forgot to mention that, in the process of the demolition, i came across some nostalgia of my own...the ninth grade photo used in my '84-'85 yearbook...a cassette tape from the early 80's with some music that i recorded off the radio (Pop Muzic by M, Twilight Zone by the Manhattan Transfer, Andy Gibb's Shadow Dancing, Coming Up by Paul McCartney and Wings, Heaven on the 7th Floor by Paul Nicholas, Sister Sledge's He's the Greatest Dancer, This Is It by Kenny Loggins, and even Answering Machine be Rupert Holmes (the guy who did Escape [aka, the Piña Colada Song], yep...THAT guy.

i also found one of my old cintas, a cassette tape that we had to make on a weekly(?) basis for two years when i took Spanish 4 and AP with Ana Garcia. oh god...i hadn't thought of those stupid things in 15 years!!! of course, these monstrous creations covered topics of the day or fantasy things. in fact, this tape was the 'Si yo fuera un animal en el parque zoológico...' (If I were an animal at the zoo...). after fifteen years, i can honestly say that my spanish has vastly improved, especially its diction and cadence. man, i sound like a freakin' robot on this tape LOL

catharsis...i guess that's all what it comes down to...the house needs to be less cluttered for my dad when he gets out of the rehab facility next tuesday...mom has to simplify and figure out that more is not always better, even though it exemplifies the 'American way'...susie has to stress less about dad's condition...and i am so damn glad to have found that stinkin' Spanish tape because i will relish stomping on it heh

her name was Ashley...

she shuddered as i put a warm towel around her, drawing her body close to mine. i swept her wet hair from her eyes and gave her a tender kiss on her forehead as her hot breath mixed with mine. gingerly, i picked her up and proceeded to the bedroom, where we would lie in front of the space heater, clutching each other as the cold drizzle trickled relentlessly outside.

cheating on lois? nah. when i got to the house after a visit with dad, the neighbor's dog greeted me. it looked like she had been outside in the rain all day...this little shih tzu was drenched. i could tell she was happy to see me, since John wasn't home yet.

she happily trotted to the front door and i let her in. luckily, lois and the girls had gone on an errand...i wasn't sure how annie and coco would initially react to the young visitor. after all, they had never seen Ashley. rather, they had always greeted each other through the brick wall with a snort, some sniffs and a few sharp territorial barks (the neighbor just moved in recently).

as she ran roughshod in the house, i went next door to see if he was home (since he could have parked in the garage instead of the front). nope. no signs, although i could hear his three other dogs barking inside...

so, i traipsed back to the house and tried to calm Ashley down with a doggie treat, bowl of water, and a couple warm towels. she had just realized that it wasn't her house - how cute - and wasn't about to trust this goofy looking asian kid who let her in...but, boy...it sure is warmer in here than outside!

doggy treat...ooh, thanks! my tummy was growlin'
bowl o' water...thankyouverymuch. water all around and not a drop to drink...
warm towel...ahhhh. okay, you can touch me. so what are we havin' fer dinner?

thought so, dogs know when they got it good. that's why annie and coco have never run away...

after three warm towels, treats, more water, and cuddlin', she was okay. good thing because she was shivering BIG TIME when i put the first two towels on her. by the time we got a fire started, Ashley had already jumped on the sofa...like she OWNED the house ;)

so Ashley got to stay for dinner and hang out for a couple hours until 8:00, when John got home. it was good timing too because the delivery that we had ordered from a new chinese restaurant on Colfax, had just arrived. we just got their take out menu in today's mail. not bad. decent egg rolls (hot and crispy), VERY good hot & sour soup (a sure sign of a worthwhile restaurant is if they know how to season soup), okay ham fried rice (mine's better, but it always tastes better if you don't have to cook ;), and a tasty roast pork and vegetables (although a bit salty).

looks like we'll probably order from the chinese restaurant (China Star) again. and we're hoping that Ashley comes over for another visit...her underbite is precious.

dad is improving...

he left the hospital on tuesday and is now at a rehab facility near the house, less than five minutes away. since he's only been there three days, no one is quite sure how long he'll be there; it'll depend on his progress with the physical therapist. we'll find out more when we go to a meeting tomorrow afternoon, although i'm thinking one to three weeks.

nevertheless, i can tell you that he's looking much better than the three days in the hospital. he was able to go for two short (PT) assisted walks today...his color is better...his demeanor is more 'dad-like'...and he has at least six people checking in on him during the second shift (3-11 PM) - an LPN (Amaelia), PT (Lila), three aides (Ruby, Elsie, Novela), and a phenomenal nursing student named Jo. if he gets some attention, enough food, and some time to watch AMC and ESPN, dad's one happy camper.

sure, the food ain't great, but it's filling and more than edible. my brother, scott, was telling us horror stories of another care facility (food-wise) that his mother-in-law had to endure for four weeks, after she had a knee replaced last year. we've already asked dad what chinese stuff he wants us to sneak in while he's there ;)

yay...i forgot to mention that dad'll get a haircut on saturday, which was skipped when susie had to take him to the hospital last saturday. yep, he gets a free haircut and shave during his stay. good thing because any member of the Wong family with bedhead is truly a traumatizing sight...

speaking of cool movies...

amidst the problems w/ dad (update to follow), lois and i went to see the Triplets of Belleville on saturday. WOW! there's a keeper...i'm gonna order a copy when it comes out on may 4th!

from Amazon.com's Editorial Review:

Words cannot capture the delights of The Triplets of Belleville, an astonishing animated movie from the mind of French director Sylvain Chomet. In fact, there are only a few spoken sentences in the entire film; most of the soundtrack is a mix of squeaks, barks, and the jazzy music of Benoit Charest. A bicyclist is kidnapped from the Tour de France by mysterious gangsters; his grandmother travels to the city of Belleville (which has a sardonic version of the Statue of Liberty in its harbor), where she tracks him down with the help of a musical trio gone to seed, the Belleville Triplets. This hand-drawn movie is unlike anything you'll see from Disney; every scene mixes the silent comedy of Jacques Tati and Buster Keaton--in which the world of objects subtly fights with living beings for mastery--and the bouncy hop of Betty Boop. Unique and mesmerizing.

i've always been a fan of animated film. haven't we all been utterly mesmerized by the humor and simple beauty of something like Looney Tunes or Tom & Jerry? and the stuff that Disney and Pixar are putting out? pure genius. the Triplets of Belleville is on a different level though. sometimes you don't want perfection and accurate rendering (i want that when i'm reproducing pottery sherds or reconstructing vessels in lab). no, if you watch the Triplets, the magic is in the story and the rendering of the characters and their human (canine in one case) imperfections; the grandmother has one leg that's about 5" shorter than the other...the dog is corpulent...the triplets (who are very much a french version of the Andrews Sisters) are washed up has beens who live in their world of reminiscence. THAT'S what makes the animation so cool... i think you'd all enjoy it immensely! if you can't see it (this may be its last week at the Mayan, unless it moves to the Chez Artiste or Esquire), definitely rent it!!!

must try to win...

been keeping track on a vhs version of Scotland, PA on eBay. are you familiar w/ this movie? it's an indie that came out a couple years ago. basically, it's Macbeth set in a 1970's fast food joint in a fictitious Scotland, Pennsylvania. if you haven't seen it, i highly recommend it. talk about hilarious!!! James LeGros, Maura Tierney, and Christopher Walken are spectacular in this crazy adaptation...

i was outbid a few days ago, the price is just $1 more than my highest bid. i'm hoping to slide in a desperation bid in the next three minutes, when the auction ends.

lately, i've been looking for tapes of things that aren't available on DVD yet. most recently, lois and i have been checking out old Carol Burnett shows, which are actually a hot commodity...

argh!!! i slipped and couldn't quite get the last bid in. ah well, that final price i was contemplating was probably too much...and who knows if i would have topped the other bidder. i've only won a bidding war a couple times in the last four years anyway.

oh well, as i was saying, the Carol Burnett vhs tapes that were put out by Columbia House in the late 1990's are commanding some serious prices. just a couple weeks ago, we were prepared to pay about $49 for seven tapes that someone was offering on eBay. the bids were fast and furious...i think the winning bidder paid nearly $70 - too rich for us.

so, we're just keeping an eye out for cheap tapes. unfortunately, i just realized a few minutes ago that i let one auction of 4 Carol Burnett tapes lapse. and of course, no one bid on them ($.99!!!). and now that the auction is over and the items will be relisted, someone's gonna find it and want to pay more than me...

btw, Denny, how goes the truck search?

hmph, there are some cheap DVDs of Scotland, PA. maybe i'll try my luck on those...

it's comin' down...

yes, more springtime snow. glad it's only sticking to the grass. saw some footage on the news of cars wiping out on I-70 earlier this afternoon - downright treacherous. this storm is expected to bring in 12-30 inches in the foothills and mts. rollinsville and pinecliff have already recorded 8" and 12", respectively. definitely good news for the handful of ski resorts that are still open. arapahoe basin and silverton (which still has a base of 100") will be seeing diehards until june and july 4th...

no freakin' wonder...

things have been strangely awry the past couple weeks for me, lois, and probably everyone around us (Dad's in the hospital, Denny's in a funk, Nelle is getting prize winners for clients, obnoxious moochers are finding their way into Rachel's cupboards, and Lois and Derbs have birthdays ;). yes, people, Mercury is retrograde...

here's an excerpt from Astroprofile.com... whoops, can't copy and paste on the page, so you had better click on the link and come back. aw, fuck it...i'll just type some of the details so you won't all hafta go back and forth. god knows there's enough confusion on this planet ;)

Mercury is retrograde...meaning it appears to move backward (in its rotation). this phenomena usually occurs 2-3 times a year for roughly a period of three weeks. Mercury retrograde times call for the rechecking of everything, the anticipation and planning ahead, and to relearn lessons unlearned since the last retrograde cycle (which was from 12/17/03 to 1/6/04).

It's a good time for review and completing ongoing projects. It is NOT a good time to start something new. Mercury energies involve the mind, mental processes, communication, travel, speaking, and writing.

Some of the things that Mercury retrograde times are notorious for:

* Communications go awry - phone calls, letters, e-mails, etc. are delayed, misinterpreted, blocked. Recheck everything like appointment times, spelling, wording, and your choice of words.

* Anticipate detours - memory lapses, confusion, failing to listen, failing to confirm, negotiation failures, or changing of plans.

*Avoid signing documents. Hopefully it can wait three weeks.

* Expect travel delays, car trouble, delayed flight schedules, "misplaced" reservations, or transportation difficulties of all kinds.

* Expect problems with messages, books, letters, magazines, documents, and even yer neighbors!

* Back up your computer files. This is a prime time for crap to happen!

* Expect the phone lines, cable lines, and power lines (you don't hafta tell Denny twice!) to have problems.

Steven Forrest, author of The Inner Sky, describes Mercury retrograde well: " Mercury retrograde isn't bad...it just takes some planning to cooperate with the energies. It's meant to be spent assimilating experiences, reviewing the past, and redoing, in general. Matter of fact, if you really want to get the most out of a Mercury retrograde, confine your activities as much as possible to those that have "re" attached to the beginning of the word. Reschedule appointments, repair vehicles, return to the past, rewrite documents and agreements, and so forth."

i don't take all of the above too seriously. however, i do believe that i must be influenced by this occurence (even you need to know your natal chart to be sure). whenever Mercury is retrograde, "weird shit always happens to me...like I am some huge SHIT magnet." - Margaret Cho.

really though. remember the asshole convenience store attendant? this nut didn't mention to us that he closed at 11PM, when we arrived at 10:58. all we wanted to do was use the john, and fill our tank. well, while i was in the 'facilities', lois had come in to give him the credit card (since they were old pumps and lacked the pay at the pump). as she prepared to pump, he had turned out all the lights (like we were gonna attract half the automobile traffic on west colfax) and turned off the pumps as well.

i had just come out of the bathroom when lois came back in and told the guy that she wasn't able to pump the gas. so, meester joikoff acted like she was a fool and prepared to go out there and prove it. red flags all around... well, we nicely asked for our credit card back and he took offense, asking if she had a tough/bad day. yeah, i know you guys would have chimed in, "WELL, WE ARE NOW YOU POMPOUS, DISRESPECTING MFKKER!" what is with some people nowadays? from the way they act, it's like the whole world dumped on them. sorry pal, you ain't the only one...so save yer shit and fling it in yer own house.

and of course, that was when we headed south on sheridan and found a Sinclair (w/ old pumps too...like there's some pattern here). of course, super psycho stupid christ figure was there harassing everyone. AND the guy was getting in Lois' face...saying that he was the grandson of JC (THAT'S a good one!). man, i had to hold Lois back, she was cussin'/hollerin' and ready to swing. the punk ass kid looked truly scared.

well, he went out to his mongo huge car, a white, early 60's whale, and was acting strangely, when he came back in and started talking about honor and Samurai. the poor dumbass was going off the deep end...

of course, he's trying to preach religion w/ lois, who taught Sunday school in Texas (Baptist) and Colorado (Methodist) for many years and rap Samurai w/ me (something i taught at the art museum for two years) - bad move. i know we should have totally shown how much of a mental midget he really is, but they sometimes resort to violence because they have no answer for your brilliant retort...so ya gotta humor the dumb beast.

so monkey boy (i shouldn't lump them w/ this lame excuse for a human though)...let's call him Stegosaurus boy instead (it's nicer than pea-sized brain) came in and wanted me to shake hands like a Samurai. of course, being the 'honorable' Asian that i am, i told him that i had no idea what he was talking about since i wasn't Japanese. he assumed that i was Korean...nope. so he resorted and retreated, saying (in his best Beavis&Butthead), "...but you're oriental (try Asian, you asshat)." and you're fuckin' stupid and high...GO AWAY! geez, what is it? the proverbial woodwork must be pukin' creeps and joiks!

one more joik today. the person that came to take my dad for an MRI was totally clueless and impatient. he unplugged the hanging IV stand to which my dad was attached, and believed that he could carry the box and bag and chaperone my father with his walker. WHAT are you thinking? just get the nurse and a gurney!!!

of course, to his brainless chagrin, we get the nurse and gurney. dad is unhooked and we help him into the gurney. full knowing that he had lost 'control' of the situation, the then goon ordered me to get dad's pillow...AND snapped his fingers. GRRRR...that set me off.

little man, you have no right to snap your fingers at anyone, especially when you are the least qualified to do so! it may be appropriate for your kids (god forbid you would procreate *shiver*) or your misbehaving dog, but that's totally out of line in a hospital setting. are you there to help or to prove your idiocy? if it's the former, you should find another job. and the latter? well, give that man a raise...

you know, you were pretty lucky to have gotten such a caring position. i saw the hospital employment ad, asking for a warm body that's just a notch under a total waste of space. yep, you were definitely the most qualified. either that or St. Joe's was completely desperate to fill the position because i know some unemployed (and extremely qualified) people who are looking for jobs in the health care industry and have been passed over or not even considered.

you sir, should play chicken (blindfolded) w/ an 18-wheeler...or here, you can juggle these (a chainsaw, a beaker of hydrochloric acid, and an elephant with weak bowels).

i feel SO much better...

btw, i want to add another facet to Mercury retrograde. in addition to awry communication and general delays, dickheads come out of the woodwork. so look out for the shit magnet until mid-morning April 30th, when Mercury retrograde ends...

missed opportunities...

bleh. missed all four Margaret Cho shows at Comedy Works. i knew she was passing through...in fact, it was announced on her webpage three months ago. i put it off...forgot about it...put it off some more...until i called yesterday and found out that the non-smoking show was sold out. double bleah. i considered going to one of the smoking shows tonight, but i knew that lois would be hatin' it (you know how vehement ex-smokers get when they're around cigarette smoke ;).

so...i reconsidered and foolishly attempted to call and see if there were any seats left for tonight. of course, Jared, who handled my call, informed me that both shows were now sold out. at least he kept a straight face and didn't wildly cackle on the phone...

dad is in the hospital again. all week, he's had bouts with dizziness and a bit o' sweating...more sure signs of a minor stroke. so, back to St. Joe's it was... this time, they're going to adjust/change his medications and he'll have to stay in rehab for a week, which should benefit him. poor dad. he's too cute and funny to be in a hospital bed.

i know i was going to finish the story about our dinner with yani...i just don't feel like it. let's just say the jekyll side of it was from trying to buy gas on Sheridan. DON'T go to the quickmart-type convenience store on colfax & sheridan...especially at 11PM. the guy behind the counter is a super muthafukkin' asshole who needs to get his teeth kicked in...whattajoik. ooh, i wanna wish some bad things on him...grrr.

and watch out for the Sinclair station on 10th? 12th? although the east african owner is very nice, there's a super annoying, preaching, tattooed, punk ass kid in his early 20's who thinks he's Jesus. it would be amusing if he didn't get in yer face and call you names. funny, he's not the tolerant JC that we read about. methinks someone was either tripping on some crazy stuff...missed a dosage of his medication...or both. what a loon!

gawd! WTF happened monday?!? people, full moon isn't until the 4th! why don't you go back to your holes until then...geez!

tuesday was better...

went to bob & wanda's. i think i mentioned them before... wanda went to grad school with lois. she's the one who worked for the CIA in Greece and was duped into saying, " Thank you for coming tonight. Did you enjoy the food? I sincerely hope you fart all night..." by a Greek co-worker who volunteered to help (wanda) with some Greek phrases and farewells.

anyway, their daughter just left for Chicago yesterday. she's on her way to Bulgaria for her first Peace Corps assignment, so we had a little going away dinner for her.

for appetizers, we munched on hummus, pita, tzatziki sauce, crackers, and pistachios. dinner was a massive portion of Nicoise salad. and dessert was simply strawberries and coolwhip. not the fanciest of dinners, but shore convenient since we didn't have to lift a finger ;) we did bring a huge bottle of german wine tho' - crisp and slightly sweet.

what a great visit! we're hoping to visit Kirsten before her two years are up; Bulgaria is not exactly yer usual american tourist destination ;) i think i'm gonna do a Lowa and start a blog for her...and then we could all hear about her two-year Bulgarian adventure. yeah!

tell me...

should i change the title of my blog to 'Neglect-a-blog'? the way i have been avoiding the keyboard lately, it sure would be fitting.

this week has been somewhat busy on the social side.

on monday, lois and i had dinner with our good friend, Ileana (she goes by Yani) May Colín. she's in town for three months from Cancún, hoping to get some under the table work and improve her English. although i doubt she'll find anything in her field - she's an architect - any money is good. and if her English is pretty good by the time she goes back, she'll be much more in demand in Cancún.

wow! i think it has been five years since we last each other... she is so cool. smart and a super sense of humor. her coolness is enhanced by the fact that she has the most awesome handwriting script ;) it's kind of a mix between calligraphy and a modern swoopy font. i swear, there should be a yani font, it's that unique!

anyway, we had dinner at the Painted Bench on 20th and Logan. it's a nice place for upscale dining without the snootiness. we shared a wild mushroom gratin appetizer and the house salad (basically a walnut, pear, gorgonzola, mixed greens salad with a bit too much lemon vinaigrette). lois had the tenderloin, which came on a bed of a funky potato pasta (it reminded me of gnocchi) with rapini (a spinach like leaf that tastes like broccoli)...yani had the duck breast (see menu link) and i had the hanger steak...mmm! and perfectly medium rare....

we all had red wine (lois...merlot) (yani...pinot noir) (me...malbec). we skipped coffee and dessert though, opting for a quick trip to the *$$ on 16th & Curtis and a short walk down 16th St. Mall.

will continue the story because you have just read about the Jekyll side of Monday night...the Hyde side is much more amusing...TRUST ME!

i'll be back in a few hours...

heap o' cheaps

as i mentioned in the last post, we went to the cheapies tonight...Big Fish. have you all seen it? another Tim Burton movie that is quirky...even strange...but in a very mesmerizing way. i've always liked 'Beetlejuice', 'Edward Scissorhands', and 'Batman', which he all directed. i have yet to see 'Sleepy Hollow', 'Ed Wood' and 'Mars Attacks!' he's also directing a new version of 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'; even though it's going to be titled 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and is already in post production. i'd be very interested in seeing that since many of us have memories of the 1972 original.

i really liked the movie. for those who haven't seen 'Big Fish', it's about a man who tries to reconcile with his father, a charismatic storyteller who is dying from cancer. all his life, the son has felt that he was some footnote in his father's outrageous stories, which he believed were all elaborate fabrications.

watching the movie made me think of my parents and mortality in general. now, i certainly don't view my father as the patriarch in the movie. my father is a simple man who worked hard, loves his children, and has a tremendous sense of humor.

actually, my mother came to mind when you hear the father's narrative. my mom tells the same stories almost ad nauseam to most strangers she meets. granted, these familial stories aren't outright lies nor delusional fantasies. however, they do stretch the imagination somewhat. and some of the details? somewhere, somehow, she decided to soup 'em up a bit.

there's a couple stories that she brings up on occasion with me that make me want to roll my eyes and just walk away. i don't know why i'm bothered with some of the 'creative' details because i know they don't hurt anyone. i guess i take empiricism too seriously. as a 'cerebral' nutjob, er, scientist (although i never really identified myself with that title), you always must approach and present your findings in the most factual and logical way. perhaps, for archaeology and most aspects of travel, that's probably true...

i guess i've learned over the years that it's sometimes better to just smile and let it go in one ear and out the other because one day, those stories will be gone with the best storytellers - our parents. sure, we'll have stories of our own to pass on, but they might not size up to the doozies that they had. kinda like their cooking... for those people who reminisce about comfort foods growing up, i know that no matter how well i cook, there are some things that i'll never be able to prepare like my parents. of course, this is for those parents who are/were good cooks. i pity those who grew up in families with lousy cooks ;)

i don't think i mentioned that the movie takes place in fictitious towns of Alabama, which holds a little irony for me. i have a friend who grew up in Montgomery, Alabama (i'll call her 'AK'). she's smitten with my parents...as are most people. anyway, she caught me fussing about my parents and their little oft-repeated stories that embarassed me some, and said, "You really should appreciate your parents now and share more (with them) because you'll really miss them when they're gone. I was estranged from my father when I moved away from Alabama. And now that my parents have passed, I miss 'em every day. I wish I had the opportunity to share life with them that you still have."

AK is so right...
And with that...g'nite.

let it snow...

let it rain...
let the sun shine in...

in fact, i wouldn't mind if we received a little precipitation every night (like midnight to dawn) for a week or two. now, we would have to have sun during the day, but let the water soak in some.

still snowing outside. had to pull out the snow brush out of the trunk after we got out of the cheapies. funny...after 10 years, lois still insists to brush off the car and have me sit. and, after ten years, i have usually talked her out of it; she's always cold. why should she 'suffer' brushing the car off, while it's not really a big deal for me to scrape and brush? besides, i'd much rather be on the outside while she sits in the freezing car, waiting for it to warm up ;) i think we both think that each of us has it better...does that make any sense? i think you get the gist of it. and if you don't you probably really do. in fact, you get it so good that you're itching to get away from this blog...and pronto!

btw, i love spring snow! it never gets cold enough to freeze - no scraping - and it's usually so wet, it comes off in one swift brush. even if it's a foot thick, you can take your arm or a broom and push it all off in one sweep...

colored...glittered...

eggs.

not very pretty ones though. we only had natural eggs (brown) and an incomplete glitter egg kit that i unearthed from my car trunk last year. i must've bought it post-Easter...

still, the eggs came out better than we thought they would, considering the color tabs didn't all pan out; the red/pink wasn't dark enough and you try to color natural eggs yellow, ha! only with copious amounts of leftover glitter from another kit, were we able to salvage the batch.

now, we made some killer eggs a couple weeks ago! the kit (Dudley's Shake n' Dazzle) we used was SO hassle-free and fast... it took less than 30 minutes, including clean up :) basically, the kit has five dye envelopes, five matching colored baskets w/ clear lids, and a teeny glitter shaker (which actually has enough to decorate 2-3 dozen eggs!). you put the egg in the basket shaker, add a few drops of the dye, secure the clear lid, shake until you have the desired (uniform) colors, and add the glitter. you can make some beauteous ones. and after you finish, you can wash the baskets and attach the included plastic basket handles (they give you 10), add grass, and hand 'em out. they're so cute.

that kit was so easy that we didn't even stain our fingers. i know that some people think that's part of the fun, but there are some messy kits that are plain cumbersome in both coloring and clean up. the speckled egg kit (by Easter Unlimited) and Dudley's Swirl-an-Egg are two that make cool looking eggs, but are messy as hell.

i wonder what half-priced kits we'll find on monday...maybe we'll do the simply colored Paas kit next year ;)

these are always good...

when you have no idea what to blog about. this one is from Katie's blog...

Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says.
"...and when old Aegeon makes his appearence in Ephesus, he is condemned to death." (from Stories From Shakespeare)

Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first?
My printer

What is the last thing you watched on TV?
part of 'The Simpsons'

With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
an old Jesus Jones cd...now i know why it cost me a dollar

When did you last step outside?
around 2PM to get the mail

Before you came to this website, what did you look at?
some hotels on Cheapo Vegas. you should go there...the humor is quite tongue in cheek!

What are you wearing?
black sweats...an old Tampa Bay t-shirt...and an even older Claybrooke cotton shirt

Did you dream last night?
i'm sure i did, but i don't recall what (i dreamt). now, two nights ago, i had a strange dream about my brother, Steve. he was lurking upstairs, carrying a full laundry basket and declaring that everything was okay. we-eird.

When did you last laugh?
a few minutes ago as i was catching up on blogs. specifically, it was Rachel's post about critter talk, Souris, and 'rah-zon-yah.'

What is on the walls of the room you are in?
very little. a calendar and an old white sheet that i use for slide viewing on occasion.

Seen anything weird lately?
just those two German tourists in Dallas, looking like the Mennonites who sell cheese on the street in Mérida, Mexico.

What do you think of this quiz?
it's better than actually thinking of something to write about ;)

What is the last movie you saw?
at the cheapies, Calendar Girls
full price, Mystic River
on tape, Shaolin Challenges Ninja

If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?
a condo for my brother, Sandy...a Mini Cooper for Lois...and a couple RTW airfares.

Tell me something about you that I don't know:
i floss my upper teeth in the morning and the bottom teeth at night

If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
implement a recycling program similar to the Netherlands

Do you like to dance?
depends on the music and the crowd

George Bush:
is an insufferable fool who has put this country in a shitload of debt that future generations will have to endure for many years

Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
i really get along with Barbaras, but it's kind of an old fashioned name

Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
maybe Robert

Would you ever consider living abroad?
i have done so on two occasions and will have many more future opportunities

cheapies...

went to see Calendar Girls for four bits today. my friend, Cindy, hadn't seen it yet and i wasn't in the mood for Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give...

man, the line was SO long! usually when we go to a cheapie, we meet at the Walgreen's and stock up on water and candy. upon seeing cindy, she said that the line was snaking out the east door of Tiffany Plaza, which is a good 100' from the box office. so we ended up waiting at least 15-20 minutes to get our ticket from our poor, harried seller. i cannot believe that they only had one person selling tix on a tuesday. then again, you usually don't have to wait that long to get a ticket for the matinee show, even on a tuesday.

the movie was just as good as the first time. Helen Mirren and Julie Walters are a scream. it's well worth a cheapie tix or rental!!!

afterwards, i decided to stop by Anthony's Pizza for a couple slices of sausage and pepperoni. at first, i was weighing the pros and cons:

'you don't need the oozy, cheesy, greasy wedge...'
'but it HAS been a long time since you've been there...'
'okay...compromise...only ONE slice'

isn't it nice when you can talk yourself into doing the 'right' thing ;)

so, it was into the joint for a slice of sausage. as i walked in, i didn't see anyone manning the counter...until a kid on my right stood up and kissed his girlfriend goodbye. OMG, it was G. Penn! i hadn't seen G since he was a fifteen year-old kid on a trip to a Mexican orphanage that lois and i were chaperoning. he was the best kid on the trip. and here he was, managing the Anthony's on 7th & Colorado...last day too. he's taking the year off from DU and is gonna find a part-time job and basically kick back for the summer, before the fall quarter - good for him. he tells me that he wants to go into commercial real estate and building management. smart kid, go for the money.

a good day. the weather...a movie...seeing G...and i even blogged! tonight, i'm gonna cook...we're gonna stay in and watch the best of Johnny Carson tapes that i picked up at ARC last week...and that's it. hope you all have an exciting night as we ;)

i'm back...

sorry 'bout that. i had just turned on the lamp on my last post and the bulb went out...so i had to truck upstairs to get another. and when i got back with it, the above light in the ceiling had gone out. strange. it's gotta be that full moon.

tonight, susie left work at around 7PM and thought she saw lois' car still in the parking garage. when she got home, she called lois and asked if everything was okay. lois wondered why susie thought something was wrong because she left work at around 5PM and had been home since then.

apparently, there's another late model maroon Honda Civic LX...with similar plates that is often parked in their parking garage. lois even said that she mistakenly tries the wrong car on occasion. i wonder if it's the same for the other owner. perhaps, this car only appears during full moons - that would make more sense ;)

speaking of weirdness, last night, we watched Frontline. it might have been a repeat because the episode was "Who was Lee Harvey Oswald?" it probably aired last november, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of JFK's assassination.

anyway, it was a bit ironic to turn the tube on to this show because we were just in Dallas last weekend to visit lois' sister, Pauline (see the 3/19 post). and we had visited the Book Depository building that Oswald had done his deed in. talk about creepy. all the documenting photos and videos made for a really thought provoking sunday.

although i am familiar with the events that transpired, i had never given it much thought since JFK was assassinated almost seven years before i was born. sure...the rifle...the grassy knoll...Jack Ruby...but that's it. i didn't know all the details and the scientific experiments that had been carried out by the Warren Commission. and to see everything, was pretty incredible.

IMHO, i believe that Oswald was a gunman and probably fired the first three shots. however, i don't think he acted alone. if you look at the frame-by-frame evidence of Abraham Zapruder's amateur video, it's totally evident that another shot was fired from the right of the motorcade, as JFK's scalp is literally torn off and he slumps to his left, into Jackie. man, that must've haunted her 'til the day she went...

if Oswald was the only one to fire the shots, there is NO way he could have inflicted the fourth, since he was shooting from BEHIND the limo. i kinda wonder if there is a conspiracy theory and he was the scapegoat. from the subsequent interviews after the shooting, he was too calm and collected...like he was going to be magically exonerated; as if someone had promised him immunity or something.

oh yeah, i thought i'd mention a funny observation that we made. right before we walked into the museum, lois and i noticed two tall, cowboy hatted, overall wearin', bumpkin-looking types that had crossed the street in the direction of the museum. it seemed that they were the classic bumpkins who had come from a more 'rural' area of the state or a surrounding state for a visit to the 'big city.' in fact, the only thing that might've been missing was a piece of straw jutting out of the side of their mouths.

on the sixth floor, we were milling around the exhibit when i caught a glimpse of the bumpkins again. we had crossed paths once more near the vocal timeline when i heard one of 'em talk to another...in German!!! these two guys were German tourists who either believe that they'd fit in perfectly by dressing in their best Village People cowhand garb or their Texas travel literature back home is seriously out of date! i truly had to stifle a laugh at myself because of my preconceived notions of these visitors. heh

back to it?

can you believe it? here i am, no longer neglecting my blogging responsibilities...

'course, i have NO idea what to blog about ;) BRB

from Nelle's...via J-Walk Blog

Where were you when...

1) John F. Kennedy was shot? (11/22/1963)
N/A...that's six and a half years before my birth

2) Mt. St. Helen's blew? (5/18/1980)
I was in fourth grade. I don't recall where I was at that exact moment, but I do remember seeing the thin layer of volcanic ash on my dad's '76 Chevy Caprice Classic (what a boat ;)

3) John Lennon gunned down? (12/08/1980)
I was in fifth grade, watching the news about it...but later that night, not the instant it happened since that was in the morning, right?

4) The Challenger exploded? (1/28/1986)
I was a high school sophomore, sitting in Miss Minnick's Algebra 4X class...when she informed the class of the accident.

5) The 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco? (10/07/1989)
In my dorm room watching the World Series game between San Francisco and Oakland on TV.

6) The Berlin Wall Fell? (11/07/1989)
Still at Mizzou. I remember reading about it in the paper the next day.

7) The Gulf War began? (01/16/1991)
In Belize, worried that it would really escalate and that I was the prime age to be drafted...

8) OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco? (06/17/1994)
At work. We watched it on the b/w TV in the kitchen.
8a) And when the verdict was read? (10/03/1994)
Standing near the bureau that held the menus and talking to Nathaniel, a cashier at the Harvest.

9) The Afred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed? (04/19/1995)
I was getting out of bed...groggy and confused.

10) Princess Di was killed? (08/31/1997)
I was getting ready to pick up a friend (Eric Kwong) to go see a midnight movie at the Mayan Theater.

11) Bush was first announced president? (11/07/2000)
I think I was talking to my sister, Susie, and watching it on TV.

12) Terrorists destroyed the WTC? (09/11/2001)
I had just gotten up when the first plane hit, thinking that it was a strange accident. By the time the other tower was hit, I think most of America knew that it was no coincidence. I remember watching the TV replays (especially when the towers collapsed), in utter disbelief...

13) Columbia disintegrated during re-entry over Texas? (02/01/2003)
I was at home, watching it on TV.

14) The Madrid trains were attacked? (03/11/2004)
Reading about it on Yahoo.

he lives...really!

it has been a LONG time since i last blogged, hasn't it?

sorry 'bout that :(

i have been busy with class, which, btw, is now over. i can start putting CTG next to my name ;) i am now a certified tour guide!!!

the work in the class piled up at the end...only because i let it get away from me. three small presentations, three papers, and a motorcoach test (20 min. tour, that is).

i'm sad to say that i wasn't one of the top 10 students. in fact, i probably was in the bottom five of a class of fifteen. you know what though? i don't care!!! i finished and that's all there is to it...DAMMIT!

unfortunately, there's one more certification that i must have before i can be totally happy...the one for CITM (Certified International Tour Manager). this is the one for big bucks and will take me to Latin America...or anywhere else in the world. the bad thing about tour guiding is that it's more feasible for local work (which is good if you have local obligations); most int'l tour guiding is done by the locals in those countries. 'course that probably makes the most sense...maybe. i've witnessed some tour guides who pass on more fiction than fact in certain archaeological sites...or the 'facts' they have are from scholarly thought of the 50's...time to update, guys!