What's New Pussycat??

Overheard in the Ladies Room at the Tom Jones concert Saturday Night at the Hollywood Bowl...

"God Dammit. I've held it for two hours and it figures I'd have to piss during 'Pussycat'"

Some things only make sense at a Tom Jones concert!

Hot Stuff

I have never been to Las Vegas, well at least until last week. It was my brother's birthday and he wanted to have a lowkey celebration so 15 of his closest friends set out for a Vegas extravaganza birthday weekend.

I must say it was a blast but also somewhat of a culture shock. The words "over the top" were most definitely coined for Vegas. Everything is LARGE and bright and flashy and well ... over the top. The whole time I was there I couldn't help thinking that conservation was not a word in any dictionary in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. I can only imagine how much water is used in a day, even an hour!

That said, I could have moved into my hotel room at The Hotel at Mandaly Bay. It had three flatscreen TV's, 3!!! One in the living room, one in the bedroom and one in one of the bathrooms. Oh yes, two bathrooms, on for guests I guess. Whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

And the main bathroom had a waterfall tub as well as a shower with a rainshower head. Sunday morning I woke up and took a bubble bath while watching David Beckham lead the England team to victory in that day's World Cup match. Oh yes, David Beckham and a bubble bath. Yummy.

But the highlight of the trip, or maybe it was the lowlight, had to be the Donna Summer concert in the Barry Manilow theater at the Las Vegas Hilton. As we were driving in, we saw billboards advertising the concert and I must say, the photo was taken some years err centuries ago. But we've all grown a little long in the tooth since the heyday of the disco era.

Oh, did I mention that the Go-Go's were playing that same night on the Beach at Mandalay Bay? (Yes, I know Vegas is in the desert but Mandalay Bay has built a beach complete with a pool that simulates waves for body surfing. I told you, water, water everywhere!) I really wanted to do that but didn't think it would be nice to ditch the group.

So myself and 14 guys headed off to the concert of the year (or so her backup singers told us). OK. I know Vegas is cheesy just by its nature but this was cheeseball squared. First, Donna kept us waiting for 45 minutes and the crowd that looked like it had just come straight off the tourist bus from somewhere in the middle of America, was getting restless.Then an announcer came over the loudspeaker and said that there were technical problems and she would be out in 15 minutes (one of our group thought he said 50 minutes and headed for the blackjack tables and missed most of the show.)

I had declined a drink when we first sat down but decided it was definitely time to start drinking.

Finally the band, and I use that term loosely struck up a tune that sounded vaguely familiar and I realized it was an orchestral montage of her greatest disco hits. Now, remember, Donna was the queen of disco. I was like, "oh, I forgot she did that song and that song and that song" so I was getting excited.

Unfortunately, she wants to be taken seriously so instead of just doing a whole show of her disco classics, which would have been awesome, she threw in some ballads even attempting a Sade song.

To be fair, I have to say that her voice is terrific and still as strong as ever. She can belt it out. And when she did her classic hits, the crowd was on it's feet dancing and singing and then she would tone it down to a more serious song and the crowd would sit down again. It felt like being at Kol Nidre services.

Oh, and speaking of religion, apparently she found God so she doesn't do "Love to Love You, Baby" anymore which I have to say was a bit of a relief because at the risk of sounding incredibly sexist and ageist, I think it would have been a little creepy to see her at this stage of her life writhing around simulating orgasm.

Oh, and the funniest thing was that while our crowd was largely of the age to have danced to Donna Summer back in the day, two of our party were still of a tender age and had blank faces when she broke into "She Works Hard for the Money," "Bad Girls," "Dim all the Lights" and "Macarthur Park."

Oh, wait, I forgot. Actually, the funniest thing was the announcer kept calling her Donna Summers, with an 's'.

But all cynicism and sarcasm aside, it was a fun night and a trippy trip down memory lane.

Toot Toot, hey, Beep Beep!

P.S. I have some great photos but can't upload them for some reason. ARGH!!!

Talking to Nature

So, I loved The Artist's Way class so much that I signed up to take the second session of the class called "Visionquest." The object of the class is to come up with a life mission statement and then come up with a visionquest that you want to work on for the 10-week session.

All good.

Until this week's class which was a little bit, as my friend Susan's mom says, California fruits and nuts.

So after leading us in a walking meditation, which already was pushing my envelope, Marla (our instructor) tells us to walk outside and pick up something from nature. So I did. I saw some pretty yellow flowers in the median on the street and crossed the street and picked five of them.

We brought them back in and put them on a table. I have to admit it looked kinda cool with rocks and flowers and leaves and palm fronds - very artsy.

Then came the zinger. "Pick up your nature object and find a quiet place in the room where you can sit down with your nature object and hear what it has to tell you about your visionquest and write down what it says to you."

What??? I'm supposed to have a chat with my nature object. I don't think so. But, I picked up my five now dead yellow flowers and my notebook and found a space in the room.

Then I stared at my dead yellow flowers. They were not talking to me. Quiet as church mice. Quieter in fact - they were dead. I looked around. My fellow classmates were busy scribbling away like their nature objects were giving them the secret to life or at least a bestselling novel.

Then I spied an ant. And started to squash it with my pen but Marla is Buddhist and doesn't like to kill anything so I thought I'd be respectful of that. So I just watched it, making sure it didn't get on me by putting my pen in its path whenever it got too close. Hmmm. Maybe the ant could be my nature object. So I stared at the ant some more.

Then it came to me. So I scribbled a few lines down and that was that.

Then we all put our nature objects in a pile in the middle of the room and sat around it and a candle like a campfire and shared what our nature objects had told us.

When it came my turn, I told everyone how my flowers weren't speaking to me because they were sleeping (I decided not to say dead) but instead I found a little ant. I told them that the ant told me to stay on course and not let any obstacle get in the way of my visionquest and that like the ants in the ant hill, I should be sure to have a strong support system always at hand. And if I persevere and stay true to my mission statement, I will be successful in my visionquest.

I kid you not, the whole class oohed and aahed and nodded their heads like I had just revealed a great and profound truth.

California nuts and fruits.

Cows Chew Cud, Britney Chews Gum

I wanted to feel sorry for her, I really did. I wanted to watch 'the' interview and come away with a new sensitivity for Britney Spears. I wanted to believe that she was just 'misunderstood' and that the press was being cruel to her. I really, really tried.

But I didn't. In fact, all of my preconceived ideas about the queen of trash were confirmed. She had the chance of a lifetime to set the record straight and what did she do? She chewed a big, honkin' wad of gum throughout the entire interview. Matt Lauer even made a comment about it in one of his segment intros. She chewed gum.

Hello!?! Does she not have a publicist??? Never mind that her skirt was so short that I was prepared for a "Basic Instinct" shot at any minute. Never mind that her boobs were falling out of her shirt and I was just waiting to see a wardrobe malfunction at any minute. Never mind that she defended herself for driving with Sean Preston in her lap, or tried to make us believe that she cleans toilets and that her marriage is heavenly. Never mind all of that.

SHE CHEWED GUM THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE INTERVIEW!!!!

I guess it's true that money doesn't buy class.

Isn't It Ironic?

I pride myself on being one of the only people in America who has never seen a single episode of "American Idol." So it was quite amusing when I took my out-of-town guest to Hollywood and Highland to see the Kodak Theatre where you can see the Hollywood sign, the stars on Hollywood Boulevard and the hand and foot prints at Mann's Theatre all in one place. And what do you know...
It was all set up for the finale of "American Idol!" Red carpet, paparazzi, TV cameras, fans with homemade signs touting their pick for winner, the whole nine yards. Jill, my guest, doesn't watch the show either so it was kinda funny that we stumbled upon this circus. However, I must admit it was fun to see all the hubbub, fun in a sociological experiment kind of way, and it was a great thing to show a visitor.
Just another day in Tinseltown!

I Always Wondered...

Why are Stan and Kyle friends with Cartman?

Couldn't Have Said it Better

I love this quote I saw in the May issue of Skirt!

"Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

American University Law Professor Jamin Raskin

With Apologies to Kelly

I had the wildest dream the other night. It was one of those dreams that was so vivid that when I woke up I had to take a minute to remember it it was a dream or if it really happened.

I dreamed I met Hilary Swank and became her best friend and personal assistant. Why Hilary Swank? I have no idea. But I think the whole dream came about because a friend wrote to tell me that Cacee Cobb quit Jessica. Perhaps after reading my disparaging comments? I doubt it but it was synchronicitous.

Anyway, I dreamed that I was shopping in Barney's and Hilary Swank was shopping too. We were both trying on shoes and got to talking. Did I mention this dream was in color. I love that. Anyway, we were chatting and she was with a couple of other friends who were in another part of the story looking at handbags and scarves (I told you it was detailed), so Hil and I were just shooting the breeze. Talked about life and shoes and restaurants, all kinds of things. We really hit it off.

So much so that I wanted to ask her for her email so we could keep in touch but I didn't want her to think I was a star stalker or something. So I was wrestling with myself about whether or not to ask her when she handed me a card with her number on it. She looked at me and said, "I really am glad to meet you. It so important to me to have good girlfriends these days. Let's hang out." So I ended up being BFF with Hilary and became her personal assistant as well. Oh and I forgot to mention that while we were trying on shoes, the paparazzi took her picture and part of me was in the picture so when it appeared in US Weekly the next week, everyone called and was all, "We saw you in US!"

When I woke up it took me a minute to remember that I wasn't actually BFF with Hilary Swank nor was I her personal assistant. But it did briefly occur to me to try to find out Jessica's email and send her a note saying I was her biggest fan and would make a great new assistant for her. Then I thought that if I was a superstar and someone sent me an email like that I would call the police.

So I didn't.

One of Life's Simple Pleasures

I love Frosted Mini Wheats. The original kind. The kind with the white sugar on it. Not the brown sugar cinnamon kind or any of the the fruity kinds, just the original ones, big or bite size, I like 'em both.

Frosted Mini Wheats remind me of being a kid and especially of being a kid with my friend Carol who nows has her own kids, one of whom is my goddaughter, Annie.

Anyway, about once a year I splurge on sugar cereal and buy myself a box of Frosted Mini Wheats. And so, since I eat them so infrequently, I always forget and am always re-delighted when I get to the last bowl.

Now with most yummy things that you eat infrequently, the last bowl or bite is a disappointment. Not so with Frosted Mini Wheats. The last bowl is the absolute BEST!! Why, you ask? Because all of the excess sugar and shredded wheat has settled at the bottom, so the last bowl you pour is basically, "have some mini wheat with your sugar!" It's so good, so decadent and so satisfying.

Gotta love the small stuff in life that makes you smile!

What he said

I recently read an interview, with Howell Raines, in New York magazine. For those who don't know or don't remember (the media is so fickle), Raines was the executive editor at the venerable New York Times before he was forced out because he got hoodwinked by Jayson Blair and was a casualty of that scandal.

Raines is a southern boy, Alabama born and bred. His son Jeff lives in New Orleans where part of the interview takes place.

Raines and the New York reporter are fishing in New Orleans and of course the conversation drifts to Katrina. They are driving around the Ninth Ward discussing the situation and how other presidents would have reacted.

Raines says, "Think what Eisenhower would have done with this! You have to entertain the possibility that Bush can't think his way through problems like this. Here's a family that has had every benefit that American Society can offer for four generations - wealth, education, social position - and they have no impulse toward repaying anything back to this society that has been so generous to them. Faulkner talks about the human heart in conflict. Well, I see no evidence of conflict in their hearts. Just meanness."

Amen. I've never heard it said better. Those people, the Bushes and their cronies, are so fortunate and yet they have no rochmanis - empathy, compassion. That above all else is what makes them so hateful.

Mixing it up

So I started Culinary School last night. Phew! Do I have a lot to learn, it was indeed a humbling but at the same time exhilerating, experience. I was going to write about it here but I decided to keep this blog as is, in other words, just random ramblings, and I've devoted a second blog to chronicling my experiences as a student of the science of cooking and baking.
If you want to follow me through school, here's the link.
Oh, and one thing. I wanted to change my picture and profile for my culinary blog but couldn't figure out how to do it. I can only learn so much at a time!

"Manthem"

What's the deal with BK these days? First they bring us that really creepy King guy that I gotta tell you, If I woke up and saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, I'd call 911!

Now they bring us their latest commercial which they call "Manthem" and is it just me or does anyone find it insulting and offensive? I mean I have a pretty good sense of humor but they have appropriated one of the greatest feminist anthems and turned it into, well, exactly what they call it - a Manthem.

"I am Woman" was a battle cry, a confidence booster, a statement of purpose for women in the '70s who were fighting for equal rights. Now it's a mockery. I can't believe Helen Reddy gave the rights for her song to be so abused.

There have been so many signs in the past few years that we are on a slippery slope where women's rights are concerned but I have always tried to remain optimistic. Even when I saw those girls wearing those obnoxious tshirts (see previous post), even with the Supreme Court a disaster but jeez louise when a major corporation thinks it's okay to make fun of the women's movement a mere thirty years after its heyday, I just don't know what to think.

Here are the original words:
Words and Music by Helen Reddy and Ray Burton
I am woman, hear me roar In numbers too big to ignore And I know too much to go back an' pretend 'cause I've heard it all before And I've been down there on the floor No one's ever gonna keep me down again CHORUS Oh yes I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to, I can do anything I am strong (strong) I am invincible (invincible) I am woman You can bend but never break me 'cause it only serves to make me More determined to achieve my final goal And I come back even stronger Not a novice any longer 'cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul CHORUS I am woman watch me grow See me standing toe to toe As I spread my lovin' arms across the land But I'm still an embryo With a long long way to go Until I make my brother understand Oh yes I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to I can face anything I am strong (strong) I am invincible (invincible) I am woman Oh, I am woman I am invincible I am strong FADE I am woman I am invincible I am strong I am woman

Instead of a parody, maybe one of those pop singers that are so admired by the generation that does not even know who Gloria Steinem is, should do a remake and remind girls today that they have a lot to lose. Jessica???

Artists

When I lived in Prague, my two best friends were Stuart Jackson and Jesse Littell. Stuart and Jesse had been roommates in college. I knew Stuart because his father was my childhood dentist. Actually, I didn't know Stuart at all even though we both grew up in Charleston and his father was my dentist but in a weird turn of synchronicity my father ran into his father one day and my father said, "Mindy is going to Prague" and Stu's father said, "Stuart is going to Prague" so Stu's father called Stu and said, "Look up this girl in Prague and look out for her." Very southern and very sweet.

So he did. I was mesmerized by them from the get-go. Stu and Jesse were like yin and yang. Stu, tall, blond and fair with a sweet smile and Jesse, dark and brooding with a devilish grin you could just tell he'd had since he was a little boy. We three became the best of friends. We knew noone else at the time so we did everything together. It was one of the most wonderful times of my life. We all had so much fun together, I smile and get teary-eyed both when I think about those days.

But that's not why I'm telling you about them. Stuart and Jesse went to Prague to paint. They are artists. Unbelievable artists. It's more than technique, although they both have their own original styles. It's in their hearts. Watching them work, as I did for hours on end, you just know that there is nothing else they could possibly do. They have to paint. The brush is an extension of their souls into their fingertips and onto the canvas. I loved to watch them create. It was awesome and inspiring.

I bring this up because I was thinking about Stuart today, we've kept in sporadic touch, but I haven't seen him since his sister's wedding last summer and I was trying to get in touch. Then I thought about Jesse and for fun I googled him and found his website. If he was good back then, he's miraculous now. That is why I bring this up so everyone can look at his work on his site called No Such Paintings.

I googled Stuart to see if he had a site up but I couldn't find one. You can bet next time I talk to him I'll get on him for that.

Jesse gave me a painting for my birthday one year. It's of a closet with piles of stuff just spilling out of it. I treasure it. It is so me.

They are my inspiration. And while I'll never, as long as I live, paint like them, they inspire me to keep creating. And I love them both.

Raw Food

raw food v. chocolate cake

I keep seeing these raw food restaurants sprouting up all over the place (get it, sprouting, get it, get it??)

What the hell? Isn't a raw food establishment called a grocery store, where you buy your raw food and then take it home and COOK IT!!!

At first I thought raw food was just another word for vegetarian but then I read a little about it and it turns out it really is eating uncooked food. Vegetarians eat, well, vegetables but they are not soley devoted to uncooked food. Raw Foodists (that's what they are called) are. Apparently it's to keep the enzymes active which is supposed to be good for you, I don't know.

I also learned that there are subcategories of raw foodists:
Fruitarian - People who consume mostly fruits.
Sproutarian - People who consume mostly sprouts.
Juicearian - People who consume mostly fresh juice.

I find that so amusing. Sounds very extra-terrestrial. Can you imagine consuming mostly sprouts. EWWW!

I learned all of this from a pretty interesting website on the topic. It talks about why raw food and what raw foodists eat but when I read this, I laughed so hard I almost fell off the chair. "For some delicious recipes, see our recipe section!"(They put the exclamation point in there, not me, which makes it even funnier.) Hello - the food is raw therefore, no recipes. And that's not even mentioning the oxymoron there.

I muse about all this raw food as I prepare to embark on a new venture called culinary school. I have yet another confession to make...I love to cook. Always have, I just don't do it often for various reasons one being I live alone and it's a pain to cook for myself, but I love to cook for others, set a beautiful table, present beautiful and delicious food and then reap the praises from a table of well-sated guests. And then of course, the denouement, the dessert, which I've always prided myself on. I've loved to bake since I was a little girl, most probably because I love to eat dessert!

So next week I begin my Pro Baking classes and then in July I'll start Pro Chef classes.

So to raw food I say phooey - Prepare to be cooked!

Copycat

Yes, this is a copycat post. I'm copying my friend Kelly Love from her microfamous blog but I only feel a little guilty because I think that different people read our blogs and for our crossover crowd it's worth repeating - Ida Becker is a bad a..!

Ida picked up and went to Nepal for 3 weeks ALL BY HERSELF. That is so awesome and brave on so many levels that it's hard to wrap my head around it. Not only is Ida female, and as much as we wish it weren't true, it is undeniable that females traveling solo have more risks, but also she is a tall, blond, beautiful female who most definitely would stand out in an Asian country.

Not only was her travel rigorous and the accommodations rudimentary at best (read peeing in the middle of the night in a frozen hole in the ground) but there was also a revolution in the country and she was put under house arrest while being deathly ill from some horribly rancid food that makes me sick just even thinking about it.

And she had a wonderful time! Read about it here and see her amazingly beautiful photos.

Ida is an inspiration.

The Holy Grail

Yes, that is indeed Jessica Simpson in this photo.



I have a secret that only those closest to me know but I'm about to come out of the closet - I'm obsessed with Jessica Simpson. I can't explain why, I just love her. I always have and I always will. So today, my dream came true.

I met Jessica Simpson.

Here's how it happened.

Yesterday I met my friend Dennis at The Grove for lattes. There's a funny story about Dennis. We met at a MediaBistro seminar and it turned out he worked at The Prague Post after I did - we never knew each other but we knew all the same people. So Dennis, who lives in Santa Barbara, was in LA and we met for lattes.

Afterwards I said, "I'm going to run into Nordstrom real quickly and just look at the shoes. I haven't been there in awhile." Dennis said he would come along. So we walk in the door at Nordstrom and I see the sign. It reads "Meet Jessica Simpson here April 29." Jessica was promoting her new line of shoes.

My heart stopped. I quickly ran through the calendar in my head and realized it was the next day. I couldn't believe it. Usually, with my luck, it would have been the day before. "Jessica" I squeaked. "Oh My God, Oh My God. Jessica" Dennis, who doesn't know me well enough to know about my obsession, was looking a little worried. I think the thought I was having a seizure of some sort.

I was so excited I could barely breathe. "I should go to Barnes and Noble and get one of her CDs to sign," I said. I think Dennis thought I was kidding but I turned tail and headed toward B&N. Dennis came with, I think he was afraid.

I felt like the kid in the Disney commercial whose mom tells him to go to sleep because they are going to Disney the next day and he says "I'm too excited." I went off to call all my friends and Dennis went back to Santa Barbara.

So I wake up on Jessica day and I remember I also have her Christmas CD. If only I can find it! I found the case but the CD wasn't in it. No worries, I just need the little booklet.

What shall I wear? I decided to wear this awesome dress I bought in London. It's really cute and I had a vision of Jessica seeing and saying "I love your dress. Where did you get it?" "London," I would casually reply. That didn't happen, but no matter, I still looked cute.

Then I got worried. What if it's a mob scene and I don't get to see her? Maybe I should see if my brother wants to come and we can bring the twins. She would love the twins. I'm not above using my niece and nephew to get to see Jessica. But Myles had a conference to attend and Clio had a little cold so no twins.

No worries. I put on my dress, grabbed my CDs and headed off to Nordstrom. It was about 2:15. Jessica was supposed to arrive at 3 p.m. So I get there and there are two lines. In one line, the people have light blue bracelets. In the other, much farther back line, no bracelets.

I find out the blue line is comprised of people who bought Jess's shoes so they get to go first. No worries. I buy a pair of shoes. I can always return them tomorrow. I queue up in the blue bracelet line. Oh, and the blue bracelet people also got a Jessica Simpson journal, to write our deepest thoughts.

We are a jolly group of Jessica fans, so excited that we are going to actually get to talk to and touch the object of our affection. The minutes tick by, longer and longer. So we make friends. The two girls in front of me are from The OC, not the show, but from Orange County, Laguna and Newport. One of the girls works at Nordstrom so she got her shoes 40 percent off. Jessica gave all Nordstrom employees 40 percent off her shoes rather than the usual 20 percent discount. She's so thoughtful that way.


The people behind us were a woman and her daughter who were in town from New Orleans looking at schools. They just happened on the event. The daughter was beside herself and the mom was pretty excited too. "Tell her you are from New Orleans," we told them. "Work it."

What will she be wearing, we wondered ( a cute white halter with little flowers, short hair which was a little wavy. She looked tired. I think it was her 2nd or 3rd appearance of the day). Who will be with her (her mom Tina, her assistant/friend Cacee Cobb and her hair stylist/friend Ken Paves who is also Jennifer Aniston's hair stylist/friend). We were excited. I felt very comfortable with my little group of Jessica fans. They understood.

After about an hour and a half SHE arrived. It wasn't long before it was my turn. No pictures they said. Bummer. I rehearsed what I would say. I also wanted to ask Cacee if she was ever going to do anything with her life or just glom on to Jessica forever, but I didn't.

Now it was my turn - it was Jessica, my Jessica. I couldn't believe I was actually going to meet Jessica. She was larger than life. But actually she's tiny. I was so excited I almost forgot to even look at her and I totally forgot to shake her hand, which I meant to do but she was holding a sharpie so probably couldn't have anyway.

What did I end up saying? "Hi Jessica. I'm probably your oldest fan." She laughed and said, "No you aren't" but when she looked up from signing my CD covers I could see her rethinking that. Then, because I love Jessica and I feel sad for what she's been going through with Nick and all the tabloid trash etc. I said, "I hope you have lots of luck and happiness for your future." She looked a little surprised and then said, "I hope you do too." It was a moment.

And that was it, all in all it was probably about 20 seconds but I actually met Jessica Simpson.

I really wanted a photo so I doubled back and tried to take one from afar. I snapped it but there was a guy in a wheelchair blocking Jess and I got reprimanded by security before I could shoot another. No matter, I met Jessica.

If the truth be told, the anticipation and excitement and chatting with like-minded Jessica fans in line, was actually more fun than the actual face-to-face, but meeting Jessica was still pretty sweet.

And like my friend Deirdre said, "You can cross that off your list." Happy ever after.

The Universal Laugh

Too bad Katie Holmes and Brooke Shields weren't in the same hospital sharing a room. I wonder if they will have playdates or joint birthday parties? I wonder if when they get older, Brooke's kid will say to Tom's kid, "My mommy can beat up your daddy" and Tom's kid will probably be like, "Who's my daddy?"

The Universe has a great sense of humor!

With Friends Like That........

Did anyone else leave "Friends With Money" wanting to slit their wrists?

I don't want to ruin the suspense so in a brief synopsis I'll just say that it is about four late thirties-early forties friends. One (Frances McDormand) is married to a man who everyone thinks is gay; one (Joan Cusack) is very rich and married to a controlling man; one (Catherine Keener) is in a bad marriage that is coming apart at the seams and one (Jennifer Aniston) is single and working as a maid.

I have really enjoyed Nicole Holofcener's movies, "Lovely and Amazing" and "Walking and Talking" and this movie had some of her trademark quips and witicisms but it was just so annoying. And perhaps because it hit a little close to home.

But I really wanted to reach through the screen and strangle Jennifer Aniston's character. Not Jennifer Aniston, she was cute as always, but her character.

Yes, she has low self-esteem and yes, she has a history of picking the wrong men and men that are not good for her (who doesn't?). I got all that. But the way she lets the physical trainer guy trash on her was just downright aggravating and infuriating. Once was bad enough but she let it go on. Damn woman!

OK. I don't mean to imply that this movie sucked, because it didn't. It had some really funny moments and all the actors were wonderful, really wonderful. I was just depressed and annoyed by the message of the film, because it did hit close to home at this time that is a little difficult.

Oh, but the one thing that I have to bemoan is the blatant, blatant product placement. No one props their Fresh Express salad perfectly in the cart so you can perfectly read the name. And there were others that were really in your face. I know this is the wave and I expect it from films like MI-3 but I thought the Indies had a little more integrity.

Synchronicity

I was feeling particularly homesick for Charleston today. Probably because my parents just left after a week-long visit which isn't long enough. Just when I get cozy and comfortable having them close by again, whoosh, they are gone!

Also, maybe because my friend Emily had a baby today and I don't get to see him (the baby.)

Also perhaps because my friend Arlie died after a long, hard fight with ALS and I'm not around all the people who knew him to reminisce and mourn and celebrate his life. I won't be there for his memorial service. No outlet to say goodbye and remember and honor him.

Also because the Cooper River Bridge Run is Saturday. The first one on the new bridge. Last year when I did the last one on the old bridge with my friend Deirdre we talked about doing the first one on the new bridge. Deirdre is doing it. Go girl!

So, I was having all of these thoughts about home and family and friends and Charleston while I was walking Lucy and I looked down and saw a quarter in the grass. Now, I don't usually pick up quarters off the ground, you know germs and all, but something made me bend down to get it and I looked at it and almost keeled over. It was a South Carolina quarter. Weird, huh? There are 50 state quarters, not to mention the ones that don't even have states on them and I found a South Carolina one just when I was pining for home.

OK. It gets more synchronicitous (is that a word?). I went to get Lucy some dog food at a place I've never been. I noticed there was a frame shop next door and I've been carrying around the page that was made for me and I was given on my last day at the P&C, needing to get it framed forever.

So, I popped into the frame store. I get to talking with the guy, Lee, very nice and he looks at my page and notices it says Oldest Paper in the South or something like that. So he says, "Where in the south?" I told him Charleston. "I'm from Columbia," he says. Long story short, we have a great talk and now he is practically framing my page for free simply because we are kindred South Carolinians.

I love it when stuff like that happens. It put a much-needed smile on my face!

It's Over

I turned on my TV at 2:30 p.m. today. It felt weird, like I was doing something clandestine.

What happened was, I was up again all night with poor little Lucy and I knew that if I didn't take a nap, I'd never make it to my Artist's Way class, which by the way I'm so glad I didn't miss because it was a great class. Anyway, I knew I was going to sleep and it just so happened when I went to take a nap it was 2:30 and I thought, "Hmm. I'll just see what's happened on 'Passions' since I've been gone."

So I turned it on and guess what? I was bored silly. It was the same day in Harmony as when I had turned it off over a week ago. They were still wearing the same clothes, still talking about the same things, still having the same soap opera crises. This is what I've been wasting my time on? Yuck! I turned it off.

My synchronicity tonight was at class a guy came and did singing exercises with us, Jami Lula is his name. Now some of it was the silliest stuff I've ever done in my life and at one point I got a bad case of the giggles but at the end of class he sang a song and the refrain went, "I will not waste another minute of my life." I hadn't put it into those words when I turned the TV back off this afternoon, but when I heard him sing it, I knew it was talking to me.

Now, will I waste another minute of my life? Most probably. But will I try to be more cognizant of my time? Most certainly. I hope that if I am wasting time, I am doing it purposefully. Meaning, I will have thought to myself, "Yes, I could be doing something more productive right now, but what I feel I need is to do nothing. To veg out. To waste some time." And hopefully, more often than not I will say to myself, "Could I be doing something more productive with my time" and then choose to do it. But whichever way I go, it will be a considered choice - not just escapism, laziness or habit.

And surprise, surprise. When I got in the car after class tonight. I turned on the radio which was still on the classical music station and I left there. Guess what? I like classical music. Not all of it of course, but I don't like all rock music either. And I learned a lot about classical music this week, heard different composers, different orchestras and I even listened to a whole opera.

And guess what else? When I got home from class tonight, I didn't turn on the TV. I didn't turn anything on except the computer to write this. And tonight when I go to bed, I'm taking a book with me. Now I may watch "The Daily Show." But then off will go the TV again and the book will be opened. I may read one page, I may read a chapter or the whole book. I may even open the book and stare into space. But I won't be watching TV.

If I get nothing out of this class other than the experience of turning off the TV and learning to live without it and use my time more productively and creatively, it will all have been worth it. I have learned so much from this experience and while I dreaded this assignment and thought I could never do it when it was handed out, I've loved every minute of it. Even the hard moments. And yes, I would do it again. And I just might!