Drowning past regrets in tea and cigarettes

I was just reading through dream journal, and realized that I have a lot of the same objects (or places or people) appear in many dreams. Police officers (this has been pretty much a constant since I took a criminal justice class last year), Christmas trees (my subconscious cares not what month it is, it wants Christmas trees dammit!), the city of Miami (seriously, WTF?), movies and/or movie theaters, and so on. Not to mention the creepy three-story house that pops up once in awhile. Anyway.

Hanging out for LT's birthday was fun. Something hilarious my mom didn't tell me until today: This guy DS, who I know from acting a few years ago and from last semester's improv club, came to pick me up so we could go pick up LT and go to the movie. After the two of us left, my grandpa asked my parents, "Are you sure she didn't meet him on the Internet?" Like I told my mom today, he's been watching waaaay too much "20/20."

The three of us saw Jet Li's "Fearless", which was subtitled (yay for no stupid dubbing!) and actually interesting. As I told the boys, martial arts movies will never be my thing, but I enjoy a good cinematic ass-kicking now and then. There was a preview for some interesting looking movie that I now forget the name of, but Tim Robbins (hot) was in, as some kind of evil-seeming government dude. They also showed a preview for... oh, "The Grudge 2," and it made me laugh. I didn't like the first one, and certainly don't plan on catching the sequel.

We had some time left before going onto dinner, so we stopped at this fantastic bookstore down the street from the restaurant. It's like a used bookstore, but all of their stuff is in great condition and - from what I looked at - pretty reasonable prices. I'm now kicking myself for not spending the $4 (but that's how broke I am right now) to buy the copy of Kate Braverman's "Palm Latitudes."

I won't be broke tomorrow, at least. Yay paycheck! Except for gas money, and a bit to buy groceries needed for the party I'm going to on Sunday, I'm saving it all for EC's trip out here next week. Through we'll also undoubtedly be involved in various birthday week activities that day, I'll stop by the office next Friday to pick up that check as well.

Back to the original subject: a group of seven of us had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory, a place I've heard about a lot but have never been before. It seemed like a cool restaurant, but I was kind of disappointed on the food. I ordered the chicken breast and fettucine, and received about four bites of chicken. Dammit. The alfredo sauce was good, and there was probably enough of it for a normal person, but what can I say, I'm fat - I wanted it to be hella gloppy. The broccoli, I have to admit, was obviously fresh and excellent.

I enjoyed the companionship very much - I knew a few of the other people there, two from when I was on the LMC paper for one semester, and another guy I met at the Renaissance Faire because he's also friends with KA. I was kind of confused throughout much of the conversation because it was about Star Wars and/or Star Trek, but what I did understand was amusing. The evening ended with dirty jokes that were way too funny. I told one - and I still think it's funny - but it was kind of a bummer because I'm very bad at telling jokes. Some people can, some can't, I guess. I always start laughing before it's over, or get so excited that I start talking too fast, and get confused. I'm a dork.

I know I worked yesterday, but can't remember much of what I did. The day went by fast. That's always a good thing, right?

I had writer's club this morning, which was fun. SM, who is one of the co-founders and almost never there, was actually there, as well as DL - the lady who thinks all of my (fictional) stories are true. I'm coming close to the end of both my pieces; I need to think of something new to traumatize her, ha ha. After the meeting I went to the pharmacy (I have to go back tomorrow for something I couldn't order until today; damn robot Nazi*), put some gas in the car ($24! Big spender huh), and came home.

*I ordered the other two prescriptions on Monday afternoon, and tried to order the third, but the pharmacy robot told me it was too soon. Dude, it's not even a painkiller or anything fun!

Wednesday's Netflix arrivals brought discs from season one of both "Twin Peaks" and "Queer as Folk." I'll be continuing on the weird-ass Twin Peaks road; QAF, however, I am disappointed with, and won't be pursuing at the moment. Like the majority of other Showtime shows, it showed off way too much, and I found a lot of the characters annoying. It's a shame, too, seeing as it has such hotties as Hal Sparks and Gale Harold. It does deserve it's props for having lots of gay dudes, and male nudity (though JH told me once that they almost always show only arse; don't they know, as HBO does, that male frontal nudity is ratings gold?).

My thoughts on "Twin Peaks" (to abruptly change the subject, as I'm probably making my three hetereosexual male readers uncomfortable): Huh? I really wish the pilot was included in the collection, but I get it; Laura Palmer, dead, wrapped in plastic (I can never think of TP without remembering that song by Marilyn Manson called "Wrapped in Plastic"). Other weird shit going on in Twin Peaks. Damn good coffee, and so on. I'm totally going to be the log lady when I grow up!

I'm looking forward to this weekend. I'm babysitting Saturday (read: watching TV), and have the party to go to on Sunday. I'm planning on making homemade meatballs (well, either that or zucchini squares) and the world-famous Quigley's cookies (see my recipes section). Which reminds me, I have to go check out the baking supplies; I fear they were all depleted when I baked my exploding apple tart.

I'm on my way now, I'll get there somehow

Normally, when commercials tell me that the season finale of a TV show is going to be "shocking and unbelievable!", I am prepared for the shock, and actually quite unsurprised at what unfolds. So naturally, I was skeptical at the preview for the season one finale of Showtime's "Brotherhood."

And did I end up actually being surprised? You bet your ass! With all the people in line to kill Character X, who would've thought it would be Character Y? I'm eager to see what happens in season two... but I have to wait until 2007! But then, I keep forgetting that we're now a lot closer to 2007, than we are to 2005.

Oh, and best quote from this season: "If you're dead, I'll fucking kill you!" Classic.

The season one finale* of The N's "Whistler" was also a cliffhanger, and though the circumstances of Beck McKaye's death were revealed, I'm more confused about it now than I was before. Is Shelby "Dirty Whore" (my pet name for her) Varland's vaguely necrophiliatic memory of killing him true, or was he killed instantly by AJ smashing his head open with an expensive liquor bottle?

*If there's not a season two, I'll go on a rampage the likes of which have not yet been provoked by teen-oriented TV programming.

There's an old episode of "A Different World" on that has Warrick (Gary Dourdan, I think is the actor's name?) from "CSI." He's mega-hot, but these dreadlocks are scaring me.

Last night, my mom and I watched "The Legacy." I saw this movie when I was a kid, and remembered only one part: when a female swimmer is trapped in the pool when the clear cover is closed when she's underwater. It creeped me out for a long time, though, and I was really glad to discover that this was an actual movie, and not a hallucination. Other than the exterior of the mansion, nothing else in the film seemed familiar to me. It was pretty amusing (it had the most upbeat, 70s-ish music set against these horrific or tense scenes), and will never be a favorite of mine, but I'm glad I did see it again after so long.

I went to Mervyn's on Saturday for the big sale, and super-scored with three tops, and some underwear. One of the shirts - brown with tiny polka dots - is my designated "Thanksgiving top," though it's so cute that I might have to put it in my regular rotation. One is black with this lacy/sheer collar, and the other is this really pretty red. I have no money and had to put it on the Mervyn's card, but hey, that's what the card is for right?

My job interview today, for a front desk position at a hotel, was quite short. Upon arriving, I was told that they probably wouldn't be hiring because someone already working there will probably be taking it over. I still talked to the lady for a few minutes (she knows JC, my current sorta-boss; she said she went to high school and, later, the same Lamaze class as him - ha!), did a few easy math questions (she gave me a calculator, which I think defeats the purpose, but anyway), and left.

I've been getting lots of static electricity shocks lately. I've always seemed to be more "shockable" then other people, but in the last couple weeks it's been ridiculous. I first noticed it around the time EC and her mom came out. First it was only doorknobs, now I'm onto light switches; I've gone through this cycle before, and I know next it's going to be computers and TV's giving me problems. Does this have something to do with the weather? Maybe I should look that up...

I'm still sick of my pointless project at work, but getting through it today was actually mostly painless. Today TH wasn't there, so I could use his phone - mine is broken, somehow; I can hear, but when I talk, no sound goes through - but he should be in the office tomorrow, so I'll have to steal the empty desk in SC's office. I know I'll get through tomorrow okay; in the evening, I'm going out with LT and some other people for his birthday celebrations. Everyone is meeting up for a late-ish dinner, but beforehand, I'm going to see a movie with him and a few of the guys. A Jet Li movie, no less. My more girly sensibilities vaguely protest this, but I'm pretty much open to any opportunity to sit in a cold, dark place for 90 minutes, stuffing myself with soda and junk food. Whoo!

My girly sensibilities are right now reminding me that it is only eight minutes until "Prison Break" and Wentworth Miller. Squeal!

Whenever you're on my mind

Returning to writer's club was pretty nice. One of the ladies, who did not bring something to share, and another older guy has joined. He told this hilarious story about this woman named Sally, who was always somehow kicking some guy in the groin. Awesome.

I had a dream last night that I woke up from at about 4:30, and I was going to write it down then, but thought, "Eh, I'll remember it later." Of course, I've forgotten pretty much all of it. I do remember that someone was massaging my left shoulder and telling me that I was carrying a lot of stress there. I'm not quite sure this was a dream.

My project at work is stressing me out. I hate it. I want to punch it in the face. Or rather, the people who thought it up in the first place, mostly because I bet the information I'm gathering will never be used. I can't even console myself with the fact that hours equal money. I hate it that much. Anyway.

I have an interview on Monday, for a front desk position at a local hotel. I never thought I'd consider a job where I'd need a uniform, but their's isn't that bad. The uniform at Hollywood Video is much worse, and is like the one thing that always kept me from applying there. Those misshapen, purple, long-sleeved shirts, look unflattering on even the most attractive of clerks, and would make me look monstrous and Barney-like.

Speaking of rentals (or whatever), I am now taking advantage of a month-long free Netflix trial (thanks to LS). Today I'm supposed to be getting: "Lisboa" (foreign film starring Antonio Birabent, uhh hot), um... season one finale of "The Shield," and "The Legacy" with Katharine Ross, this scary 70s movie I saw straight years ago. Some TV shows I'm going to be viewing: "Homicide," "Footballers Wives," "Bad Girls" (A British show about a women's prison - being such a fan of behind-bars shows such as "Oz" and "Prison Break," how can I not see this?), "Arli$$", and... hmm, more. I have some movies on the list, too, of course.

I'm trying to get caught up on Showtime's "Weeds," but the OnDemand service is listing episode 16, without episode 15 (which I haven't seen). C'mon... jerks.

Showtime is going to have this new series starting next Sunday, with my true love Michael C. Hall ("Six Feet Under") as a forensics investigator, who is also a serial killer that preys on other serial killers. I'm down with that. He looks kinda hot-scruffy in the commercials, so unlike the meticulously groomed funeral director David Fisher on SFU. The show (which is called "Dexter" BTW, don't you like how I left that out?) is set in Miami, which is my new favorite TV city (home of "Nip/Tuck"; "CSI Miami", however, can kiss my ass).

The other day, I got some letter from some Spanish, religious charity, wanting me to send donations to Father (or rather, Padre) Somebody. I have no idea what it's about, as the letter and all was entirely in Spanish. Padre Whoever, just because my last name is Hernandez, doesn't mean I understand any espanol beyond, um... chile verde. Yeah, that's the best I could come up with on short notice. But they did send me a neat keychain that has a picture of Jesus and the Sacred Heart that says "Dios bendiga, La Familia Hernandez" (my guess is, God bless the Hernandez family; hey, I am catching onto this wacky espanol), and on the other side, Our Lady of Guadalupe. This rules.

So, everyone is doing okay... my mom has a cold, which is a bummer. EC had a cold when she was here, and for one day after she left, my brother, mom and I all had sore throats, but that went away; and now, my mom's sick. That kinda sucks.

Not sucky: my mom went to Safeway and bought me an eggplant. I have been craving my baked eggplant, and now I can make it. Just not til later, cause I'm hella full from Stouffer's mac and cheese. Mmm.

I know what you need, this will really work

I have my club meeting in awhile, but I wanted to make some non-spoilery (as much as possible, anyway) notes about the new season of "Nip/Tuck."

- Oh, Sean (Dylan Walsh). Every time I fall back in love with you, you do something really, really stupid. Note to you: Stop that!

- Christian (Julian McMahon) has never been what you'd call a pillar of society, but he seems especially obnoxious and amoral this season. Eh, I guess he's still just acting out from his shrink's (Brooke Shields) assertion that he is in love with Sean.

- Seriously, hot gay guy fetish aside, I always thought this show would be better without Julia (sorry, Joely Richardson), and with Sean and Christian as lovers who ran a medical practice together. Ah, well.

- WTF happened to Christian's chest hair? It was there, and now, it, you know, isn't.

- They should bring back Christian's chest hair, and get rid of the 70s music. Ugh. I was down with "Boogie Wonderland" during whatever-surgery-that-was, but I don't need disco in every episode.

- Kimber (Kelly Carlson) getting Matt (John Hensley) into Scientology? I dig this storyline.

- Kimber is hotter than ever, now that they've stopped giving her that poofy, overdone, curly, porn star hairdo.

- I'm thirsty. This has nothing to do with N/T, but I just had some Kettle Spicy Thai chips, and my tongue is on fire... ow...

- I hope Liz (Roma Maffia) kicks that new girl's (the black lady whose husband had testicle implants) ass. What a bitch!

Yeah, I'm done.

I couldn't tell you if you asked me, all I know is I want more

One of my favorite blogs is gone, and that worries me... I believe that Bobby did a post on this type of thing fairly recently, how the people whose blogs you read (regularly) become a part of your life, and you worry about them when they disappear, or just go too long without posting. It's kind of an odd concept on the surface, but it's true. I'll miss reading Kat's blog, because it was amusing, and we got into random conversations about the differences between American and Canadian foods. Mmm, food.

Actually, I'm way too full right now... I had a big lunch that ended with a huge slice of this homemade bundt cake we got last week. I don't know who made it, but I wish I did so I could get the recipe. It had a neat, light citrus flavor, and also some spices (cinnamon, and I'm not sure what else).

I'm in the Pittsburg office this week, working on random blah-blahs... one of the projects may end up being really blah, as in me needing to call lots of people. I hate phones. They suck. I'm going to find out as much of the information as I can online, and turn to the phones as a last resort. Hopefully.

I have a Papa Roach song (Last Resort?) stuck in my head. Ugh, someone punch me in the ear until it goes away.

This afternoon, LT and I are going to Peet's and to see "The Illusionist." I know pretty much nothing about the movie, except that Edward Norton is in it, which is quite frankly all I need to know. Hee.

I have a busy social life coming up, which makes me happy. This Saturday, DM and I (and whoever else we can drag along) are supposed to do something, then Tuesday is LT's birthday dinner, and the week after that, I've got an Oktoberfest party to go to, and also my own birthday week where EC returns.

I'm muchly looking forward to going back to writer's club on Thursday... assuming I have something ready. Eh, I know I will, but it looks like it will be done last minute as usual. It's funny, today MB (one of the ladies in my writer's club) had an article in the paper about LT's mom and her store. Dude, this county is getting smaller by the minute.

After dinner at Uno's on Saturday with the girls, we went to Target and I scored season one of "Nip/Tuck" for only $20! Season two is also on sale for a few weeks, so I told my mom about it in hopes that I'll get it for my b-day (I didn't ask for anything else this year, except for a nice* pair of pajamas).

*When I say "nice," I just mean matching. I pretty much only have huge, ugly sweatpants, and random shirts. I want a nice matching set with pajama pants (NOT capris, fuck capris) and either a tank top or short-sleeved shirt.

We also went by Old Navy, where I got two pairs of argyle socks. Yay argyle! I need socks super bad... I have only about ten pairs, now. And yes, my new-ish pink and purple striped ones from Burlington are already starting to get worn through! I should've gone by there, today, but I'm trying to save money (the ever impossible feat, for me). That's why I'm also holding out on getting the new Veruca Salt CD, which I really really really (etc) want.

I got my stuff from Avon this weekend (speaking of spending too much money). I got a couple lip balms (banana, candy), some Mark lipstick, some honey shower gel (smells so rich and good), soaps, Sweet Honesty skin softener, and stocked up on a few essentials (moisturizer, mousse, toner). I just wish they still sold this hand peel that I am obsessed with.

Another thing I need to buy: a nice shirt for my birthday. I always have to wear something new on my birthday (you know, just like the first day of school, or Easter). I was thinking about going to Fashion Bug, but I have a coupon for Mervyn's so maybe I'll try them first, next week.

I did my best to keep my head

I had a very long, busy, hard week, and I am glad it's over. I'm not glad that EC and her mom went home this afternoon, but at least EC will be back early next month for my birthday.

My grandma's memorial services were nice, but about a million times harder to go through than I had expected. I've never lost someone so close to me, or been to a real funeral, before.

I have lots of random cleaning I want to get done before "The Amazing Race" starts. I've never watched the show before, but my mom thought the commercials looked interesting so we're going to check it out. As soon as it's over, I'm diving into bed. I only wish I didn't have to be awake at 8:00 tomorrow for a conference call with JC - but I really need whatever work he's going to give me. Tomorrow, I also dive full-force back into the job hunt.

I'll write more about this last week, later this week. Right now, I'm just hanging in there.

I've never seen Eden, I don't want to live in this place

Yesterday, I made this really great, anal retentive list of all the cleaning I need to do, and of course am now balking at doing any of it. Ugh, cleaning. Ugh, hot outside. It's supposed to be 96 today. Damn September...

Dinner with LT on Sunday was nice. It was good to see and talk to him for awhile. We went to Denny's and I had chicken strips... mmm. Later I regretted not getting the bacon cheeseburger, but my parents went to a BBQ place yesterday and brought me back a cheeseburger that was really good.

EC and her mom are going to be flying in tomorrow and staying for a few days. Wait, did I blog this already? Yeah, I think I did... in any case, that's why I'm doing all the psycho-cleaning. My shower is a total mess - not dirty or gross, just cluttered with my million body washes and soaps and such.

I was going to give the dogs their baths last night, but was so tired. I actually fell asleep around 7:00 for half an hour, then woke up and did the dishes before "Prison Break," aka the best show ever! T-Bag's flirting with the 14-year-old girl made my skin crawl. The preview for next week's episode made me LMAO, because Michael (Wentworth Miller) and Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) catch up to T-Bag somehow, and make fun of his barely-reattached hand. Michael says something like, "What did you do to your hand, boy?" in this Southern accent (like T-Bag's). Wentworth Miller + southern accent = hot.

Still, my new true love on that show is Agent Mahone (William Fichtner). I totally forgot that he was the dad on "Drowning Mona." I think it was the bad perm he had in that movie that made it slip my mind.





Okay, I'm off to work on my list. Really! Eventually.

That's why I believe that it's too late for anyone to believe

I've been keeping busy all week. Mostly around the house stuff - cleaning while my parents and grandpa are out making arrangements, and I stayed over a couple nights at his house. It was funny, I did some vacuuming there the other day and he warned me: "Don't run when you vacuum, because I don't want you to fall over anything." Now, I don't like vacuuming, but I'd never be in such a rush to do it that I'd run and trip over stuff. I trip over enough things while walking normally, thank you.

I've been trying to focus on non-death-related things as often as possible, insensitive as that may sound. But if I did, I'd be, I don't know, banging my head against the wall and going crazy. Anyway, I went to the new Outback in Pittsburg on... Wednesday night with LS and JH. Whatever frozen drink I had was yummy and sweet but didn't seem to have much (or any?) alcohol, and JH's margarita was, in her words, watered down. That's not good. The food was good, though; we shared those cheese fries for an appetizer (that sauce that comes with it is genius) and for my meal, I had a steak, garlic mashed potatoes (mmm!) and this interesting salad with blue cheese and cinnamon-sugar pecans. For dessert, we shared a piece of cheesecake... mmm.

And tonight, I'm supposed to go out to a late dinner at Denny's with LT. I just know that if my grandpa is going to be staying over here tonight (likely) he's going to be all worried about me going out so late, but I fear for my sanity otherwise.

I feel bad to say it, but I've had some of the best sleep of my life this week. I fall asleep right away (I've never been able to do that) and I sleep all through the night without waking up. I'm also dreaming a lot, which I read is supposed to be good for your mental health, but I never remember them when I wake up except for snippets.

EC and her mom are going to be coming for the services and all this week. They originally thought they wouldn't be able to, but I guess they figured it out, and I'm glad. Of course I'd rather have waited the month to see EC and still have my grandma, but she and my aunt will be such a great source of strength to my mom.

I've also been trying to distract myself with TV. I watched the preview of the fourth season premiere of "The Wire" a few days ago, but I want to watch it again either tonight or later this week because I was also running around the living room cleaning up at the time. It looks to be a great season, though. I don't know how much McNulty (Dominic West) will be around, but I hope it's a lot, because him + police uniform = hot. I'm intrigued by "Snoop", this tough, young, female drug dealer.

I watched Dane Cook's "Vicious Circle" special the other night, and it wasn't as completely hilarious as I thought it'd be, but it definitely had its moments. Especially all the movie theater stuff. "I just came." Ha!

"Prison Break" has also provided some great escapism. This last week's episode brought back evil Secret Service agent Kellerman... whoo hoo! He's spying on Dr. Tancredi in her (narcotics anonymous?) group, as if she doesn't have enough trouble with everyone grilling her about her role in the prisoners' escape. Her father, the governor, is somehow going to be appointed as the vice president of the United States... is that how chain of command works? The President got assassinated, so the evil VP (played by Patricia Wettig) steps in, but how does the governor of Illinois get to be VP? Unless he has another government role... something in the House, or whatnot. Yeah, I don't remember anything from government class, or political science. Eh.

I'm exhausted, think of your own subject

Well, I don't really feel like blogging. In fact, I don't feel like doing much of anything. But I thought I should at least make an update, so everyone knows why I'm not updating... my grandma (my mom's mother) passed away late Monday night. I'm busy helping and being there for my mom, who is busy helping and being there for my grandpa. So, it's going to be quite a few days before I have the time (let alone the patience or strength) to blog anything useful.

I'll give you just one story that shows what a great person my grandma was. A few weeks ago, she was still at home instead of the hospital, but too weak to do much more than rest in bed and read or watch TV. She saw an infomercial about this great set of pots and pans, and ordered it for my mom. They're really high-quality stuff; heavy, stainless steel, with glass covers and golden handles (I think the set is actually called Cook's Gold). They also came with some matching serving utensils and ladles. As sick as she was, my grandma was thinking of my mom's constant saying of how she needed new pots and pans, and ordered this for her for Christmas. But we brought it over from my grandpa's house yesterday, and my mom opened it last night.

Everyone is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. I don't want anyone to worry about me too much, because I really am doing okay (or if I'm not, then I will be). I'm trying to keep as busy as possible... I'm going to try to keep up with everyone else's blogs if I can, so try to write funny things to make me laugh. I could use a smile or two right now.

Convince yourself that everything is all right, cause it already is

The power went off for about 15 seconds earlier (during which time I thought, "Damn! I have no idea what or where the fuse box is, or how to fix it if I did"), and when it came back on, it fixed one of my computer speakers I haven't been able to make work these past few weeks. Sound was coming out of it, but you couldn't control the volume - and now, you can. Awesome.

I almost started reading ghost stories online last night, but changed my mind, which was probably a good idea as I got creeped out anyway. My parents have a mini-fridge in their room that makes random evil noises, and either the AC was on, making it too cold; or when it was off, it was too quiet. My creeped-out-ness soon enough turned only to discomfort, as my parent's bed is way too soft and mushy*, and the dogs were squishing me.

*Though it sounds ridiculous, I've learned from months with Pepe that a full bed and one small dog equals not enough room to move around. So since T-Bone is also sleeping with us as my parents are away, I moved up to their bed. It turns out that a king-sized bed, and two small dogs, still equal being squished between the two of them. So needy!

Anyway, speaking of scary stories, I need a good ghost story book or something... any recommendations? No? Damn.

We had lunch from Jack in the Box today, and I was "good" and had their Asian chicken salad. There's a ton of delicious dressing that comes with it, making it not really "good", but probably somewhat better than my true love (ultimate bacon cheeseburger). But - JITB's salads are huge. Eating this thing was like a marathon! I think they use a whole head of lettuce.

For dinner we're going to have Little Caesar's pizza, courtesy of my uncle and his girlfriend. They're taking my grandpa out to dinner, so her son is going to stay over here and have pizza with us. I was going to get pizza tomorrow, so maybe now we'll get Chinese instead (and of course I could always exercise the option to save money, and eat stuff that's already in the house - but how likely is that?)

Random TV annoyances:

- These "ads" that are showing up in the evenings on the Comcast menu. They're just little bars that are for different channels (TLC and the History channel seeming especially prominent), but it's like DUDE. We already pay for the overpriced cable, and if I want to watch a channel, I'll decide for my damn self.

- "Whistler" not being on last night! I've seen every** "Degrassi: The Next Generation" episode at least once, usually five times, so can't you show something else for one hour? I am excited for the new season (starting September 29), though, I'll admit that.

**I can say that officially now, as The N has finally permitted the broadcast of the episode where Manny decides to get an abortion.

Funny TV thing:

- Kevin Federline is going to be on "Entourage" next season, as himself. This being the show where several other actors/entertainers have played themselves with a sense of humor, this ought to be good. I don't know; fool that he is, I kind of feel bad for "K Fed." He has that whole Mr. Spears stigma thing going on. He could deal with it so much better if he wasn't always going about acting like a total dork.

Strange movie thing:

Straight from IMDB, about the sequel to "The Hebrew Hammer":

In the new film, an actor depicted as a very drunk Mel Gibson is seen leaving California coastal diner Moonshadows with two blondes a bottle of Irish whiskey. According to news website Tmz.com, the Gibson character berates valets before speeding off in his car, screaming obscenities about the Jews. Apprehended by a traffic cop, just like Gibson was at the end of July, the actor's much-publicized anti-Semitic tirade is cut short when the cop, The Hebrew Hammer, shoots him through the head, before spraying a bloody Star of David onto the windshield of the movie star's Lexus.

That sounds awfully... violent. You know, I haven't even seen the first "Hebrew Hammer", which is a shame considering that I am in love with Adam Goldberg.





That's about it for this entry. I haven't been up to much (as usual). I haven't been writing, which I really should, but have been making some new bracelets. The one I did using the little martini (actually margarita) and fruit charms I bought yesterday came out super cute. I'll post it here someday, I swear...

Oh! Final few episodes of "Nip/Tuck" season three are on tonight! I'm so excited!

Never say never

A few hours ago, I watched this last week's "Prison Break" that I DVR'd (is that a verb? It is now), and every time someone on the show said "never", the closed captioning showed it as --

Yeah, just two little dashes. I don't get it. Am I crazy?

Speaking of crazy, I also watched this Discovery Channel documentary called "Most Evil." It discussed various doctors and their methods in researching the brains of murderers, and how they differ from the brains of normal people. This show was like the "CSI" of documentaries - mostly style, little substance. They had all these arty, dramatic shots of the doctors, of the murderers, and of these creepy kids who were supposed to represent the various murderers as children. Unless you've lived in Amish country* for the past twenty years, you're not going to learn anything new about criminology from this show.

*This documentary mentioned some Amish dude who killed some people. When did this happen? Someone fill me in... yes, I'm a slightly demented true crime freak.

Boy, am I full. For dinner, I had some fried chicken and a stuffed baked potato (with cheese, bacon, and chives), both from Raley's; and a couple breadsticks my dad bought a few days ago from WinCo. They are surprisigly cheesy and good.

I did some bead shopping this morning. I was planning on going to Michael's for some basics, and GeeJay's in Antioch for more special stuff. Well, Michael's has a better selection than I thought, and I pretty much used up all my bead budget there. I got some multi-colored wooden beads, some fakey pearls, these diamond-shaped pink glass beads, some pink blocks by Blue Moon Beads, and - also from BMB - these little plastic beads decorated with a martini glass and some fruit slices. So cute!

I went to Bath and Body Works, but only got one thing: a CO Bigelow facial cleanser. It has calendula extract (whatever that is), coconut milk , and - the point that sold me on it - almond and apricot oils. My skin has been breaking out a lot more than usual lately, so I figure I'd splurge on a fairly high-quality cleanser. I guess it just might be the summer making me more oily, but I can't stand it. I didn't have many pimples as a teenager, so it irks me that my face is acting up now when I am nearly in my mid-20's.

There's this Chevy commercial that I keep seeing every five minutes (or so it feels), that I both hate and love. Hate because it's on every five minutes; love because it uses one of my favorite songs, the Dandy Warhol's "Bohemian Like You", in a totally appropriate way. In the commercial, they play the part where it goes, "You've got a great car...", and skip to a totally different section. The lyrics actually go, "You've got a great car, yeah, what's wrong with it today?" Explain THAT, Chevrolet!

The puppies have been extra barky today. With T-Bone, I think he's just waiting for his mama to come home - aw! Pepe is just being his usual bratty self. Boy, is it going to be fun being wedged between the two of them tonight. Especially if it's as hot and sweaty as last night, yugh.

We keep getting these calls where there's no one there, and since I was just talking about "Black Christmas" and "When a Stranger Calls" with JH, and just got one of those calls, I'm kind of freaked out. But not really. At least it wasn't some dude squealing like a pig. Then, I would be kinda nervous.