Ice Dancing Music

Earlier this evening while waiting on ice dancing to start, I thought to myself:

"What music would I enjoy hearing in an ice dancing performance?"

In order, my answers to myself (all movie music):

1. In the Mood for Love
2. Requiem for a Dream
3. Blue (or, Bleu)

And then those Frenchies went and did a routine to....(no, not Bleu, silly)....Requiem for a Dream!  And it was as crazy as Sara Goldfarb in a tight, red dress!

a non-comprehensive list of things I owe to Julie

• my craziness for The Frug
• Bob Fosse in general
• my refined taste in bourbon
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• if I ever watch it, Sports Night
• Buddy & Julie Miller
• hopefully soon, an understanding of "counting" foods
• knowledge of the Immersion Blender
• my stint in 78704
• my new (second-)favorite poster
• Devs
• the goosebumps I hope to get watching Ice Dancing tonight
• (please, no more of this gimmicky shit!)

12 recent obsessions

• my weight
• stretching
• things you can do with ground turkey*
• magical brussel sprouts
• magical French crystals aka Oscillococcinum
• M&M's
• my parents' finances
• the value of big marble balls
• dining out
• cooking in 
• organization
• Norwegians, namely Aksel Lund Svindal and those curling pants**

 --in related news--
ongoing obession: Academy Awards
revived obsession: Netflix
upcoming obsession: Michael Fassbender

___

*by "things" I mean "meals" and by "do" I mean "cook"
** I think the new goal of my weight loss plan is to wear those pants to the Shell Houston Open. Happy Easter!

Auction items I have purchased...

... in the last 8 years, at the EHS auction (list requested by KNH).

• Dusty Mangum autographed football
• Neil Diamond album cover, autographed and framed (for my dad)
• "Feminine Purse" (for Karen, or whomever)*
• Lightweight running jacket
• Marble Ball on Stand

*this is the item's title in the auction book

12 foods I miss the most

• Rice cakes with gobs of peanut butter and a big glass of milk
• French fries
• McDonald's, to be honest.*
• Pizza
• Schlotzsky's Deluxe Original on Jalapeno Cheese Bread
• Treebeards' Chicken and Sausage "Jambalaya" with Jalapeno Cornbread**
• Various soups
• Chips and queso
• Big old burritos
• Fried pickles
• The occasional chocoloate chip cookie
• Oatmeal Squares

and to drink, red wine on a more daily basis

*How is that possible?
**Jambalaya in quotation marks to avoid outrage from DJ.

What I Could Learn in Cleveland, Ohio

I'm on some kind of conference email list. The theme is "The Experience Economy," and I beg you to explain to me what this means.

• Monday - Envisioning experiences via the Progression of Economic Value and ing-ing the thing
• Tuesday - Hitting the Sweet Spot (4E's) and THEME-ing
• Wednesday - Customizing experiences by eliminating Customer Sacrifice (3S's) and Four Types of Mass Customization
• Thursday - Directing employees to act via business stagecraft (Work Is Theatre)
• Friday - Going beyond Experiences via Transformations.

At the end you get some kind of certification.
It is not led by Michael Scott.

In Honor of President's Day...

The Greatest Moments in West Wing history

The streets of heaven are too crowded tonight...



Two Cathedrals



Bartlet for America



Thanks Boss.



You Get Hoynes

people it is impossible to choose between

In alphabetical order, by last name:

• Will Forte
• Seth Meyers
• Jason Sudeikis

Almost: Andy Samberg

Ways to Waste Money: Lone Star Saloon Edition

• Spend money on well drinks ($20.00 approximately)
• Buy Super Bowl Square ($5.00)
• Take the advice of the only other awake person in the bar and buy "Midnight in Paris" by Stephen Stills on itunes ($1.08).

Things I Have Already Learned Today

• Naps are beneficial
• Subconsciously, I am somewhat fluent in Spanish. In my dreams I speak it pretty well, with the occasional "Como se dice?" sprinkled in there.
• You should not, I repeat, NOT go to the grocery store on Super Bowl Sunday. At least not a grocery store in any proximity to the home state of a certain team that counts among its fans a lot of people who wait til the last minute and argue over which package of ground beef looks good or who is going to be having the better party tonight. Who Dat!
• You can buy your groceries in the Starbucks line. If you are a selfish shrew.
  
• Sometimes it is better to park two buildings away than to attempt to navigate a parking lot of idiots, shopping carts, and old ladies.
• The so-called "Battle between Cantonese and Mandarin" started in Hong Kong in the mid-1980s.

Things I've Bought in the Last Few Days

Crate & Barrel

• 2 cutting boards
• Oxo pop containers
• Bamboo spoon
• Bottle stopper

Ulta

• Nail polish
• Neutrogena 5-minute facial
• Enough other stuff to total $55
  

Target

• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Another cutting board (seriously)
• Giada Di Laurentiis for Target whisk
• Socks
• Etc.

Home Depot

• 4 Storage bins (clear)
• A/C filters

Container Store

• elfa system (will become my new desk and shelves when I install)
• Stacking shelves to organize my kitchen cabinets
• Pan rack
  

Things I Did NOT Buy (yet)

• Birthday gift for Jon

So...too much and not enough

happy birthday to Jon & also to List Anything

Today is Jon's XX birthday and List Anything's second birthday.

10 people I would invite to Jon's birthday party:

• Sting
  
• Tori Amos
• Barbara Streisand
• Harry Connick, Jr.
• Dennis Quaid
• David Fincher
• David Mamet
• Rebecca Pidgeon
  
• Robert Downey, Jr.
• Neko Case
  

*with conditions, possibly Renee Zellweger or Quentin Tarantino

10-plus people I would invite to List Anything's birthday party:

• Raymond
• Toni Collette
• Blair Waldorf
  
• Tina Fey
• the Fitch Family
  
• William James Murray
• Jon's Stepdad
• Lucinda Williams
• DJ's dad
• waitress

This last list is a little me-centric. Sue me. You can invite 10 people also.

Happy Birthday!

traffic lights that raise my blood pressure

There are a lot of long, misplaced, or useless traffic lights in the world. But there are only 3 that I have to deal with on an ongoing, at least weekly (if not daily) basis, and I would like to publicly complain about them here.

• As DJ called it, "The Light of D'Amico" -- What a shock to see in the Google Maps photo that cars are stopped at this pointless light for no reason (notice no cars going the other direction). This light is always red, and it makes way for people driving in and out of the AIG parking lot on the east, and a strip mall with a Subway, a gay bar, and a Laff Stop on the west.
  
• Yale and I-10 -- The freeway's frontage road dead ends into the grass, but there is a stop light there that runs all day and night. Also there is a light facing west. A light telling cars to stop or go, coming out of the grass. Going the wrong way on a one way frontage road off the freeway.
  
• Washington and TC Jester -- A stoplight to protect people in and out of the CVS parking lot. Possibly necessary during the day, but please put a sensor on it so it only turns red on Washington (a major thoroughfare) when necessary.

Thank you for your time.

Addendum to list about 01022010

Funny -- the whole reason I even started that list was because while I was running I thought of something about 01022010 that was noteworthy, and I thought, "Hey, I'll make a list about today. But I have to think of other things about today to say."

So I came home and ate and started making the list and then finished the list and then this morning realized I completely forgot to list the one thing about 01022010 that I originally thought was noteworthy.

I quit smoking one year ago. Since then I have:

• Bought zero packs
• Smoked zero cigs
• Taken zero drags
• Lit two cigarettes for others while drinking. Sue me.

some things about Feb. 1, 2010

• I said "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" this morning. And also at 12:03 a.m., before I went to sleep, in case that's how it works.
• I prayed this morning, about a few things, including a work-related item and a Derek-related item.
• I bought a Playstation 3 last night and hooked it up in the wee hours of Feb. 1, 2010. Let me tell you, the PS3 is quite possibly the best thing ever.
  
• If I were anything other than American, I would have been real excited to write the date over and over again on this Palindrome Day: 01022010.
• I ran a full 1.5 miles tonight. This is the farthest I have run without a walk-break since sometime in 2008. I walked the 1.5 miles back.
• My mother broke my heart today, in a good way - in the way only a mother can do. And I realized yet another reason it is probably a good thing that I am not likely to have children. I don't think I could bear the magnitude of the love a parent must feel for his or her child. I would sink under the weight of it.
• Re: the work-related item I prayed about -- a meeting I have been dreading on a project that has gone off the rails. The meeting went well and I think I got things straightened out. It was good to feel (for the first time in a long time) like I am good at my job. And to appreciate that being good at my job is a blessing.
  
• Re: the Derek-related thing I prayed about -- I don't like to spoil or jinx things but there were positive developments for which I am grateful. And optimistic.
• I bought Suttree today. I am ashamed to admit here that I've never read it. But so excited about it.
• I also bought some Bath and Body Works hand soap today, in the flavor of Sea Island Cotton. I have wanted this soap for over a year, but you know?, I never find myself in (or near) a Bath and Body Works. But what a day is 01022010!!
• Tomorrow morning they will announce Oscar nominations. That means tonight is the one night a year I can stay up as long as I want and know that I will wake up early no matter what!
• Here are ten things that I think about tomorrow morning:

1. The Hurt Locker should get nominated for Picture, Director, Editing, Cinematography, Actor, Supporting Actor, Screenplay, both Sounds. I'd be cool with Art Direction and Costume Design, too, but that seems like a stretch.
2. As boring a choice as this seems to me, Marion Cotillard really should get nominated for Nine. Or it wouldn't kill me if she got nominated for Public Enemies.
3. Jeff Bridges. Hooray.
4. I really hope Avatar does not get a screenplay nomination.
5. If Sam Rockwell or Viggo Mortensen get nominated I will take the day off of work.
6. Alright, I get it that my love of Moon is subjective. However, that score should get nominated and, honestly, should win. It won't. Buy the soundtrack.
   
7. If Sally Menke does not get nominated for editing Inglourious Basterds I am going to beat a German with a bat.
8. Only the Oscars could make me root against Sandra Bullock and Stanley Tucci.
   
9. I think I would marry Vera Farmiga.
10. Not to harp on this Avatar/Hurt Locker business too much, but it honestly is almost exactly how I felt about Titanic/L.A. Confidential 12 years ago. Who here remembers those tirades?

• Hey everybody, today is LOST Eve!
• I filed my tax return today. I love refunds. I can't wait til next year!
  
• While I have been typing this, I am watching Raising Arizona. It makes for a good end to the day.
• Speaking of Oscars, they really should create an award for Scene Stealer (or Bit Part, or Cameo) in honor of Frances McDormand in this movie. They could even call it the Dot Award. She is absolutely amazing.
• I think Ed McDunnough knows what I'm talking about re: parent/child. "I LOVE HIM SO-HO MU-HUCH...." But not more than Viggo in The Road.
  
• Happy February, gang.