i had a couple of free hours between on-air stints last night and, because i am so predictable, i used that time for retail therapy. i drove myself to the wide shoe warehouse, 15%-off coupon clutched in my hand, to see what i could find.
i think they're quite cute. they're not something i gravitated to right away, though. in fact, i only decided to try them on during my second pass of the store. (you do that, too, right? make one sweep, then quickly go around again to make sure there aren't any shoes you missed?)
the thing that made me pass by them the first time was the shiny wedge heel. i don't have anything else like that. kinda flashy, you know?
the fancy leather-work reminds me a little of the hush puppies rodeo that i bought last year, but these are more substantial. plus, these were only $35. woo!
what's more, they're super-duper comfortable. i'm discovering that only a very few brands create shoes with high enough arches for me. these are by bellini, and are called "bolivia". hush puppies also consistently feel great.
in fact, i found two pair of cute hush puppies at the warehouse yesterday, and almost bought them, but i decided to instead write down the shoe name and head to zappos when i got home. my sister-in-law, lulu, gave me a zappos gift certificate for my birthday (a couple of months ago! and i haven't used it yet! something must be wrong with me!) and i figured i'd just use the credit towards the most comfortable pair i tried on in the store. but for some reason the two hush puppies styles that i liked the most aren't available at zappos. i wrote their customer service department and asked if they'd be getting them.
if they don't, i'm going to have to subject you to my ever-growing zappos wish list and seek your opinions on my gift certificate purchase.
There are always TONS of great films each year at the FullFrame Documentary Film Festival here in Durham. The festival has become known as "the Cannes of documentary film festivals." Good stuff.
This year, there are a number of cool music-related films on the agenda. I volunteered to help the staff out in promoting these events, so here ya go:
Advance sale tickets are on sale now through the “box office” section of the FullFrame website.
Advance sale tickets guarantee you a seat in the film screening, and a limited number of advance sale tickets will be released for each event and for each film. This may be a great advantage for many people, as the other way to buy individual tickets is to stand in line at the box office the morning of the show. As Full Frame gets more and more popular, film screenings do frequently sell out. There are also a very few passes to the festival left, but those are selling quickly.
A Stravinsky Portrait
The 2006 Career Award: Richard Leacock
Full Frame honors the work of legendary filmmaker Ricky Leacock.Colleagues D.A. Pennebaker and Ross McElwee will join Full Frame in recognizing Leacock’s outstanding career as a director and cinematographer. The tribute includes a screening of Leacock’s A Stravinsky Portrait, an intimate look at composer and conductor Igor Stravinsky.
SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 12pm
In Search of Mozart
(2006. UK. 128 min. Directed and Produced by Phil Grabsky)
This film is a deeply satisfying gift to the viewer in honor of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 250th birthday. The composer's personal life and music are laid out in chronological order and animated with remarkable chamber, orchestral, and vocal performances. Modern day street scenes of European cities visited by Mozart and well-chosen excerpts from his correspondence add to the visual and aural feast. Musicians such as Lang Lang and Renée Fleming discuss artistic choices and their personal relationship to Mozart's art. Historians, conductors and other experts weigh in when needed, but the film allows the music to come first.
THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2:00pm
The Refugee All-Stars
(2005. USA. 80 min. Directed by Zach Niles, E. Banker White. Produced by Zach Niles)
The civil war in the West African nation of Sierra Leone displaced hundreds of thousands of people from 1991 to 2002. Most found themselves in refugee camps in neighboring Guinea, many without any knowledge of the fates of their families and friends. Seeking a way to rebuild relationships and express the varied emotions engendered by the war and devastation, several Sierra Leoneans form an Afro-pop band called the Refugee All-Stars. Their songs of hope and loss bring solace to their countrymen. Their music may pave a way for the band members to survive in the post-civil war landscape of their homeland. An infectious score and compelling personal stories suffuse this look at a band of survivors determined to use music to establish a new community.
SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 5:15pm
SAZ
(2004. Israel. 50 min. Directed and Produced by Gil Karni)
When rap and the intifada get caught in a hand that holds a mike, songs that yearn to be heard beyond the ghetto walls of Israel emerge. The rage, the poetry, the girls, the confusion, the temptations of global media, and the idealism: they are all here in SAZ, the story a year in the life of 20-year-old Arab-Israeli rapper Samekh Zakhut (aka Saz). This fresh, coming of age film brings to the screen all the complexities of what it means to be young, talented, angry, and above all, idealistic in a place of fragmentation and separation. Saz believes his art can not only change the world and inspire millions to reclaim their homeland. And it may also free him from the ghetto, out of his mindless car mechanic job, and into the lucrative stage of global pop music. You’ll go up and down with Saz and while you do, you’ll meet his 80-year-old grandfather. Beneath the silence of his grandfather’s garden, after heated minds have spoken, if you listen closely, you’ll hear the unrelenting wheels of history churning and turning us ever so slowly into the uncharted fields of the 21st century.
North American Premiere
SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 12:15pm
Air Guitar Nation
(2006. USA. 80 min. Directed by Alexandra Lipsitz. Produced by Jane Lipsitz, Dan Cutforth, Cedric Devitt, Kriston Rucker, Anna Barber)
"The axes are invisible; the chops are for real:" the art of air guitar centers on the elusive quality of "airness." Covering the US Air Guitar Championships in Los Angeles and the World finals in Oulu, Finland, the film appreciates the enthusiasm of the fans and the weird sweetness of the performers. It's also a friendly send-up of the genre of "count-down" competition documentaries. Proponents of air guitar knowingly acknowledge its metaphysical nothingness while a blistering soundtrack of guitar-heavy hits keeps the focus on rock and roll.
SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 10pm
“two headed cow” is about the Flat Duo Jets, and Dexter Romweber is going to be there as a special guest. This is a world premiere for the film, and the filmmakers will also be there to talk with the audience. The film will be shown, and then there will be a musical performance by Dexter, followed by a Q & A with the filmmakers and Dexter.
SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 10:30pm
There is also a performance by the Branford Marsalis Quartet in Fletcher Hall on Friday, April 7th at 5 p.m. Part of the proceeds from this will go to benefit a Hurricane Katrina charity, and there will be about 50 of our local Hurricane Katrina Neighbors who have settled in Durham after the hurricane will be the special guests of Full Frame. After the film “New Orleans Brass” is shown, there will be a panel discussion with Branford Marsalis and then Branford and Ellis Marsalis will perform. After the Branford Marsalis Quartet performs, the TBS Brass Band will lead folks out into the plaza, where the crowd will be waiting for the Al Franken program. It should be great fun.
two headed cow
(2005. USA. 85 min. Directed by Tony Gayton. Produced by Lisa Mae Fincannon, Bill Cody)
Dexter Romweber and the Flat Duo Jets performed on and off stage with an unprecedented level of intensity and dynamism. This film helps the audience understand where that hard core rockabilly music Dexter and drummer, Crow, played came from. In an utterly candid engagement with the camera, Dexter bares his darkest, most extreme self. Intercut with old black and white footage of the band as they toured through the South, the recent video footage of Dexter speaks volumes about how much and how little life has changed for this radical and uneasy musician. The black and white footage of countless performances treats the audience to truly vibrant and original music. Meet a wildly talented local musician who changed the national soundscape. – SW
World Premiere
Special Guest- Dexter Romweber
SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 10:30pm
Center Frame: For New Orleans with special guests Branford Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis III, and St. Clair Bourne
New Orleans Brass
As a highlight of our Southern Sidebar Series and in honor of all those affected by Hurricane Katrina, we present a special program featuring Branford Marsalis and Ellis Marsalis III. The program begins with St. Clair Bourne’s New Orleans Brass, a cultural history of the city of New Orleans framed through the development of the brass marching band. A discussion with Bourne and the Marsalis brothers will follow, and the event will conclude with a performance by the Branford Marsalis Quartet.
FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 5 pm
Several of the Hurricane Katrina films also deal with music (for obvious reasons – New Orleans is city with such an important and rich musical tradition.) As a very special treat, the TBC Brass Band (see film description below) is actually going to be there performing. After the “For New Orleans” event, after the performance of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, the TBC Brass Band will lead people out of Fletcher Hall and into the plaza. It should be great fun and very special to see them in person. I believe they are all teenagers, and their story is so inspiring.
New Orleans Music in Exile
(2006. USA. 115 mins. Directed by Robert Mugge, Produced by Robert Mugge, Diana Zelman and Michael Ruggiero. )
Like their neighbors, the legendary New Orleans music community was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Music documentarian Robert Mugge creates an emotional portrait of horror, heartbreak and hope as the musicians who lived through the disaster pick up the pieces and try to rebuild their lives. Performances and interviews with New Orleans artists Dr. John, Cyril Neville, Kermit Ruffins, Irma Thomas, the Iguanas, Cowboy Mouth, and the ReBirth Brass Band demonstrate how Katrina, broken levees, floods, looting, black mold, and their consequences wreaked havoc on music and life in this colorful city.
THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 3:15pm
Putting the River in Reverse
(2006. USA. 33mins. Directed by Matthew Buzzell, Produced by Brian Gerber)
Music legend Elvis Costello journeys to New Orleans to celebrate the songbook and spirit of the hurricane-battered city’s Renaissance man, Allen Toussaint. With the Katrina-exiled Toussaint at the piano and the two gentlemen’s bands merged, their efforts yield not just a joyous musical meeting but the revelation of a profound stoic hope and the realization of the first major recording session post-Katrina to take place not just in the city of New Orleans but on the edge of the 9th ward. Their relationship to their music and to each other infuses this performance piece with a special tenderness that will be remembered well after New Orleans has been rebuilt.
SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 11:45am
To Be Continued: The Story of the TBC Brass Band
(2006, USA, Canada, 90mins. Directed by Jason DeSilva and Colleen O’Halloran)
This exuberant film follows the inspiring story of a nine piece New Orleans Brass Band as its members recover from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and embark on the journey to find each displaced band mate, all who have sought refuge in cities across the American South.
FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 5pm
one of the many things i did on my day off today was to remove my old, peeling bumper stickers and replace them with a new one.
these old ones looked terrible:
the new one is geeky but i love it wholeheartedly:
it was really difficult scraping off the old ones. more difficult than i would have thought. in fact, i gave up and didn't finish... the "NL" sticker still remains, under the new one, and if you look closely you can see it through the symphony sticker. whoops.
i'm not a very patient person. ray always jokes that my favorite whiny line is "i just want it to be done...!" i often get frustrated with how long a task is taking and i start cutting corners just to be finished with it. not one of my most appealing personality traits.
last week, while i was down with the stomach bug, i read from cover to cover a book called "the yes man." i had bought it on a whim just before my trip, not having any idea how deeply it would affect me.
the author, danny wallace, a young and geeky-hip londoner, happens to meet a man on a bus who tells him, "you should say yes more." and so he does... just like that, danny decided to say yes to EVERYTHING. it's amazing to read how his life changes -- he accepts every social invitation, meets interesting people on the street, and winds up in odd meetings (some of which actually lead to a promotion and his own show on the BBC). his mind is opened. he's experiencing life. it's a fascinating journey.
it helps that the book reads like a goofy novel. he makes ridiculous puns and silly jokes, and tells his story as if it belonged in an episode of 'this american life.' only he's british.
at the conclusion of the book i found myself weeping with joy. his story is incredibly inspirational. even though he goes through some profound struggles with saying yes, he made me want to say yes more, too.
saying yes, though, is difficult. "do you want to go to the rock show tonight?" for instance is something danny would say yes to, but which i have difficulty consistently answering in the affirmative. i always come up with excuses (i'm tired, i don't want to travel that far, i don't have any money) and wind up just sitting on the couch. danny forced himself to say yes, even when every fiber of his being was saying no, and he wound up in some unbelievably beautiful situations.
i'm now a diehard danny wallace fangirl and am reading the book he wrote before "the yes man." it's called "join me" and it's the story of how he started his own cult, by simply placing an ad in the paper that said, "join me!" with no other explanation. just a call to join him... for nothing specific.
i don't know whose birthday it was on saturday, but some 4-year-old must've been tickled pink to see his special day acknowledged so publicly.
ironically, the same little inflatable cake was back out again today, but with barry's name next to it.
reusable traffic circle art! woo!
so, as lisa mentioned, i drove her up to DC this weekend. she decided to drive back home that same day, while i opted instead to spend the rest of the weekend shopping at potomac mills mall.
since i've passed through so many clothes sizes over the course of the last 6 or 7 months, my wardrobe is woefully unprepared for spring. before this trip i owned exactly 2 short-sleeved shirts that fit, one pair of capris and no skirts. so when this opportunity presented itself i figured spending a day at the outlet mall would be a great way to boost the contents of my closet in a relatively budget-friendly way.
plus, what fun!
lisa and i blitzed IKEA together, then she left for home and i got in a couple of hours of clothes shopping on my own before the mall closed at 9:30. the old navy outlet and the gap outlet were fruitful, but --having planned ahead-- i knew to stay out of the nine west outlet and shoe stores in general. i was going to have a hard enough time getting to all the clothing stores without being distracted by shoes. (the clarks outlet proved too strong a temptation, though. i wasted at least a half-hour in there trying on shoes that were consistently too narrow. argh.)
my hotel was one mile from the mall and after the stores closed i relaxed there with some boston market takeout, watching the first episode of the first season of "the amazing race" on the game show network. i was asleep by 11:30.
there was a heated indoor pool at the hotel and i went for a swim first thing in the morning (and discovered that i'd need to add 'new bathing suit' to my shopping list, too). the mall didn't open until 11am, which meant i could take my time lingering over the continental breakfast. (they had very strange yogurt.)
i got to the mall a little before it opened to scope out the lay of the land. the night before i had only gotten to see perhaps 1/5 of the real estate. i walked the route i wanted to conquer and figured i could accomplish all i wanted if i were strategic about it.
i started at the dockers outlet (and scored a nice pair of dress pants for $5), then hit H&M. oh my god. H&M, where have you been all my life? i spent over an hour in that store, which threw me off schedule, but i emerged with 3 skirts and 3 tops for $100. the rest of the shopping expedition was fruitful, too -- i scored good stuff at the eddie bauer outlet, a swimsuit outlet (!) and the maidenform outlet. (having watched a "what not to wear" special on underwear last week i was feeling inspired.)
i had a bit of a crisis in the ann taylor factory store, though. everything i bought earlier in the day had been cheap, so when i found a couple of skirts at ann taylor that i liked a lot i freaked out when they were $35. i actually called mary, knowing she's an ann taylor expert, for advice as to whether i'd find these skirts at our local ann taylor if i were to wait until i had a coupon. she urged me to go ahead and buy them because things appear at those factory stores that you can't get at the regular stores. so i did.
there were two stores that pissed me off. one was nordstrom rack, which was a disaster from top to bottom. that place is insane. totally and utterly disorganized and a wreck, like a hellish tj maxx with ADD and bad lighting. i walked in and pretty much walked right out again. i got to that store towards the end of my shopping day and my patience was shot. i could not deal with that place.
the other store that irritated me was the liz claiborne outlet. the store itself was in better shape than nordstrom rack, but the lady who was running the dressing room pissed me off. i found a lot in that store that i wanted to try on, but you never know if there's a limit to the number of garments you can bring into the dressing room until you're one your way in with an armload of clothes. i took in, like, 15 things and she said "you can only bring 6". that always irritates me, when i spend so long picking things out and then can't try them all on at once.
anyway, i asked if she'd hold the other 9 things while i tried on my 6 and she said yes. when i came out to get them, though, she'd returned them to the sales floor. i was furious. that was my last store of the day and i was exhausted, so i shouldn't have been surprised that i felt close to tears with anger. i could barely hold my contempt for that dressing room attendant. i had spent 30 minutes picking those things out and she'd returned them to the floor before i could try them on.
she did apologize (half-heartedly) and --with much prodding-- lead me to a single rack where she seemed to have dumped most of the tops, but i don't think i ever found the other things i'd picked. i almost just threw the clothes on the ground and left in a huff, but in restrospect i'm glad i stopped myself... i would have hated to start my 3.5-hour drive back home in a foul mood. plus, i got some good stuff there.
so, here's the overall haul:
3 bras
11 panties
1 swimsuit
6 skirts
2 pants
1 capris
2 3/4-sleeve t-shirts
8 short-sleeve t-shirts
total: $374
i was trying to figure out if i saved enough to warrant the hotel bill (which was $100), and i think i did.
i mean, the 10 tops, 3 pants and 6 skirts alone... damn. just that stuff, full-price, could easily have been over $500. well over, if you think about it. plus all of that underwear. and a bathing suit.
so yeah, i think i did good.
plus? one of those skirts? size 10. woot!!
i don't think i've mentioned this yet, but ray landed himself quite a large role in the durham savoyards' upcoming presentation of gilbert & sullivan's musical, "patience."
ray plays a character simply called "the colonel", and it's the fourth-biggest role in the production. if i recall correctly, he's got the first patter song, perhaps even the first solo, and is a part of several trios and quartets throughout the show.
he's quite excited, and i'm quite proud of him. it's the largest role he's had on stage. ever.
i know he would love to perform to as many people as possible (he's quite the ham), so i hope you will consider attending one of the shows.
performances are all at the carolina theatre in durham:
thursday, march 30 @ 8pm
friday, march 31 @ 8pm
saturday, april 1 @ 8pm
sunday, april 2 @ 2pm
tickets are on sale now, and are $25 for adults, $15 for students.
as further enticement, i have a stack of $3-off coupons which i would LOVE to share with you. leave a comment if you would like one.
finally, i myself am going to go to the matinee on sunday, april 2. if you'd like to go with me, please let me know. early next week i'm going to purchase a group of seats for all who are interested in that sunday performance.
break a leg, ray!
the trip home was a blur.
the night before, i found myself totally unable to fall asleep. i guess that after 2 full days in bed my body just finally decided it had rested enough and didn't need any more shut-eye. stupid body. i was going a little mad that night, willing myself to fall asleep. i finished a fantastic book (which i hope to tell you about in my next post), i wrote a few emails, and i stared at the ceiling. i finally drifted off around 3am, and woke up when roxi did before 7.
when i got out of bed i discovered that i was now dealing with a tender GI tract, unbelievable exhaustion and -surprise!- a new head cold. i'd been unable to keep up with the airborne regimen while i'd been, uh, expelling, so the cold finally grabbed hold when it got the opportunity.
so, yes, the flight home was pure misery. a gurgling stomach (i thought choosing apple juice on the plane would be a good idea, but instead it left me with incredibly painful, constant gas), a dripping nose (the woman sitting next to me on the plane looked horrified when i took a monolithic stack of kleenex out of my pocket) and a complete inability to fall asleep sitting up. utter torture.
something odd happened that kept my mind mildly occupied, though. i discovered a group of three college-age kids who had the exact same flight schedule as mine. i'd noticed them last thurdsday as i walked the gangplank (i don't think that's the right word) to board my first flight. they were two guys and a girl, all attractive, and one was talking about avoiding capital gains taxes on a house he'd bought then recently sold. i make mental note of interesting conversations like that, so i recognized them when i saw them board the second leg of my flight from detroit to denver. funny coincidence. they were going to the same place i was.
but when i arrived at my gate yesterday, ready to come home, i saw the three of them again, waiting to board the flight to minneapolis. how bizarre. part of me wondered whether i was hallucinating, i was so tired. even more odd was the fact that the three of them were seated directly across the aisle from me. (had i been less of a bleary, disgusting creature i would have definitely said something to them about the coincidence, but i felt like crap on toast and i just closed my eyes and listened to my ipod.) i saw them board ahead of me on the final leg home to RDU, then i lost them after that.
by the way, have you been to the minneapolis airport? they might as well call it the mall of america and save the tourists the bus ride. there are clothing stores, makeup stores, CD stores... it's a little disorienting. honestly you have to find your way through the commerce to get to the airplanes.
so, anyway, yeah. i'm home now. and it should be no surprise that i've called in sick to work. i hope to spend the day sleeping, making sensible food choices, and catching up on tivo.
oh, and i'll be watching this video as often as possible. (4.7 MB .mov) i swear, this will forever be known as the vacation of glasses and gasses.
well, look what i missed while i was zonked out! snow! icicles! a high of 30 degrees!
yeesh.
many thanks for the well-wishes. i should report, though, that things actually got quite a bit worse for me since i posted last.
i didn't pass out again, but i did spend several, uh, productive sessions in the bathroom. very productive. i have never produced so much in my life. from simultaneous locations, nonetheless.
after i was done producing i spent approximately one full day in bed, recovering. i am apparently unaccustomed to these stomach bugs. rob recovered from his in 24 hours. it took me 48.
but i'm feeling much better now, thank you. i even attempted a chicken sandwich for lunch today. (my stomach is gurgling quite a bit, but i think that just it's way of getting reacquainted with food.)
even better, roxi treated me to a full-on barrage of silly dances this morning as her way of saying "glad you're feeling better, aunt kissta!" it felt good to laugh. (8.5 MB .mov)
while airborne can apparently do a really good job at fighting off a serious head cold (i've been limping along with only the slightest sinus irritation for a week now) it is apparently powerless in fending off a stomach virus.
roxi had it last week. rob had it the day he was supposed to pick me up at the airport (i consequently had to take a shuttle). but i figured that my constitution was strong enough that i could avoid the catching bug myself.
i was wrong.
i cooked dinner for the crew last night (chicken stir fry), we watched a little tv and then headed off to bed. then i woke up at a godforesaken hour in the dark morning with horrid stomach cramps. i ran to the bathroom and did the nastiest business i've done in recent memory. i thought i might vomit, too, but no such luck.
i sat there, trying to shake the lightheadedness, until my legs started falling asleep. when i got up to wash my hands, i looked in the mirror and thought, "oh my gosh, i'm as white as a sheet." and the next thing i knew i was lying on the bathroom floor. i had passed out.
i remember registering the noise of my crash to the linoleum, and also remember thinking, "wow, that was loud." as i regained consciousness i not only battled confusion ("why is my head on the floor next to the toilet?") but i found myself more than a little worried about the sharp pain under my chin.
it appears as if, on my way down, i struck the underside of my chin on the bathroom counter. i now have a rather large lump near one of those glands at the top of my throat, near the base of my chin. it actually is quite large and extends to my jaw line.
anyway, i tried to leave the bathroom on all fours, but that made me nauseous, so i stood and, still a little stunned, stumbled back into the bedroom. i was covered with sweat, but it didn't take me but a few minutes to become ice cold. i slept. thank god, i slept.
i woke up when roxi did (6:30) and reported my disaster to rob & lulu. (rob said he'd jumped out of bed when he heard me crash to the floor, but by the time he got to where he thought the sound came from he just saw me standing in the hallway. i guess i only passed out for a second or two.) they reported no ill effects themselves, so my worries that i had poisoned us all with chicken stir fry went unfounded. they have both been feeding me gatorade and saltines this morning (they've had practice at fighting this bug themselves) and i've been staying in bed.
the three of them have now gone to a st. patrick's day parade just a few black over, in old town. the house is quiet. the saltines seem to be staying down. i'm going to stay in bed for a while longer.
roxi's eyes have been crossing, and her opthamologist's recommendation for treatment is to start with glasses. hopefully they'll help strengthen the eye muscles so that they won't continue to pull inward.
i was born with crossed-eyes myself (born with 'em! had to have three surgeries! young!) so as you can imagine i have been cursing the family genes for allowing this to happen to roxi, too. (of course, her condition isn't as bad as mine was, but still...)
shortly after i arrived in colorado yesterday i went along to the eye doctor to watch roxi get her first pair of glasses. i hoped that she'd take to the them well and i could alleviate some of my inbred guilt over giving her crappy eyeballs. :-)
before, with the most gorgeous mom on earth:
the doctor slides the glasses on her face:
"yeah? are you sure?"
"really... i'm not so sure about this."
despite the pained expressions, she left the glasses on. she didn't fuss and really didn't seem to mind them. she did put her fingers on the lenses a lot and tried to push the frames up the bridge of her nose, but she didn't try to forceably remove them until we got home.
at home, after a few attempts at removing the glasses (thwarted by the parents) she seemed to settle right in to them. she ate dinner, played and generally forgot she was wearing them.
even after bathtime she didn't seem to mind having them on.
sweetest girl in the world, i'll tell you what. and if it's even physically possible for her to be cuter, the glasses make her so.
so here's the progress on the wall since the last time i blogged about it.
from my driveway:
closer to the wall, looking to the right:
looking to the left:
i'm fantasizing about returning from colorado next week and finding the wall complete! wouldn't that be joyous?!?
i've read a couple of articles about how jon stewart bombed as the host of the oscars. i will admit that the first few (20? 30?) minutes were a little awkward, but after he settled in a bit (meaning stopped being the focus of attention) things seemed to go just swimmingly.
or maybe that's my own personal bias.
truth is, i think he did really well playing to the tv audience. apparently, though, those in the crowd weren't so into him. whatever. it's a tough job, catering to two wildly different audiences at once. he, in my mind, can still do no wrong. good job, jon.
i've been fighting a cold for several days and have been chugging multivitamins and sucking on lozenges day and night. i think i'm fending it off pretty well, but then i went a got my period, pulled a muscle in my back, and ate all kinds of unusual food during the oscar festivities. (mmmm, pinky's cupcakes. minty's spicy hummus. marianne's cayenne brownies. lisa's parmesean popcorn. jill's spinach and artichoke dip. mmmm.) suffice to say, i woke up this morning feeling not so hot. a bit grumpy, too. but perhaps that's just residual uck from the online jon stewart haters.
i can't wait to blog my next picture for you -- actual brick on an actual wall at the end of my actual street! the sound wall is going up along the interstate and i'm so very, very happy. (ray will be glad when the wall construction is complete so i'll shut up about the wall already.)
the wall photo may be my last entry for a week or so as i hop on a plane to colorado to visit the tusselwuppers. i probably won't blog while i'm gone unless i feel really ambitious. or unless roxi does something totally adorable. (as if! 1.5 MB .mpg)
ok, i'm off to chug some airborne. that stuff rocks.
remember how i said that there were no photos taken at the big party? well, ray took this picture right before it began:
whee!
this is my favorite dollar store:
