How Can I Miss You if You Won't Go Away?

I'm just going to rip this Band-Aid off first: I will not be blogging the fall season of So You Think You Can Dance. (Or, as Brigid accidentally, brilliantly re-named it, "Do You Think You SHOULD Dance.")

It's too much. It's 3 hours a week just to watch it, and the writing and the thought I like to put into it. I have too much to do, and if I'm being honest, too much other fall TV to enjoy.

Also, as far as I'm concerned, it's just too soon, and Too Much of a Good Thing. Which inspired the following list, entitled, "How Can I Miss You if You Won't Go Away?"

1. So You Think You Can Dance
My summer treat, my guilty pleasure! You started as the bastard step-sibling to the American Idol monster, and became the little show that could, impressing more and more people every season by showcasing contestants with actual talent and darling personalities. Your judges were unique and crazy, yet (mostly) surprisingly insightful and accurate, and four years running the results were totally satisfying.

And then you watered down your Top 20 cast for season 5 so you could build a story and a Top 20 cast for Season 6. The contestants were darling at first but we tired of them quickly, and no one was So Outstanding or So Committed that we felt like we couldn't miss a show, and desperately needed to vote. The Emmy nominations rolled in for dances that included Twitch standing by a door, and you celebrated your 100th episode, and suddenly it just felt like you were not just taking the dance seriously--something I have ALWAYS appreciated--but you were taking yourselves too seriously. Which is less fun. And just when I was thinking, "Yeah, but I bet I'm over it and ready for more dancing by next summer," you're already back with a whole new season? I don't know, honey.

2. Spike
Remember when Spike first showed up on Buffy, and her mom threatened him with an axe, and he was all new and scary and funny and interesting? And then when he showed up you were like Eeeee! Spike's back! Fun! And then they kept bringing him back? And then he was in Sunnydale all the time? And no one really knew why? And then there was that ill-advised romance with Buffy? And then suddenly there were TWO be-souled vampires and we were all like, What??? And then he was Crazy in the Basement for, like, ever? And then he moved over to Angel, and while Marsters & Boreanaz had awesome chemistry it was still like, "Great, just what this show needed: MORE DUDES."

Spike is the perfect example of how shit goes wrong when you give The People what they think they want. Spike was awesome as a recurring character. As a series regular, it was Too Much Spike. There weren't enough stories for him, so the stuff they ended up giving him was weird and shark-jumpy and just rang false. As someone who loved the character, I was pretty bummed when I realized I'd gotten totally sick of him.

3. EVOO
Sometimes, you don't need Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Sometimes, you just need to cook with regular vegetable oil. Or canola. Or Pam. I'm looking at you Food Network. Seriously.


4. Cupcakes/Bakeries
I realize that I am spoiled with this in LA, but sweet fancy frosted Christ the cupcake bakeries have gotten OUT OF CONTROL. These used to be a rare and exciting TREAT. Now it's like, oh, cupcakes. There they are again. There's another bakery. Yawn.

And the thing is, if you taste the cupcakes they're still delicious. They're still a fairly exciting treat. The problem is that people have gotten so used to them being around, that they're no longer impressed when you bake them.

Or I bake them. So really, I'm just complaining that people don't appreciate my cupcakes enough.... yeah. Moving on.

5. Michelle Forbes
When Michelle Forbes showed up on Battlestar Galactica as the scary commander we were all like, "DUUUUUUDE YESSSSSS." And for awhile, it was awesome. Then it got tiresome.

Same thing on True Blood. She shows up and we were all, "Awesome! Scary villain time!" And she was a scary villain. She was slinky and mysterious and weird and creepy and it was great for a good long while. And then it got tiresome again.

I think the problem with Michelle is not her. She brings an intensity to her roles that is gripping. It's just that her level of intensity is hard to take, week after week, with no break. Maybe there's a problem with the stories she's in as well. But the upshot is that Michelle Forbes is like black pepper. It'll season up your food/show, but a little sure goes a long way.

I'm sure there are other things for this list, but that's all I got for now. What would be on your list?

In conclusion:

I actually accomplished a lot

I'm currently enjoying our New Year's Day tradition of Egg Dish and horror movies with good friends. Since I don't love horror movies, I thought I'd get caught up on the past year at the same time. To say 2008 was busy would be a ridiculous understatement. I actually accomplished a lot of the stuff I wanted to do, including:

• Run a mile.
  
• Visit the San Diego Zoo
  
• Take the dogs for walks in Runyon Canyon and Fryman Canyon
  
• Plant a tree in our front yard
• Present a full-on summer season of Tiki Theater
• Grow my hair past my shoulders

Not too many bullets off my ambitious list, but let's see what else I did, and what else happened, shall we?


Threw our most kick-ass Oscar party yet in February.


Saw the dogs get cuter, and eat the eyes out of a bee.


Rocked St. Pat's with my favorite Scorpios.


Hiked up Runyon Canyon with Amy & Chip on Easter Morning.


Went to Medieval Times for the first time.


Bought my first bike in many, many years.


Went on a fabulous Hawaiian vacation; swam laps in this body of water.


Watched the dogs get even cuter.


Celebrated the one-year anniversary of Click.


Became a triathlete.


Enjoyed Minnesota in summertime, visiting Amy & Chip over 4th of July weekend.


Celebrated nephew Rusty's 1st birthday in Santa Barbara with the entire McLean clan.


Watched my little family get even cuter.


Met Mia Michaels.


Went to San Diego Comic Con for the first time, followed by a trip to the San Diego Zoo. (Got Nerd Flu.)


Celebrated Kristin & Mark's marriage with good friends outside of Boston.


Reunited with my UNC Crew in Greeley Colorado; danced and danced.


Ate a delicious peach from Mom's tree in her backyard. (Also went to my first water aerobics class.)


Threw a Valley Girl Slumber Party Bridal Shower for Amanda, and had attendees do 80's makeovers for fabulous prizes.


Bridesmaided for my dear friends, once in September, once in October. Thanked God my friends have lovely taste in bridesmaid dresses.


Worked my ass off, rubbed shoulders with celebs, and pissed off Victor Garber at the Runway for Life event.


Threw the Halloween Cocktail Party I've wanted to throw, oh, forever; discovered black vodka.


Met one of the funniest women alive, Amy Sedaris.


Voted in one of the most important elections of our lifetime; wept with joy on Election Night.


Gardened! I finally populated the little garden in front of our house with herbs and flowers, I planted three rose bushes, and we had a tree planted in the front yard.


Learned how to weave a lattice pie crust and baked the world's most beautiful (and delicious) apple pie for Thanksgiving.


Bought the prettiest white winter coat just before our trip to Seattle, where we got to see some fabulous friends, and got a truckload of great business accomplished. (Also, note how long hair has gotten!)


Took formal family portraits with the McLeans at Sears.


Sent out beautiful Click holiday cards to our clients and press.


Enjoyed a lovely, low-key Christmas in Santa Barbara.


And, finally, watched the dogs get even cuter.

I'm a mess. Ho ho ho.

It's been almost a month since my last entry, so first I'll do a quick list of bullets of what we've been up to, for those of you keeping track of my life (ahem, Mom). Then we can talk holidays.

Thanksgiving 08: What a fantastic holiday. We hosted members of our "chosen family" at the house this year, and it was just wonderful. My friend Tony the Chef did the most amazing things to our turkey--brining in brandy, shoving garlic & rosemary under the skin next to the meat, stuffing with apples and oranges. It was one of the most moist and delicious turkeys I've ever tasted. All of our friends brought delicious sides and snacks, actually, because they are classy like that. For my part, I baked 2 loaves of dill bread and 3 pies: pumpkin, pecan, and apple with a lattice-top crust. I hope to get caught up on photos over the next week or so, but suffice to say they all came out gorgeous! Good food, good wine, great friends--GREAT holiday.

Seattle Trip: The first week in December Mac and I went to Seattle to visit friends, do some business, and enjoy some proper chilly weather. Not that I'm complaining about our fabulous SoCal weather, but it's hard to get into the holiday spirit when it won't stop being 80 degrees outside (the weather has since changed, thankfully). This trip was PACKED, and as usual we ran out of time before we got to do everything or see everyone. We got a lot of great business done, striking up some fun partnerships and strengthening our Seattle press relationships. We got to see some of our favorite people on the planet. And we ATE. Oh, my God, we ate our way through that city. Someday I'm going to write the Mac & Dinah Guide to Seattle, with a list of must-sees, must-dos and must-eats. The newest revelation was The Black Bottle in Belltown. YUM.

Family Portrait Time: Yet another separate blog post in the making, we took family portraits with Mac's family at Sears the second weekend in December. We wore coordinated outfits and posed uncomfortably (at one point I was laying on my stomach). Mac's family all look happy and natural in all of these photos. I look like a robot.

Which, okay, I'm actually checking my calendar to remember what all we've done this month. We took the LA division of our awesome staff out to a holiday dinner, after video chatting with Scott and his lovely wife. The whole team chipped in and got us a Wii Fit. I'm choosing not to take this as a personal commentary on my need to lose weight, but as an amazingly intuitive and thoughtful present that we actually had every intention of buying for ourselves. They also got us a game that you play with your butt. Awesome. Seriously, we employ the best people on the planet.

We also hosted a holiday party for one of our clients, which went off perfectly and inspired a separate blog I need to write about throwing parties. Because, for real, I pulled that thing together in about a day, had tasks for everyone to help me with, and did the whole thing BEAUTIFULLY and under budget. I'm not bragging; I'm just good.

Everything else has just been a mad scramble to get prepared for the holidays. I always stress out about Christmas, every year. What do I get? Is it too much, not enough? Why do I put it off every year? Christmas cards still haven't gone out--it might be a New Year's/Wrap Up card this year. Plus I'd love to do a "Best of 2008" mix... but I never even finished or mailed out my Summer 08 mix. Oh, I'm a mess. Ho ho ho.

So that brings me up to date. The checklist of future blogs I just mentioned includes: photos, Seattle guide, family portraits, how to throw a fabulous party, and Best of 2008 mix. Yeah, we'll see.

Thanks for checking back on me, even though I haven't been updating. I appreciate everyone who reads Puffpiece, and hope you're all enjoying a fabulous holiday season!!

bullets & updates

Happy Labor Day! Just a couple bullets & updates:

• I cracked the plasma in my Macbook a while ago, and finally got around to getting it fixed (being without a computer, cracks or no, is darn near impossible for me). The Apple stores, even the "unofficial" ones, wanted a stupid amount of cash to repair it. Like, just a couple hundred more and I could have a whole new computer instead of just a new screen. Ridiculous. But I was prepared to pay it because it had to be fixed, and I took it to the Genius Bar, and you know what they introduced me to?

iResQ--they fixed the exact same thing for HALF THE COST and you don't even have to go anywhere. They send you a box, you send them your broken machine, they send back a fixed machine. Genius. I'm telling all my friends. They also repair iPods.

• I saw House Bunny. As tired as I am of this whole, "Oh wait guys who aren't total douche trucks (and even some who are) actually LIKE smart girls who choose to be themselves over dim bulbs trying to be sexy?" message, I mean COME ON. The whole storyline is insulting. That said, get over it, and go see it anyway because it's also ridiculously funny. That Anna Faris is a comic genius. She wins the whole movie. And I can't stop saying people's names like I'm possessed now. (See the movie, you'll get it.) I really hope boob punching doesn't become a thing, though.

• Finally, my sister Matti sent me some fantastic CDs for my birthday, including a Monkey Mix that is brilliant and kicks off with this song, "Did Charlie Make a Monkey out of You?" sung by The Fischers. It is SHOCKING. It's this song, but it's sung by a child and includes an intro with a child pretending to be a snooty, British science professor teaching evolution, and includes a charming refrain of "wackadoo! wackadoo!" that's missing from this version. I don't know how she found this song, and I can appreciate its place on my mix (which is also part of a Darwin project she's working on), but the whole fact that these people are for real just makes me sad for humanity.

• Actual final note. My parents got to go to Invesco Field to see the last day of the DNC and said it was amazing. I am completely jealous.

no time for a thousand words

Getting back to the gym and staying focused post-triathlon has been super hard. I need another goal. The margarita I had with lunch today probably isn't helping either. *Ahem.*

When we got back from Austin I was hoping for at least a week to just work slowly and bask in my accomplishment. As it turned out, work had other plans. We've been really, really busy, but in the best possible way. Most of the time, at least. Some days are harder than others. Lots of days end with client/press functions, which is super-fun, of course, but not good for the diet, or for after-work gym time.

In other news, I have a lot of Gemini friends, evidently. I celebrated happy birthdays with Roger, Chris and Amanda this past week. I also baked my first cherry pie. And you know what? I'm tired and have no time for a thousand words, so let's do this instead:

We went to the zoo with Mac's sister and her family.


Roger's birthday was 50's-themed. I had all the clothes for an accurate ensemble just hanging in my closet.


I went dancing for the first time in ages on Saturday night. I did NOT have an outfit for this, so I bought this dress. And then tested it out. (It worked beautifully.)


I made this from scratch.

nutty

What a nutty day.

I love a 3-day weekend as much as the next girl, but this one was kind of exhausting. We went out to dinner, played Rock Band, went to brunch, went to a BBQ, saw Indy, and hosted a Memorial Day brunch for some of our nearest and dearest friends.

And can I just take this moment to gush over how awesome our friends are? Of the 12 possible attendees, 10 RSVP'd yes, and only two of those couldn't make it at the last minute. I was expecting maybe half to RSVP/show, for a small, cozy group. But even though there were 10 of us around the table in the end, it still felt small and cozy and fun and rad. It was like Thanksgiving, only with Egg Dish instead of turkey, and way less stress. And God bless my friends for letting me experiment on them and test out new recipes, most of which came out perfect. (The "I Don't Want Earl's Baby" Pie came out a little runny, but still tasted delicious.)

Anyhoo, today. Has been nutty with a trip to the vet, 3 appointments (1 canceled), several deadlines, 1 big Win, and I'm already tired even though I still have to train. Tonight I'm going to go to pair up my bike & run and see how wobbly my legs are walking/jogging after 12 miles on the bike.

I'm excited to go, though, and wear some of my new gear. Because the only thing I obsess about more than the triathlon training is my triathlon outfit, and how ridiculous I'll look. I'm resigned to looking pretty ridiculous since I'll be wearing bike shorts and, Helloooooooo, Thighs! That said, I think my new hat & sunglasses help make me look like an actual jock.


"Yeah, I do triathlons. You know, for fun. 'Cause I'm so tough & athletic & all."

ETA: I ended up going out later than I expected, so I only biked 6.45 miles before running 2.4 miles. I learned that I'm going to have to kick off my 5k with about 5 minutes of walking, and I learned that I can jog at a slow/easy pace for at least 25 minutes straight. I am hopeful that this training and these findings will help me sort out a decent run time in a couple weeks.

I also used my time on the bike to write the following alternate lyrics to Gwen Stefani's "What You Waiting For?" Stick 'em in the bridge where she goes off on Japan & shit.
"I can't wait to go,
Starting with the swim.
I don't even need no fins.
I switch to bicycle,
And then I'm gonna run
Right across the finish line.
Go!"
~ dedicated to Team Queso

all over the map

Today is a very Seattle day here in Los Angeles. The air is cool, the sky is gray, the ground is wet. It makes me want to listen to 90's grunge music and drink coffee. I love it.

Speaking of things that I love, So You Think You Can Dance is back!* Audition shows are never as great as the top 20 shows, where you get the couples and the choreography and the group performances. BUT I still really love them because these are the episodes where you really get to see the breakers and poppers do what they're best at. They'll usually show you the whole performance of the really good ones, and it's such a treat.

In totally unrelated news, I just wanted to congratulate my friends JL and Kyann on the adoption of their baby girl! She looks like an absolute angel, and she's already getting used to having her photog pop take all kinds of pictures and video of her. She even has her own blog. We're definitely at that age where more and more of our friends are having kids, and I think it's super awesome that JL & Ky have taken the adoption route towards starting a family.

This post was all over the map, huh? And with that, I'm off to see Indy!

*If you're wondering, Hey, Dinah, does this mean your blog is going to become "All SYTYCD/Triathlon, All the Time?" Ummmm, yeah. Maybe. Whatever, you love it.

random musings

Just a couple tiny little bits before I get back to focusing on my work:
- My Google news feed today is 60% Britney's latest meltdown (Standoff at the "I'm so NOT okay, y'all" Corrall), 30% Obama's upset in Iowa (and, I guess, Huckabee's as well), 10% writer's strike and, well. Nothing else. Mind you, a fair chunk of my feeds are entertainment-related, but that still seems a little out of whack to me.

- I have these "mood playlists" in my iTunes--Feeling Strummy, Feeling Positive, Feeling Chill, etc. I just created one called "Feeling Country" to hold the likes of Dolly, Patsy, Johnny & the Chicks, and it turns out? There's 10 hours of music on that list. Who knew?

- It's raining, I'm wearing a warm turtleneck sweater, comfy pants, bunny slippers, and drinking hot tea. Today's a good day to work from home in LA, and I am grateful for it.

- I'm also grateful to my mom, my sister Amy, JL, Megan, Jeff, Brett, the lovelies over at Looking Good, and everyone else who reads my blog regularly and comments. It's nice to know my random musings aren't just going out into a void, and I just want you to know I appreciate you.

- Everyone's doing their 2007 movie & music wrap-ups. I burned a lot of CDs for people throughout 2007, so I don't know if I could deliver one CD-length Best Of this year, but I suppose I could give it a shot. Even if 2007 was the year I discovered stuff I'd missed the first time around. Like, the Dixie Chicks "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)"--how pretty is this song??

- In conclusion: SIGH. And, back to work.

shit I want to do

Good morning. It's about 9 a.m. January 1, 2008, which seems as good a time as any to look back at 2007, and look ahead to 2008.

I didn't make any resolutions in 2007. Instead, I had a loose list in my head of general "shit I want to do." As it turned out, I did a lot of it. Some things on that list:

• Learn something new
• Pick up a hobby
• Cook more
• Join a dance class
• Visit a new foreign country
• Reduce my environmental whatchacallit--thumbprint? Footprint. Go green, as they say.
• Get a new car
• Get a new job

I did all of those things in 2007. I picked up embroidery, which qualifies for both a hobby and something new. I cooked and baked more, which I think could also maybe qualify as a hobby. I even won a bake-off (among friends, but still--competition was stiff). I learned how to play toy drums on Rock Band, which is a fairly small new thing to learn, but it's not easy and really super fun so I'm counting it. Mac & I also joined everyone else in the world with going green in 2007. We recycle, oh, EVERYTHING (did you know you can now recycle Styrofoam? True story), started using re-usable grocery bags instead of plastic ones, and switched to biodegradable poo bags for the dogs. Small stuff, but I like to think it helps. I also joined the Y and started taking Musical Theatre Dance class, one of my favorite activities of 2007. I went to London for the first time. We actually replaced my Jetta with a new Ford Escape Hybrid on Sunday, so that got done just under the wire.

And, of course, the new job was the biggie. 2007 for us McLeans will always be the Year of Click. In 2007, I didn't just quit Ticketmaster. (But, can we take a moment? Because, YEAAAYYY!!!!) I didn't just find a new job. I partnered with my hyper-talented husband and together we formed our own freaking company. Hi, big deal.

If I use Click as my reason for why I maybe didn't get some of the other things on my list accomplished, I think it's okay. This endeavor made us both just a wee bit busy.

So, what's next in 2008? Well, again, I think I'm going to stay away from resolutions. The only thing I'm truly resolved to do in 2008 is kick all kinds of ass. I think that when choosing which path to take, the truth is that there's the path everyone takes, the path less traveled, and then there's the Awesome Path. In 2008, I am resolved to take The Awesome Path whenever possible, whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Other shit I want to do:

• Lose 30 lbs. Holy buckets that's a big number, but I think I can do it. Specifically, I'd like to have lost it by August 1, so I can wear something slinky and fabulous to my friend Kristin's wedding in Boston. I'd love to lose another 10 on top of that before October 1 so I can be in fantastic shape for my friend Anna's wedding, and rock the bridesmaid dress. And, no, that wouldn't reduce my total weight to Hollywood skin & bones because, y'all, I am just that overweight.
• Run a mile. Right now, I can run/walk about 2.5 miles in 30 minutes. Hi, I'm out of shape. Of course, I'd like to eventually run 5 miles or 10 miles, but before I do that, I'd like to run one. Just one.
• Keep dancing. There's, like, 3 people in my musical theatre dance class at the Y, which means it could easily get canceled. Which means I'll need to find another class to keep dancing. But, whatever, I love it.
• Deliver something embroidered by me to each & every member of my family. I came close at Christmas, but I need to figure out things for the kids and the dudes. The dudes are, as you can imagine, the hardest to sort out.
• Bake a cheesecake.
• Play the drums for real. Not well, mind you, but after my Rock Band experience, I'd love to bang on some real drums for a change.
• Play my violin.
• Go to the LA Zoo at least once a month.
• Visit the San Diego Zoo.
• Visit a new foreign country.
• Buy a Prius.
• Commit both the McLeans and Click to some charities. Right now we donate goods and money to charities kind of here and there, and in 2008 I'd like to organize our efforts a little better.
  
• Volunteer for something. I'm thinking maybe something with the Step Up Network.
• Go to an art museum/gallery with my mom.
• Take Mac to some attraction in Denver, like the zoo or natural history museum or art museum. He's experienced Denver bars, the Rocky Mountains, driving in snow, and lots of quality family time, but there's still a lot about Denver I'd love for him to see.
  
• Take the dogs for walks in Runyon Canyon, maybe even eventually off leash.
  
• Check out the mountains here in Southern California. I hear they're nice.
• Go on a hike.
• Go back to the California wine country with friends, either the Russian River Valley that we love or somewhere outside of Santa Barbara. Which, hi, it's not that far, and we go up there to visit Mac's family all the time anyway, and I hardly know a thing about pinot.
• Continue to lessen our environmental impact. We really need to plant a tree in our front yard to create some shade for the house, and we could probably figure out a more efficient way to keep our house at an acceptable temperature without using heat/air as much as we do (maybe ceiling fans?). And we could be more vigilant about turning off lights & electronics when not in use. I'd also like to figure out how to make all of our parties a little greener.
• Present a full-on summer season of Tiki Theater in the back yard. Already on deck: Back to the Future, Labyrinth, Hairspray (sing-a-long!).
• Make my own ice cream.
• Play bocce ball.
• Grow my hair past my shoulders.

Aaaaand that's all I can think of right now, so I'm ending on that superficial note. But see? No resolutions, just stuff I want to do. I'm looking forward to it.

Here's to a fun, prosperous, healthy, and fabulous 2008 to you and yours!

where I'm living

I was looking up something in my blog for someone and got sidetracked by some of my older entries. Remember when I didn't just post videos and recaps of silly dance competition shows? Good times.

This is where I'm living these days:
- Work is going pretty well, but just when I think I've figured out how to run things and my To Do list is fairly under control, all this other stuff crops up. Like, hey genius, you need to write copy for your website and finish your budget, and what about those reports, and those case studies, and and and.... I finally bought a new chair yesterday so I'm not working all day hunched over in my cute-but-uncomfortable Ikea chair, but I also need a new desk with some proper leg room. And a new keyboard. Basically, I'd like to finish out a work day in my new home office without the pain I've started to learn to live with. I'd also like to finish a work day and feel like at least a few things are finished. Maybe I should stop blogging. Just a few more quick updates while I eat, and it's back to it.

- Some of my friends are falling in love and getting engaged and getting married and buying houses these days. It's fun to be the one they can turn to for a change, instead of the freaked out one that was all, "If these are good things why am I so STRESSED OUT!?!?" A nice change indeed.

- I'm still embroidering and really need to upload photos. My friends have also been repopulating the earth a lot lately, so there's a lot of baby stuff in the mix. Wait 'til you see baby Aiden in his cute embroidered "Rock Star" cap, though.

- I'm considering bringing the Mix of the Month back to life. I'm working on one for July that's a lot of fun for summer. We'll see. It's nice to be fired up about music again, I'd gotten a little burned out lately.

- I watch a lot of Food Network and read a lot of cookbooks, but still don't cook as much as I should. I've been studying Alton Brown's textbook-like "I'm Just Here for the Food" like I'm going to be quizzed on it. I want to try out some more of the recipes my brother in law gave me for Christmas, and I'd like to learn to make more pies. I mean, who doesn't love pie? Specifically, I want to learn some savory pies, or quiches, if you will. And I will, because, hi: YUM.

- When my parents visited in May they brought several boxes of stuff I've been saving since childhood. There's at least one whole blog entry waiting to happen, from my old journals alone.

- Summer movies have been a mixed bag so far. I enjoyed Transformers, Ratatouille, Waitress, Knocked Up, Hot Fuzz, Live Free or Die Hard, Ocean's 13, and the surprising Mr. Brooks. I did NOT enjoy Spiderman 3 or the Fantastic Four. If I haven't mentioned it, I haven't seen it. I'm still ridiculously excited for Harry Potter, the Bourne Supremacy, Talk to Me, and Hairspray even though John Travolta as Edna is already making my skin crawl because his voice is terrible and his makeup makes him look like Miss Piggy. I will see it anyway though, because I love that Amanda Bynes, I'm curious about Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken is always entertaining, and I think Michelle Pfeiffer is going to OWN this movie at the end of the day. Plus the music is truly fabulous, as anyone who's seen the stage musical will tell you. Finally: Becoming Jane, please don't disappoint me. I really want to love you, I have very high hopes. Be my new comfort movie, won't you please?

I'M HUNGRY

I wish that I'd gotten all my girls together to go see Music & Lyrics. Every time I listen to the soundtrack I laugh and sing along. It truly is some of the funnest new music ever.

That said, I have started listening to the mixes Amy and Mike made for me. They are absolutely sensational.

Amy's mix is all duets. Depending on my mood, I'll listen to certain tracks on repeat and pretending I'm doing a duet karaoke with one of my guy friends (Mac is not down with The Karaoke). How have I never had the Iggy Pop/Kate Pierson classic "Candy" in my collection until now? I don't know, but I'm in love. Also, this band Faux Jean that Amy's put on a couple mixes for me is absolutely fabulous. I think they're local to Minnesota, but they should be big nationwide in my opinion. There are 18 tracks of goodness on this mix, those two are just highlights off the top of my head.

Mike's mixes are totally different. One is more high energy, one is more dreamy. I have a hard time getting all the way through the energetic one, because it kicks off with KT Tunstall's "You're Not the One For Me," and goll-darnit-to-heck I DON'T CARE how uncool KT Tunstall is. That is some damn catchy shit, and I keep listening to it on repeat and not playing the rest of the CD. I want to listen to this song on every road trip ever.

Mike's dreamier mix sounds like the Rocky Mountains to me. Or any mountains. I spent 10 years in Colorado so maybe this is just my take from my own experiences, but this collection of songs sounds like, I don't know... It sounds like winding roads with switchback turns, wind tickling delicate gold Aspen leaves, crisp mountain air, elks in the distance, crackling bonfires and snow falling at night. It's wild and inspiring and relaxing. It was especially soothing over this past week.

Which, okay. I have a lot of news. I'm not going to blog all of it yet.

I got my wisdom teeth out! That was a weird experience. I went in, they stuck a needle in my arm, and the next thing I knew I was laying on a gurney with my mouth full of gauze and tears in my eyes from the anesthetic. My recovery has been painful, but I'm getting there. The whole "knocked out for surgery" thing really threw me for a loop, too. I'm glad I finally got it done, but I am so ready to be recovered. For one thing? I'M HUNGRY! This liquid/soft foods diet sucks. (HA! I'm awesome. Wait, was that only funny to me and my mom? Oh, fine.) I've already started to make a list of food I'm going to eat when I get back on solids. That list so far:
BBQ - all kinds. Ribs, brisket, chicken, whatever. With a side of cold cole slaw.
A BLT - on white, with mayo. I haven't had one of these in ages, where did this craving come from??
Cajun food - I suddenly require gumbo, jambalaya and etoufee.
Steak - A petit filet would suffice.
Mexican food - Oh, all of it.

I'm sure the more soup and Slimfast I consume, the longer that list will get. I am going to make myself some decadent mashed potatoes, though. Oh, yes I am.

I have so much more to blog, but it's going to have to wait. You'll see.

I must have done something right

Since my last entry? Oh, my. Lots has happened though, and I'm going try to move through it all very quickly.

We celebrated a lovely early Valentine's Day on Feb 12 at Crustacean, and stole forks. Well, Mac stole them. I am a horrible thief.

I went to San Francisco for the day on Valentine's Day--in in the morning, out at night--for work.

My brother came to visit President's Day weekend, and we enjoyed a fabulous lazy bbq with some friends complete with full-contact speed croquet and Karaoke Revolution, as well as a trip to the comic shop and a whole day of pretty much nothin'. A relaxing and fun weekend!

We threw another fabulous Oscar Party on 2/25, and I got 9 out of 24 categories correct. My butterscotch chip cookies were far more successful. Check out the whole menu, with pun-tastic names and Mac's mad photoshop skillz HERE.

I discovered my new favorite website/online community: iLike.com. Love music? Listening to music right now, in fact? Come play on iLike with me!

We went to London! It was my first time in London, and it was all I could do to restrain myself from going all, "Pip pip! Allo guvna! Wot wot! Oy!" And so on. (Why must I be so ridiculous?) Had a marvelous time, drank tea, saw many, many friends (more on this below), and got to hang out with my brother in law who was in town at the same time, because the world is just that small. Pictures are still in the camera, but I got some beauties.

Finally, last night Mac & I had dinner with my friend Stephanie and her boyfriend Matt. Unremarkable, you might think, but I've known Stephanie since we were 4 or 5, she just happened to be in town from Chicago and, oh yeah--we hadn't seen each other for 17 years.

I don't think that has enough emphasis on it.

SEVENTEEEEEEEEEEEEN YEEEEEEEEEEARS DUUUUUDE!

Which you'd think is nerve-wracking and weird-feeling and all, and it kind of was as we were approaching the restaurant? But then it was totally fine, and then it was just awesome and I was just so happy to see her again, and chat about Evansville and what funny, creative, happy weirdos we were as kids.

It's made me think a lot about the connections I've made in my life, these recent experiences. In London, I visited my London office (NERD! I know) and saw some work friends. I took the tube to Chiswick (pronouced Chissick, by the way, in case you ever go) to visit a couple of my dearest college friends who'd just had a baby on Feb 16. I went to lunch twice with a woman I met online, actually, and it was not only NOT creepy and NOT weird, it was rad and just like meeting an old friend for the first time. And I had drinks with a guy who used to be one of my best friends ever. When we weren't trying to date, or recovering from the whole "trying to date" thing, or fighting, or trying not to fight even though he and my other best friend were dating, and really? It's convoluted, and we have a lot of history, and we've been through a lot, and there was a time when I wasn't sure if we'd ever be friends again. But then I pinged him before we went to London, all "Hey, um, are you going to be around?" And he said YES! And made a trip to London from his small England town, and we went to a pub for pints and he showed me pictures of his beautiful wife and little girl, and we caught each other up on everything, and it was just so lovely.

Before we left for London, Stephanie had emailed me to see if I'd be around when she was in town, even though it had been 17 years since we saw each other last. I also got an email from my brother in law's sister that she & her partner are going to be in town and want to see us. AND a potential new friend from New Zealand, a friend of one of our Australian friends, arrived yesterday. We've promised to hook up with her while she's living here and take her around the city.

It's just really cool to me that in the time I've been on the earth, I've connected to people in such a way that I can let them know I'll be in town, or they can let me know when they (or their Kiwi friends) are in town, and we can get together for a meal and some conversation like it's the easiest thing in the world. For the millionth time, I feel lucky and grateful for these connections and friendships. And I can't help but think, for all the things I've done wrong in my life, if I've got people reaching out to me over miles and time, and responding to me when I do the same, then at some point, I must have also done something right. Right?

These are the things I've been doing and these are the things that have been on my mind.

holiday summary

Sweet fancy Suri Cruise I haven't blogged in AGES. At first, it was because I was enjoying The Lull, which is a lazy time when work demands ease up a bit and I, well, slack off a little. Which means reading everyone else's blogs. If you were doing the same, and wishing I'd had a little more reading material here for you, I apologize.

And then, of course, I didn't blog because life quickly reverted away from The Lull and back to The Crazy, and then I just didn't have time. Hence me updating my stuff late at night when I should be sitting comfortably on the couch enjoying the return of my regular TV programming.

So, quickly: holiday summary, and then I'll put the rest in separate posts.

Xmas: AWESOME. We threw the tiniest party ever, which I suppose means it was more a "gathering" than a "party." Whatever, we had a kickass cheese platter and pomegranate cosmos and espresso martinis and then Kim brought those chocolate-covered peanut butter cracker things? And it was rad.

We got stuff shipped out on time, but due to the super extreme Colorado weather, they didn't all show up on time. We got a real tree, and decorated the crap out of our house. For the holiday itself, we went to Santa Barbara where we spent almost an entire day opening copious amounts of gifts, and the rest of the day on a scenic walk with the dogs.


Overall, it was a glorious holiday, and I was reminded again how lucky I am to have all My People in my life, and what a beautiful thing it is to be loved.


New Year's Eve: Due to the inherent suckitude of this crappy holiday, we decided to discard our LA party plans and take off for beautiful Seattle.


We cooked dinner, we played Karaoke Revolution, I kicked ass.


And we rang in the new year like the hard-core party animals we are.


Since then, it's been, well. The Lull, followed by The Crazy. Mostly Crazy. I didn't make resolutions this year, per se, but I did make a mental list of Stuff I Want To Do, which I think is different. I've started some things on my list already, crossed off others, not started most of them, and instead started things that weren't on the list, because I am nothing if not a Master of Procrastination. Overall, not a bad start to the year. If I find a little more balance in my life in 2007, I'll put the whole darn thing in the Win column.

Next up: New hobby! The Best Songs of 2006!

it will be GLORIOUS

WELL. Okay. Hi! It's been awhile. Let's see here...

Halloween was fun! We got the house decorated at the last minute and I carved two pumpkins. We went to three parties, I stole my friend Amanda's idea and went as Little Dead Riding Hood and no, you may not see pictures. (Corpse Dinah = not pretty.) My friend Anna came over on Halloween night and we gave out tons of candy while drinking wine, talking about boys and playing the American Idol Scene It game. (Except really, we were just singing karaoke into the toy mic. Did I mention the wine?) Overall: Fun holiday!

Next up: Thanksgiving! I've already bought too much crap. I'm just so excited!! We're going to have a full house this year, dinner for 9 or 10, AND my sister and her husband are coming out from Minnesota. YAY!! We're going to drink some of the delicious wine we've picked up in Napa & Australia, eat copious amounts of turkey and bread and gravy and mashed potatoes, and it will be GLORIOUS.

On a somewhat unrelated note, mAc and I have come to realize that the A-list of people we hang out with in LA, the ones we call most often, the ones who call us most often, the ones most likely to show up at movies & parties? Actually are the A-List: Allistair, Amanda, Alf & Anna. It may look suspiciously like we just can't be bothered to move farther down the address book when making plans. In reality, however, they really are just the coolest people ever. Trust me.

What else can I tell you? Work is kicking my ass, and that is enough on that topic. I'm toying with the idea of ballet classes. I know, what the hell? I'm also thinking about starting running. You can stop laughing aaaaaany minute now.

I guess I will just leave you with one of the prettiest pictures I've ever seen. Our friends Sarah & Ben in Australia got married last month, and they just sent out their photos. The photographers were absolutely fantastic, and this is only one of many fabulous shots they got.

Aren't they a pretty couple?

happy

In no particular order, these are things that are currently making me happy:

So You Think You Can Dance

It's over, which is sad, but I still have Wade Robson's zombie dance to Roisin Murphy's Ramalama Bang Bang saved in my TiVO. And that makes me very, very happy.

The cast of the new Hairspray movie.

Depp and Burton, together again.

Tim Gunn.

Even if you don't watch Project Runway, you should read his blog every week. You should especially read this past week's because he disagrees with the judges, and makes them sound like idiots, except only because he's so suave and articulate. Beautiful. I love him because he's intelligent, incisive, critical-but-kind, and so thoughtful. He really cares about the designers, their efforts, and wants to see them succeed. Just like a really good teacher should.

The Rolling Stone Women in Rock Collection.
It's infinitely sing-a-long-able.

My horoscope.
Lately it's been totally spot on. Trippy.

Psyche.

So, so funny. Check out the "Psyche outs" on the site, if you don't believe me. Start with "Electric Avenue." I love these guys.

My dreams. Last night, I got to eat Twinkies and hang out with John Krasinski. Actually, we were in a play together ("Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"), but I woke up before the curtain went up.

This cat.

Gofugyourself.com. Every day.

And, last but not least, my sister's new research site. Go here before you Google!