What I Bought With Kelly’s Gift Certificate

So Kelly gave me a gift certificate for my birthday, and I bought The Best Of Corey Hart, and Hiding Out. Call me a loser, I don’t care. I like Corey Hart, he puts out good music.

Hiding Out is a good movie. I have a thing for Jon Cryer movies. I used to have a thing for Keith Coogan, and I love Annabeth Gish. The premise of the movie is Andrew (Cryer) is a stockbroker who has to testify against the mob, and when one of the other witness ends up dead, he goes into hiding. He decides to change his look and hide out at his cousin Patrick’s (Coogan) high school. He gets his name off a coffee can, Maxwell Hauser. It’s funny, and sweet, so I bought it.

It really did snow all day, it must have stopped some time last night. Went back to work at the museum today. No Machu Picchu work today. I can hardly wait for it to open so I can show Geoff the work I did. I will try to take pictures of it for everyone else.

I know I usually end with a movie quote, but I wanted to end with the lyrics to the Radiohead song I was listening to today. This song always makes me melancholy, but not in a bad way. I think I can look back on my past with bittersweetness. If that makes sense. I don’t think I even get what I’m trying to say.

Lurgee (by Radiohead, off the album Pablo Honey)

I feel better, I feel better now you’ve gone.

I got better, I got better, I got strong.

I feel better, I feel better now there’s nothing wrong.

I got better, I got better, I got strong.

Tell me something, tell me something I don’t know.

Tell me one thing, tell me one thing, and let it go.

I got something, I got something, heaven knows.

I got something, I got something, I don’t know.

I just got the new Easily Amused CD in the mail! It’s called Simple Stuff, and it’s their second album. Easily Amused is from Winnipeg, MB, and I saw them when they played on the UCI campus. We tried to get them on KUCI, but it didn’t work out. They have another tour they just started, but sadly they don’t have Denver on their route. 🙁 But visit their website, and order a copy of Novice, their debut album. You can hear clips from songs, read Renee or Keith’s journal, and find out where they are touring. I will try to post a review of the new album this week.

It’s snowing. It’s been snowing all day. I haven’t left the comfort of my home, but I did at least get dressed.

I got some movies from the library, chick flicks that Geoff wouldn’t watch with me. I tackled one, and I still have another. The one I watched was A Guy Thing. I love Julia Stiles & Jason Lee, so it seemed a safe bet. It also has Selma Blair, whom I don’t like so much. There’s something about her, I don’t care about. Who knows. Anyways, it was alright, I wasn’t expecting much. I wouldn’t buy it, and could think of better Jason Lee or Julia Stiles movies.

I am moving to 2 days a week at the museum. I had a great day yesterday. I got to work on the Machu Picchu exhibit (which opens in Feb). I got to bury artifacts in cement for the kids to dig up. Oh, and I told Jeff (my boss) about Cindy’s son Alec being a HUGE dinosaur guy, and he said he’d arrange for a behind the scenes tour for him when they come to visit this spring. I’ll have to email him to tell him.

Hard to believe we’re near the end of January. I have a feeling this year is going to fly by too.

Last Friday, it would have been Dad & Debbie’s 5th anniversary. I think she’s doing okay. We all are, I guess. There was moment last week when I thought he wasn’t gone. I thought, how could he be gone? He’s so young. And in an instant reality sunk in. And I wondered where that funny thought had come from. Geoff & I talk about death more frequently now. We talk about what our families would want, what we want. My mom has let me know songs she’d like, but I told her she’s not allowed to die for a good long time.

Okay enough with the morbid death talk. Things here are good. I’d like to have more to share, but nothing else is going on. I’d share my thoughts on current events, but frankly, I don’t read the paper, and I don’t like to watch the news. So why there was a caucus in Iowa, I don’t even know. And I don’t keep up with Canadian news, because I don’t live there. The saddest thing, I keep up to date on entertainment news. I know, it’s sad. 🙁

Well, I’ll close now with some quotes from Dogma. I love that movie, and I watch it EVERY time it’s on. If you can get past the language, it’s pretty good. First, Geoff’s favorite quote:

Bethany: What gear are you in?

Jay: “Gear”?

—————————————

Metatron: However, if you should decide to stop being selfish and accept your responsibility, you won’t be alone. You’ll have support.

Bethany: What, more angels?

Metatron: Prophets. Two of them. The one who speaks – and he will, at great lengths, whether you want him to or not – will make mention of himself as a prophet. The other one… well, he’s the quiet type, but he’ll be helpful just the same.

Yesterday Geoff made truffles. Mmmmm. I think he’s spent most of the weekend in the kitchen. He likes it there, he has a lot of toys. At least 3 times he mentioned how much he loves the spatula I bought him for Christmas.

I reunited with an old friend the last few months. We had a falling out 2 or 3 years ago. She’s had a falling out with a few of my friends, and I felt I had to tell one of them that we reunited. They were fine with it, and I feel I have to tell one of my other friends. The thing of it is, we were able to patch up what had gone wrong. And I missed her. I’ve known her for a long time, and she’s known my family a long time. So when Dad passed away, I had to let her know. Also she’s experienced the death of an immediate family member. It’s actually sad to me the number of friends I have in that situation.

It’s been a pretty good week I guess. We’ve had a lot of good talks, and we enjoyed a trip to Peet’s & Cold Stone together. I think I’ll tackle the stack of books I got for Christmas & my birthday. The bed in the spare bedroom is right beside the window, and looks to be a great place to sit and read, or listen to my iPod and watch the world. I did buy a journal, I just have to start it.

You’ve Got Mail is on tv (I love that movie), so I’ll close with a quote from it.

Joe Fox: N-Y-one-five-two. One hundred and fifty-two. He’s… 152 years old. He’s had 152 moles removed, so now he’s got 152 pock marks on his face.

Kathleen Kelly: The number of people who think he looks like Clark Gable.

Joe Fox: 152 people who think he looks like a Clark BAR.

Congratulations! You’re Elrond!

Which Lord of the Rings character and personality problem are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Who’s the obsessive-compulsive dick that’s a total mess with all his ticks?

Monk! (you’re damn right)

Who’s the cat who solves the crime when the cops don’t have the time?

Monk! (can you dig it?)

They say that cat Monk is afraid of germs (wipe your mouth).

New episodes of Monk begin tonight! This is the continuation of season two, which left off in August (I think). The point is it’s been a while, and I’ve missed it. It’s one of the funniest shows on tv, right up there with Scrubs.

Top Five Monk Episodes

1. Mr. Monk Goes To Mexico

2. Mr. Monk And The Candidate

3. Mr. Monk And The Earthquake

4. Mr. Monk And The Very, Very Old Man

5. Mr Monk And The Sleeping Suspect

It was hard to pick just five, as each episode offers so much humor. Get hooked on it now, “you’ll thank me later”.

We took Honey to the vet yesterday. We were sad we had to find a new one, as we love Dr. Jen. But Irvine’s a little far to drive for an appt. The vet was very impressed with Honey, and praised us for the diet we’ve kept her on. Hey, it was Dr. Jen’s doing, we just stuck with it. When we got Honey, she weighed 11 1/2 pounds. She’s now at 6 pounds 13 onz. 🙂 We’re so proud of her. But next month she’ll have to visit the kitty dentist. Hearing the vet talk about the procedure, I started laughing. Just picturing the little I.V. and catheter seemed funny to me. But if it means she’ll have healthy teeth, and a long life, it’s worth it. She’s our baby girl. 🙂

I’ll close with a quote from Mr. Monk Goes To Mexico.

Adrian Monk: He was the thirsty victim…

Sharona Fleming: Adrian!

Adrian Monk: I mean he was the perfect victim…

So the last few weeks we’ve been watching Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown. This week was the 2 hour finale, and it was pretty exciting. I was rooting for Paul Rudd, but he got knocked out. The game he played to get into the finals, I was convinced he had a horseshoe hidden somewhere, because the boy was getting awesome hands dealt to him. But this week he started making some bad plays and got knocked out. It was a great go out though, everyone thought he had the best hand, and 2 specific cards had to come up for the other player to win. And then they did! It was something! Man, I want to play poker. To quote Dana (from Sports Night) “Shoe Money Tonight!”

I saw something on one of those “news channels”, and it got me all fired up. Shock! There is a company whom I won’t mention, they don’t need the publicity, but they are holding a contest to see who can make the best commercial to sway voters to no vote George Bush in the next election. One of the commercials was a comparison between the President and Hitler. The commercial they showed portions of was how the President doesn’t care about anyone but himself, that he’s a liar, and he cheats on his wife. The “winner” will be chosen by 3 celebrities, one being my favorite person in the world. I’ll withhold his name, but I’ve never been quiet about how I feel about him. Here’s my beef: they are rewarding someone for making up crap about someone else. Yes, I like President Bush. He’s not perfect, he doesn’t claim to be. He has the hardest, most thankless job in the world, and somehow it’s okay anyone & everyone to berate him publicly. I’ve always felt that as much as I’d love to be a movie star, I would hate not being able to say how I felt about other famous people. All the criticism you would get. If you have a legitimate beef with someone, stick to that. Stop making up crap about other people. My “favorite” person in the world, my beef with him is he’s a liar, and I don’t get why he’s so revered for his work. Now as a Christian, I hate him as much as a Christian can. 🙂 I do pray for him, because he has so much anger & hate.

Christians, we’re not perfect. Only Christ is perfect. And I struggle with sin, just as non-Christians do. And yeah, some Christians are hypocrites. But that can be said of anyone who believes in something. We’re all imperfect human beings.

Wow, that went places I wasn’t expecting. Okay then.

I’m getting excited about the road trip to California in May. I know, I should take it one trip at a time. But I just saw people in Edmonton, I haven’t seen my west coast friends in a while. The Kroliks may come to visit here in June-July. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. 🙂

I’ll close with a quote from Sports Night. I LOVE this show. Everyone should see it. Rent or buy the DVD. (That’s a call to action. Hee Hee, KUCI joke.)

[reflecting upon the wording used on a formal invitation]

Casey McCall: ‘October the Eighth, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety Eight, A.D.’ A.D.(!) They’re worried I might accidentally show up 2,000 years before the birth of Christ!

The Song I Can’t Stop Listening To Is Invisible by Clay Aiken.

Things here are the same. Everywhere I go I see newborns. It’s like a curse or something. 🙂

I swear, if I keep hearing “it’s going to happen” my head may explode. 🙂 I think i should just stop talking about it. Oh, my friend Kelly is pregnant. She’s due in July.

I had a good talk with my mom’s ex-boyfriend. It was good to laugh and rehash stuff. He says when I laugh I sound just like my mom. I don’t hear that, but I guess maybe I should make my mom laugh more. We still talk, because he was in my life during those key years growing up.

Work was good this week. I think I’ll email my boss and ask about adding another day to volunteer. I also volunteered to do some data entry for the church as they prepare to do the 40 Days of Purpose. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s a book by Pastor Rick Warren. It helps to bring clarity to why God has put you on this earth. We went through the book with Woodbridge, and it’s a pretty good read.

I’m closing with a quote from Finding Nemo. Mostly because I watched Ellen the other day, Steve Martin was her guest, and it was pretty funny. I really like Ellen DeGeneres. I have always found her funny.

[Dory and Marlin are in pitch darkness looking for the goggles]

Dory: Ahh! Something’s got me!

Marlin: That’s just me!

Dory: Who are you?

Marlin: [exasperated] Who am I? Who do you think?

Dory: Are… are you my conscience?

Marlin: [sighs] Yes, I’m your conscience. We haven’t spoken for a while. How have you been?

Dory: Eh, can’t complain.

“You say it’s your birthday

Well it’s my birthday too–yeah

You say it’s your birthday

We’re gonna have a good time

I’m glad it’s your birthday

Happy birthday to you.”

Hee Hee. It’s my birthday. 🙂

This is how I see the day ahead: church, doing laundry (hey, it has to be done), receiving phone calls, and dinner at the Bull & Bush. Geoffrey gave me a beautiful garnet cross necklace and the book Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti. Kelly sent me a gift certificate for Barnes & Noble which is just up the road (thanks Kelly!). Meghan & Mike gave me a Get Fuzzy calendar that I love! Glen & Diane gave me the book How To Be A Canadian (Even If You Already Are One). It’s hysterical.

We had the chocolate cake last night, and it didn’t look like Tyler’s but it sure was tasty.

So this is 27. Wow. Feels weird, and will take some getting used to.

I got an email from Amazon.com that they are finally releasing The Last Unicorn on DVD (March 2004). I had to email Kelly to tell her as we watched it ALL THE TIME at her house when we were kids. The Last Unicorn & Amadeus. 🙂 My Uncle Barry would always quote the movie while we were watching it, and did a great impression of the Skull.

Skull: The way is through the clock.

Schmendrick: Through that?

Molly: You mean, when the clock strikes the right time it opens, and there’s a secret stair?

Skull: That clock will never strike the right time, you just walk through it and the Red Bull is on the other side. Give Me the Wine.

Schmendrick: Walk through a clock? What am I, a magician?

It’s a beautiful day today, the sun is shining, there is no wind…it feels like fall again. If this is winter in Denver, I’ll take it.

Yesterday I watched the Heritage Classic Hockey Game. Yes, I know it was in November, but I had my mom & Russ tape it for me, and I got it in the mail this week. It was awesome! It was fun to see all the players come out for the event, and it made me think of Colin & my dad. I’m sure Colin loved seeing Messier in an Oilers jersey again. I also watched Dead Again, which I remember seeing in the theatre. And like Kelly, I am still sad it didn’t work out for Emma Thompson & Kenneth Branagh. But the movie I think I like them best in is Much Ado About Nothing. 🙂 Still Dead Again is a great, great movie, and thanks Meghan for giving it to me.

So Geoff really likes this guy Tyler Florence on the Food Network, and I watched an episode where he made the ultimate chocolate cake. Today we bought everything necessary to make it for my birthday cake. The recipe is available here

I guess that’s it. Oh, I’ve been given the okay to take a Paleontology course at the museum. I may have to wait until summer. The course I want to take is February through March, and I’d have to miss a class because of the wedding. And if I’m paying $130 for the class, I want to attend all of them. 🙂 So I’ll make sure it’ll be offered again this summer. There are other classes this spring, but it conflicts with both weddings I’ll be attending. Meghan & Mike’s is March 13, and Chris & Ashley’s is May 28.

Having just watched Dead Again, I will close with a quote from that.

Pete: I’ve known Mike Church forever. He would never hurt her.

Franklyn Madson: This is fate we’re talking about, and if fate works at all, it works because people think that THIS TIME, it isn’t going to happen!