whatchoolookinat

epiphany

2008-05-14T13:54:00.001-07:00

While watching American Idol, I had the following thought:

David Cook on AI = Richard Blais on Top Chef.

Discuss.

real boring

2008-05-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

Now that Biggest Loser is over, I am totally losing interest in reality TV, competitive division.

Idol is crazy boring right now, not horrible or awesome, just blah. I was really expecting Neil Diamond night to be a horrible trainwreck, but it was just kind of eh.

Top Model is all weird with Tyra doing the funny voices and the "models" all a big mush of "she can do one thing, but sucks at this other thing." I don't care about any of these girls, except to wonder what happened to Anya's eyebrows. The only bright spot is how awesome Paulina is as a judge.

Top Chef still has a few more chaff contestants before we're down to the "wheat" chefs. Also, Tom Colicchio needs to stop saying things are shocking. Bland food is not shocking. It's boring, which is the opposite of shocking.

Dammit shows, entertain me!

I feel like I'm forgetting another show, but I can't be bothered to think any harder about this.

ice ice baby

2008-04-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

I am currently defrosting my freezer. This sounds like it would be a passive activity -- just setting the dial to defrost and walking away. But, when you have a refrigerator that is as old and crappy as the one that came with my apartment, it's an epic struggle.

I began yesterday after eating the last frozen lean cuisine and chucking all the other ice-encrusted foodstuffs. I set the dial to defrost and strategically placed pans to catch the run-off once the ice began to melt.

For the rest of the day, I would periodically go into the freezer section and scrape away with my plastic spatula. It's actually pretty cathartic and satisfying when big chunks of ice break free. Sort of like icebergs calving during the spring -- I am the hand of god to my freezer.

This morning the inside of my freezer was ice-free, but the block of ice surrounding it was still going strong and responsible for the water that was all over the bottom of the fridge and my kitchen floor.

I repositioned the pans inside the fridge and got to mopping. The pans seem to be doing a better job, but there's still a bit of water to be mopped up every time I go into the kitchen. I hope the rest will be melted by tomorrow, 48 hours after I started.

Wow, my life is glamoruous.

If I'm still unemployed, it must be April

2008-04-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

So, a post every four months, huh? That's the level of commitment I bring to things.

This is the longest I've been unemployed since I started working in TV. Actually, I think it was the first time I finished a job and didn't have the next one lined up within a week. Which is a lesson painfully learned -- just because people have called in the past and offered me work regularly doesn't mean I should count on it.

I don't know if there's just not the much work out there, or I'm not hearing about it or what. For my mental health, I choose to believe that it's the market and not me. Hopefully, things will turn around soon and I'll be a working lady again. Fingers crossed.

resurrection

2008-01-27T15:35:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a while. Here's what's happened since July:

Still living in the same apartment.

Still need to start working out.

Still need a maid.

Still hoping to win the lottery.

Have worked on a couple of more TV shows for Style Network.

You can see why I haven't been compelled to post.

But now, I'm unemployed, so I figured I could make an effort.

The only thing I have to report is that my cat was diagnosed with diabetes and it has taken up most of my obsession energy as I adjust her insulin dosage and monitor her behavior & litter box activity. Good times. I'm trying not to turn into Angela from The Office, but still. I am injecting the cat with insulin and giving her prescription food and steroids for her kitty IBS. (Yes, cats can have irritable bowel syndrome.)

The rest of my energy is devoted to Facebook, especially scrabulous.

So, I'm pretty much a crazy shut-in cat lady right now.

Summer TV

2007-07-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

Remember the dark ages when Summer TV was all reruns and weird movies of the week that nobody really watched? Thank god we live in enlightened times. Here's what I'm watching this summer:

New Shows:

Burn Notice -- A clever show about spies, ex-spies and how they are smarter than regular bad guys.

On the Lot -- it's horrible, but I'm in too deep. Seriously, every decision they've made in the creation of the show is wrong. The idea is actually really interesting, but the execution is hideous.

Pirate Master -- this was only saved from being the worst competitive reality show on this summer by the existence of On the Lot. It's been cancelled, but I'll probably watch it online because...yeah, I don't have a reason.

Mad Men -- Okay, I've only seen the pilot, but I'm intrigued. The contrast of the super-slick production values, writing, etc. and the explicit anti-semitism and misogyny (appropriate for the times, but still unpleasant to hear/watch) is jarring, but I'm definitely going to watch more and see if they can sustain it.

Returning Favorites:

Psych -- The mystery is secondary. The dialogue between Shaun and Gus (aka West Wing Charlie) is what makes this show.

The Closer -- Again, the whodunit is not the point. The characters and their relationships are so well drawn. Everyone is so human and yet, they are still really likable. Well, except for the mostly silent cop who's entire role seems to be the only other woman in the squad besides Brenda.

So You Think You Can Dance -- I started watching this in the middle of last season, so it's been interesting to watch this from the beginning. For the most part, the talent is undeniable. That being said, I think Lauren is mediocre at best and doesn't deserve to be there.

Top Chef -- This is the first year I've watched Top Chef and really, it just makes me miss Project Runway. I know I read this somewhere else, but the fatal flaw of this show is that we viewers can't taste the food and, therefore, can't judge for ourselves like we can on Runway.

Big Brother -- Sure, why not.

The 4400 -- This is silly sci-fi, but it's a good "regular people having powers" hold-over until Heroes is back.

Sooo, what we've learned here is that I watch way too much TV, even in the summer.

101 update

2007-07-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

I few more crossed off the list:

11. Visit my sister and her husband in DC. Completed 6/8/07. My nephew is the cutest boy in all the land.

20. Go to the midnight sing-along movie at the Nuart. Or is it at the Hollywood Bowl? Figure out where these movie sing-alongs take place and then go to one. completed 6/30/07. Went to the Sound of Music sing-a-long at the Bowl. I sang myself hoarse.

36. Get a ceiling fan installed in my bedroom. Completed 6/25/07. It's so awesome, I can't even tell you.

66. See more movies. I used to go every week but, now that I’m poor and they are so expensive, I’ve just stopped going. Maybe one movie a month is a good middle ground. I'm going to mark this completed since I've seen Knocked Up, Ratatouille and Harry Potter V in the last few months.

new leaf

2007-04-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

I've been in such a bad mood about this job and you know what? Being crabby isn't working for me. I don't feel better after I vent. It just makes me feel bitter and resentful.

My new plan is to have a good attitude...even if it kills me.

Seriously, it's only for two weeks. I can either work really hard while bitching and moaning about it or just do the damn work. Maybe I won't feel so crappy if I'm not putting all this negative energy out into the world. At the very least, I'll be conserving my energy.

another Saturday night and...

2007-04-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

...I'm at fucking work. This stupid show is cursed and I'm going to be eating, sleeping and breathing it until it airs in two weeks. At least it's only two weeks longer. I keep telling myself I can do anything for two weeks, but I really really hate this show.

70 in 398

2007-04-13T22:28:00.000-07:00

Wow, I better get crackin' on my 101 list.

A few more crossed off:

2. Wash the dishes in my sink. I have washed the dishes a few times since 2005. Not many, but a few. I'm Carrie, I'm disgusting.

19. Buy a wireless router for my apartment. Bought, yes. Hooked up, no.

39. Donate my old computer. The Salvation Army wouldn't take it, so I listed it for free on craigslist. Five seconds later, I had 23 emails.

For the next two, I needed to make a small edit, since my mini broke and I got a grown-up iPod.

59. Load more music onto my iPod. Thanks to my lovely sister, I have 50 fantastic songs to download for my birthday.

60. Buy a cover for my iPod, maybe with an arm strap so I can look that much cooler when I’m working out. Since the big boy iPod doesn't come with a belt clip, I bought a case for it that has a clip (and an arm strap).

working on the night moves

2007-04-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

Remember when I used to post regularly? Me neither.

I am working nights on the clip show of doom right now. The big problem with working nights is that my expectations are always that I'm going to get a bunch of stuff done during the day but the reality is...not so much. I've been on nights all week and today was my most productive -- I did one load of laundry and went to the library.

My typical schedule while on the night shift:

Sleep until 11 am
Wake up
Drink diet coke
Feed the cat
Watch last night's TV on the DVR
Scrounge up some food
Shower & dress
Drink diet coke

And by the time that's all done, I've got about an hour before I have to be at work.

Yep, it's a very exciting life.

commuter no more

2007-03-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

So, today is my last day at the evil-commute-but-otherwise-fine celebrity make-over show. All week my internal monologue has been "only x more times I'll have to make this drive." Next week I'll start at my new job that's less than 10 minutes from my apartment. With gas costing more that $3 a gallon, I'm going to be saving at least $100 a month.

I am really tempted to get a cleaning person with the extra money.

DVR update

2007-03-13T15:53:00.000-07:00

The cable repair man came, he saw, he unplugged and re-plugged in the machine. That's all it took. My DVR came back from the dead, which is good, but by a method I could have done myself if customer service had bothered to tell me about it. I mean, I don't like complicated repair projects, but I'm capable of deciphering the unplug/plug in mechanism.

betrayed!

2007-03-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

My new DVR broke. I woke up this morning and not even the clock was working. The led panel was just flickering 88:88. When I called Time Warner and (after quite a wait) spoke to the customer service lady, she seemed very dismayed by the clock flickering. She actually said "that doesn't sound good."

I feel like it's a little early in our relationship for the DVR to be testing me like this.

another year older

2007-02-23T16:02:00.000-08:00

So, my birthday is coming up. I am not someone who gets all crazy about getting older (although I will probably go off the deep end when I hit 40 in a few (holy crap!) years). That being said, I'm just not motivated to celebrate right now. I'm going to be working nights the week of my birthday and I am filled with inertia on scheduling an alternate date. At the same time, I don't want my birthday to go by without some kind of something fun. Hopefully, I'll get more excited (and motivated) as the big day approaches.

In other news, the dual tuner DVR is working well. There are a few places where the differences from my TiVo really irritate me, but, at the end of the day, all my shows are waiting for me to watch, so everything else I'll learn to live with. The TiVo is hooked up in the bedroom and it's still my true love, but don't tell my new DVR boyfriend.

back in the saddle

2007-01-26T17:20:00.000-08:00

I've been back at work for a week and I finally feel like I'm back in the groove. After more than 5 weeks off, I just wasn't used to paying attention and staying on task for so many hours in a row. The job itself is fine. The commute is not fun, but it's under an hour. I've been so lucky with my commute time in the past, that I can't complain (much). This week, I've aclimated to getting up early, so, of course, I'm on nights next week. My body clock is going to be f'ed.

In other news, tomorrow is DVR delivery day. Tonight I need to dismantle my TiVo setup in the living room and re-mantle it in the bedroom to be ready for the Time Warner guy. Exciting!

giving in

2007-01-17T14:24:00.000-08:00

They finally got me. I have held out through some dark times, but now, in my hour of need, I had to accept the inevitable. Until now, I've been able to find work-arounds and power through the conflicts, but I've reached an impasse and I don't see any other way. I'm getting the dual tuner DVR from Time Warner.

The 24/Heroes conflict broke me. Since I'm not home on Monday nights, I can't even watch one of them (eek) live. I was waffling with the move of Friday Night Lights to Wednesday which conflicts with Bones, but the Monday night problem pushed me over the edge.

Once I get the new DVR and move my TiVo into the bedroom, I will be able to record three shows at once. And then I will rule the world.

I may never leave my apartment again.

brrrrrrr

2007-01-14T19:16:00.000-08:00

It is crazy cold in LA. It's like true winter-level weather and I'm not having it. And by "not having it," I mean I'm staying inside all day napping in my jammies wrapped in every blanket I own.

I have always hated the cold. When the college counselor in high school asked me where I wanted to go, I told her I wanted to go to college where they didn't have winter. I went to college in Houston and I haven't lived anywhere with a true winter since.

After this past freezing week, I have to say, I don't think I missed anything.

the art of doing nothing

2006-12-21T22:46:00.000-08:00

My job at crazy celebrity couple show is over, but I'm happy to say I've got another gig lined up in a month. So, wolf is kept from the door for another few months. Or something a little less drama queen than that.

The upshot is that I am a lady of leisure until the 4th week of January. While that sounds great in theory, the practicality is that I am much too good at doing nothing. I can happily spend days lolling around, reading, napping, watching TV and playing online poker. These activities are fine in short bursts, but it's a slippery slope. I have been in the pjs I'm wearing for over 24 hours. I'm not quite a moleperson, yet, but I better go outside tomorrow so that I see daylight.

thanks

2006-11-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for:

My job. It's short-term, but it's still money coming in.

The BP. Best group of friends a gal could hope for.

My family is healthy and happy.

I get to spend so much time with my nephew (AKA the most brilliant, adorable boy in the world) this Thanksgiving.

Even though the rent went up in October, I can still afford my apartment.

My beautiful new(ish) car. Ok, it's almost a year old, but I still love it.

Walking around my neighborhood is both a good, hilly work-out and gives me my fill of architecture-porn.

My poker game is improving.

I have so many gifts to buy -- I love shopping and I love giving gifts.

The bottom line is that I'm really happy and satisfied with my life. Is everything perfect? No, but there's nothing I'd change.

Except, I still want to win the lottery.

sophie's (TiVo) choice

2006-11-17T22:47:00.000-08:00

I'm about to leave town for a week to visit my parents in their new house and see the cutest baby in the world, my nephew Jacob, along with my sister, her husband and my aunt. I'm looking forward to the trip, but I'm obsessing about what I need to save on my TiVo and what I can live without.

I watch a ridiculous amount of TV, some of which I can certainly catch at my parents' place, but some shows I just do not want to risk missing. Here's my breakdown so far:

Monday: Prison Break (I think they watch this.), Heroes (need to see)
Tuesday: Friday Night Lights (not airing), Standoff, Veronica Mars (not airing), House (they watch) .
Wednesday: Bones (not airing) America's Next Top Model (need to see), Medium
Thursday: Ugly Betty (need to see). Grey's Anatomy (I think they watch this)
Friday: Ghost Whisperer (don't judge me), Battlestar Galactica (need to see), Numbers
Saturday: According to TiVo, Veronica Mars is airing tonight?, SNL
Sunday: The Wire (re-airs a million times), Amazing Race, Cold Case, Without a Trace (I think they watch this)

All told, that is over 19 hours of TV. I'm just lucky that the Everwood re-runs on ABC Family are in season 2 and I don't need to re-watch the bitter Amy or Ephram loves Madison stories.

night shift

2006-11-14T21:36:00.000-08:00

I've been working kooky hours for my job. Most days start sometime between 3 and 4:30 in the afternoon and then I go until about 1 am. The hours aren't horrible, but they are skewed just enough to really mess with my body clock.

I don't really mind working nights except when it impacts the social life. I am going to miss Mister Zero's birthday dinner this week, which sucks. And I'm out of luck on Monday Night Trivia for a few more weeks. I hope I still remember useless facts when this job is done.

shortest hiatus ever

2006-11-04T21:32:00.000-08:00

I was offered another job on my third day of unemployment. It's a nice, quick gig that will take me into mid-December and, because they were desperate, I still get time off to see the family for Thanksgiving. So, happy days.

I'm thrilled to be working, but my first two thoughts on landing the gig were:

1. I wish I had crossed more off from my "to do on hiatus" list.
2. I wish I hadn't bothered to wrangle with the unemployment application for hours on Monday.

Oh well, there's always next hiatus.

ch-ch-changes

2006-09-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been over 2 months since I posted. The paradox is that I've been really busy, but have had nothing to post about.

Well, there is one thing. My show is going on hiatus (very possibly never to resume) and I'm out of work as of the end of October. On the one hand, I'm ready to move on and be challenged by something new, but on the other, I've been at this company for two years and I'll miss the people, the routine and just the general knowing how everything works. I am firm believer in change being healthy and positive, but it's always a little daunting to think about starting over somewhere new.

So, if you're looking for an AP with strong writing and post experience (who knows a ton about poker)...

my old nemesis, we meet again

2006-07-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

As you might have heard, the weather is unpleasantly hot in LA. Usually, things cool down at night enough to be comfortable sleeping, but, lately, not so much.

So, I am tired all the time and completely unmotivated to do anything productive. All of my creative juices have dried up in the heat. Almost the only thing I'm willing to leave my apartment for is air conditioning.

I have always had a problem with inertia. I am supremely capable of ignoring things that need to get done in favor of lazing around doing nothing. In recent years, I've gotten a lot better about it (new job, working out, etc.), but ever since the heat wave started, I've been up to my old (non-)tricks.

Here's what I should have/could have/would have gotten done if it weren't for the heat (my god, the heat):

1. Do the dishes
2. Get my car washed
3. Color my hair
4. Clean the bathroom
5. Laundry
6. Read my library books (it's too hot to READ, people)
7. Change the sheets
8. Vaccuum
9. Unpack my new phone and replace my old crappy cordless

And I'm sure that there are more things that I'm too tired and cranky to think of that belong on the list.

I'll leave you with this image: Last weekend, I fell asleep in the library LIKE A HOMELESS PERSON because it was the first quiet place I sat down and was comfortable in a week.

better to have played and lost...

2006-07-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

So, I played in the WSOP Ladies event last weekend and pretty much got my ass handed to me. I didn't play great (I'm still shaking my head over a few of the moves I made -- what was I thinking?) and I didn't get very many playable hands. That's pretty much a one-two punch right there.

But I'm still glad I went. It was so cool just to be there and play.

Would have been nice to make the money, though. Really, really nice.

poker, i don't even...

2006-07-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

While my results haven't really picked up, I'm feeling much better about my poker game. I don't know if the return to carbs is really helping my game or if it's all in my head, but, in the end, it doesn't matter. My analysis is much clearer and my decision-making is back on track.

It's a good thing, too, because I am going to be playing in the WSOP Ladies Event next Sunday. I am both excited and nervous about it. I was worried because I don't have too much live tournament experience, so I went down to Hollywood Park today to get my feet wet and work out the jitters at their rebuy tourney. While I didn't make the money there, I got what I needed out of it. I know I'm not going to embarass myself away from the computer keyboard, so I can concentrate on the poker next weekend.

If today is any indication, my biggest challenge is going to be to translate the aggression I'm capable of online into the live setting. In other words, I need to not be a chickenshit.

by the numbers

2006-06-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

11.5 -- pounds I lost in six weeks (3.5 more than I needed to)

4 -- people who made their weight in The Bet

50 -- dollars I won in said Bet

62 -- approx. number of french fries I ate at lunch (mmmmm, french fries)

the cost of living skinny

2006-06-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

So far, in my quest to win the bet and lose the weight I have bought:

A scale: $19.99
A Pilates video: $14.95 (but I'm going to return it)
Hand weights: $6.99
New sweatpants: $14.99
New Sneakers: $89.95

There is no way I'm going to even break even on this deal. I better lose the rest of my weight (2.5 pounds to go). I will be hellagrumpy if I have to pay $100 on top of what I've already spent.

unforseen consequences

2006-06-12T16:32:00.000-07:00

So, The Bet is ruining my poker game.

I know that sounds crazy, but I have played like shit ever since I started with the diet and exercise. The best thing about my game used to be my patience and my ability to lay down a hand. I used to wait to bluff until I'd seen my opponents play for a good long while.

Now, I'm all over the place. I've got zero attention span and little patience. I'm pushing at pots against unknown opponents. I'm calling off huge chunks of my chips when I'm almost certainly the underdog and only maybe getting the correct odds to call.

I honestly think it's the lack of carbs.

halfway mark

2006-06-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

So, I am three weeks into the weight loss bet and we had our halfway weigh-in this morning.

I'm happy to report that I have lost exactly half the weight.

I need to lose 4 more pounds in 3 weeks. I think I need to ramp things up for the remaining time because I'm worried that it might be harder to lose the remaining weight.

Here's what I did for the first 3 weeks:

1. Walk 5 mornings a week
2. Cut down to one carb (bread, pasta, potato) a day
3. Drink more water

I don't know if I can eliminate carbs completely. I like them SO MUCH. Eh, it's only 3 weeks. I can do anything for 3 weeks.

So, the plan for the next 3 weeks:

1. Walk every day
2. No carbs (maybe 2 a week? I've got to have something, people!)
3. Drink more water

And, in the final week, I think I'm going to try to cut out as much salt as possible to lose any water weight. My friend Christine said I should also cut out Diet Coke to lose more water weight, but who are we kidding?

This is going to be really tough. Does anybody have any other suggestions?

so hot...

2006-06-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

...and not in a good way.

I spent the weekend trying not to move so that I wouldn't sweat.

I did "invent" a new cooling system. The instructions are as follows:

Wet and wring out a washcloth.
Put washcloth in freezer (probably on a plate or in a bowl to keep said washcloth from sticking to freezer).
Wait 7 to 10 minutes.
Remove washcloth.
Lie down.
Put very cold washcloth on tummy.
Repeat as necessary.

freeroll forever

2006-06-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 8994224

the bet

2006-06-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

So, I'd stalled out on my diet and exercise plan. My morning workout schedule was a thing of the past and I was eating everything in sight.

That's when my boss at work suggested THE BET.

The goal is to lose 6% of your body weight in 6 weeks.

If you lose the weight, you owe nothing.

If you don't make your goal, you pay $100, to be split amongst the people who did lose the 6 percent.

There are six of us in this thing, so the best possible outcome is that I make the goal and nobody else does. That would make me 8 pounds lighter and $500 richer, but the truth is I'd be happy just to lose the weight.

We're at the end of week 2 and I think I'm doing well. I've cut way down on the carbs and I've walked 5 mornings each week. I feel a little thinner.

It would be much easier to tell if I owned a scale...

79 in 710

2006-05-31T15:23:00.000-07:00

A couple more things I knocked off the old 1001 list:

12. Get into or start a regular poker game. -- Completed. I've been playing in a Friday lunchtime game for a couple of months now. The buy-in is low, but...baby steps.

17. Defrost my freezer. The situation is getting grim in there. I had to chisel my box of baking soda out of the forming glacier. Completed 5/29/06.
Of course, in the grand tradition of ignoring the problem until I couldn't anymore, I waited until I could not close the refrigerator door, but, after tossing out a bunch of spoiled food and mopping up the melted ice, it's done.

35. Become an aunt. (I love this one. I don’t have to do anything but think baby-growing thoughts for my sister.) Completed 3/4/06.
I am a little biased, but Jacob is a very attractive baby.

42. Buy a pair of capri pants that don’t look ridiculous on me. Completed February 2006.
At least, I hope they don't look ridiculous...

The entire list.

why, god why?

2006-03-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

So, the good news is that Everwood is finally back on the air. The bad news is that it's on opposite 24. I don't have a dual tuner DVR. I can't live like this. I AM NOT AN ANIMAL.

Okay, it's not the serious, but really? Is the WB (or the future CW or whatever) trying to kill the show? If Everwood isn't on the slate for the new network, I am going to be hellagrumpy.

4 on the floor

2006-02-27T12:07:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged.

Four jobs I've had:

Production Coordinator on the Style show.
Assistant (I've been an assistant twice, but I'm counting it once because it is boring.)
Senior Business Applications Analyst at FedEx -- this sounds much more impressive than it actually was.
Door-to-door salesperson: Cookware and fine tableware. Don't ask.

Four movies I can watch over and over:

Bring It On
Ocean's Eleven
Clue
Better Off Dead

Four places I've lived:

Andover, MA
Houston, TX
Memphis, TN
Sacramento, CA

Four TV shows I love:

Everwood
Grey's Anatomy
Project Runway
Battlestar Galactica

Four places I've vacationed:

Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester, MA
Las Vegas, NV
Caribbean -- Celebrity Cruiseline
Italy (Venice, Florence & Rome)

Four of my favorite dishes:

Spicy Basil Noodles at Chao Krung
Goat Cheese Fondue at Luna Park
A big fat burrito
My mom's orange chicken

Four sites I visit daily:

Go Fug Yourself
Television Without Pity
Defamer
Damn Hell Ass Kings

Four places I would rather be right now:

In bed, asleep
On my couch, watching TV
Anywhere, hanging out with the BP
Shopping

I don't know anyone else to tag.

drawing a line in the filth

2006-02-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

Somehow, without my even noticing it, I've become the girl who lives in filth. I looked around and realized that my apartment had graduated from messy and was earning an advanced degree in disgusting.

My new plan is to clean one thing every day.

Monday after trivia (3rd place! Do not underestimate the power of The Hoff.): I washed a sinkful of dishes.

Tuesday: I tackled the toilet.

Tonight, I'm torn between scouring the tub and picking up the living room (which is much more work than it sounds like).

Wow, my life is exciting. Aren't you jealous?

thanks, but no thanks

2006-02-04T20:36:00.000-08:00

I keep meaning to write about this, so here goes.

Over the holidays I got a direct mail flier unlike any other I've ever received. For starters, it was in a greeting card envelope, but inside was just a small rectangle of cardstock, about twice the size of a business card.

I haven't gotten my act together on scanning/uploading images, so I am just going to quote the card verbatim, because there is no other way to fully appreciate it:

Give Yourself the Best Present for Hanukkah!
Have a Baby!

Your Biological Clock is Ticking.
You know you want
at least one child.
Don't wait until
it is too late.

Jewish male mensan, brilliant musician, spiritual giant, quick-witted, occasionally humble, strong family history, interested in finding a Jewish woman with whom to have a child.
______________________________

There is a picture of a baby to accompany this text and it is the most Aryan looking baby ever.

And yes, there is a website. When you go to www.drderek.net/perkins (and I know you won't be able to help yourself) you won't find any mention of this baby-making scheme. Instead it sends you to a site all about a guy who plays the shofar in a Jewish band.

I have two questions:

1. What the hell kind of mailing list am I on? Loser Jews?

2. Is this all some crazy scheme for this guy to book gigs for his band?

my tears are real, but they are not

2006-01-26T17:45:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to add a caveat to my last post. I love weepy dramas on TV but I hate reality TV that goes for the tear ducts. I don't want to see real people in crisis or getting a miracle cure or anything. I deal with real people every day and I don't want to watch their dramas unfold on my TV. Only pretty pretty fake people can make me cry.

now, cry!

2006-01-23T19:34:00.000-08:00

Back when I was in college, I used to babysit to make extra money. My regular gig was for these two little demon brothers. Their favorite game was:

1. I build a lincoln log house.

2. They knock it down.

3. I pretend to cry.

If I didn't go "boo hoo" at the end, they would shout "now, cry!"

This brings me to my current television watching schedule. I watch a ton of shows that make me cry. Some of them better than others but all of which get a tear or two (or a sobfest) out of me.

Cold Case: You know going in that somebody's dead. This is not going to end happily. At best, they are going to get to bittersweet.
Crying scale: 3 out of 5.

Grey's Anatomy: While there are good crying moments, the whiny bratting from Meredith cheapens the cry.
2 out of 5.

Everwood: Not a guarateed cry, but when they get you, it's the best cathartic cry you've ever had. Case in point: When Dr. Abbot prayed in the hospital bathroom for his wife's recovery from cancer. I get a little sniffly just thinking about it.
4 out of 5. (Bonus: Bright Abbot is dreamy. )

Ghost Whisperer: Again, somebody is dead. The aforesaid ghost has something to finish up before they go into the light. That something is to get me to bawl my eyes out. Did you see the one with the dead kid telling his daddy not to cry? I know this show is ridiculous and yet, I am helpless before its power.
5 out of 5.

I feel like I'm missing a few, but these are definitely the top tier of weeping.

83 in 856

2006-01-02T19:01:00.000-08:00

What I did this holiday season, in 101 in 1001 form:

15. Buy a piece of furniture to put my purse & keys on when I walk in the back door. Completed 12/29/05 -- Thank you, IKEA.

40. Take my shoes in to be re-heeled. Completed 12/30/05. Jessica's cobbler is AWESOME.

41. Take my new jeans in to be hemmed and take my Chip & Pepper jeans in to have the belt loop sewn back on. Completed 12/30/05. Now I just have to wait until the alterations are done...

61. Buy a recharger for my iPod mini so I can charge it up without hooking it to my laptop. Completed 12/18/05 -- Thanks Jen (aka HSW).

73. Finally take my comforter to be professionally cleaned. It’s been in a giant garbage bag since I had to quarantine it during flea-gate 2004. Hmm, well I did a 180 on this one. I bought a new comforter (or rather my parents bought me one for Chanuka) and threw out the old slightly ratty, potentially still flea-infested one. Screw it, I'm counting it as complete. Completed 1/02/06.

80. Get the dings buffed out/filled in/whatever on my car. Ha! Instead of getting these minor cosmetic things fixed, I just bought a new car. What is WRONG with me? Can I count this as complete? Or do I wait until I have dings in the new car? Ummm, completed 12/29/05.

81. Clean out and vacuum the inside of my car. Well, I cleaned out the old car before I traded it in. Can I count this? Man, this is a slippery slope... Completed 12/29/05.

86. Buy a new set of sheets to replace the ones that the cat is systematically destroying, one clawed thread at a time. Completed 1/1/06.

98. Buy more dangly earrings. -- Completed 10/29/05. Well, it's one more pair and one more IS more. Update -- I've since bought 4 more pairs of dangly earrings, so COMPLETED X 4.

The entire list.

how is it tuesday?

2005-12-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

After working both Saturday and Sunday, spending a day in the VO booth yesterday and then our company holiday party last night, I am burnt. Who has their holiday party on a Monday night? Crazy poker show of doom company, that's who.

So, I keep having that Thursday feeling all day. Each time I realize it's only Tuesday, it saps a little more of my will to live.

the good fight

2005-11-30T18:21:00.000-08:00

I am on the very precipice of a cold right now. A stiff breeze could knock me over into Stuffy McSneezyTown. Half of my office has caught this thing. I'm doing everything I can to stay on the healthy side of the sickness line. I'm bundling up, I'm sleeping 8+ hours a night, I'm eating my veggies and taking vitamin C. Dammit, I really don't want to get sick. I've got too much fun stuff planned this month. So, with the intention of leaving no stone unturned in the fight against the dreaded cold virus, I give you the power of the repeated mantra:

I will not get sick
I will not get sick
I will not get sick
I will not get sick
I will not get sick
I will not get sick
I will not get sick
I will not get sick
I will not get sick
I will not get sick

So there.

the juice is loose

2005-11-27T19:15:00.000-08:00

I went back east to see my parents for the holiday and had a nice, relaxing visit. One really funny thing happened. Prior to my visit, my mom made a grocery shopping list and gave it to my dad. One of the things on the list was Orange Juice. My dad couldn't remember if my mom liked pulp in her OJ or not and he ended up picking wrong. He also bought a much bigger thing of pineapple juice than my mom needed for a recipe. She decided to return the OJ and the pineapple juice to the store. My parents are the only people I know who regularly return things to the grocery store. I know when I buy something from Pavillions and it turns out to be the wrong thing (I' ve accidentally bought Vanilla Diet Coke instead of the regular Diet Coke, for example), I just suck it up and either use what I bought or throw it out and eat the cost. Not my parents.

So, anyway, my mom returned the OJ & the pineapple juice on Wednesday morning. Later that day, my dad said to my mom, "So, I see you returned the orange juice." My mom said that she had indeed. My dad dropped the bomb -- he had already drunk two big glasses of OJ from the carton. My mom returned used juice!

I hope she doesn't get black-balled from the grocery store.

only in LA

2005-11-18T23:17:00.000-08:00

So, because we work for a poker show and have access to a snazzy table, chips, a regulation timer and official dealer buttons, another company in the building likes to have poker tournaments with us. Our second tournament was last night and it went pretty well -- I finished second which paid out nicely (although I had to pay out to my co-workers since we all took a piece of each other and I'm the only one who made the money. Sigh.)

When I walked in to their office last night, I looked around trying to recognize who I'd played with at our last tournament and, as I'm mentally going around the room, I'm thinking "ok, his name is Jay, he's Dave, that guy is Mark or maybe Matt, hey that guy looks familiar, did he play last time? No, it's Macaulay Culkin." Yes, I played poker with a Culkin. Not just a Culkin. THE Culkin. He's actually a pretty good player. He probably would have done better against a better field of players, but our table was full of crazy callers and he tried to bluff and push a little more than he should.

Truthfully, I didn't play great either. I've got a major leak right now where I'm not getting good value on my winning hands. I keep scaring people out of the pot instead of letting them bet into me. I think playing so much on the internet is screwing me up because my first instinct is always to just take down the pot and get out rather than risk a chaser hitting his miracle two-outer.

But enough about my boring poker problems. Macaulay Fucking Culkin was at my poker game last night! Life is good.

Surreal, but good.

my kingdom for a camera phone

2005-11-09T10:30:00.000-08:00

I was driving along, minding my own business, when I looked over and noticed the guy on the motorcycle stopped at the light next to me. The first thing that caught my eye was the unwieldy bag he had strapped over his shoulder. It took me a second to realize he was carrying his golf clubs. On his motorcyle.

And then I processed the rest of his outfit. Black Northface puffer jacket -- Check. White helmet -- Check. Cargo shorts -- um, check? Completing the look? Socks & flip-flops. On his motorcycle.

I immediately reported this sighting to Jessica but, alas, was unable to obtain photographic record.

internet big, world small

2005-11-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

So, there is a barely recognizable picture of me up on Ultratart in my Halloween costume. I'm wearing a wig and my face is all winky. Unbeknownst to me, my cousin Rachel reads Ultratart. She saw my picture and posted a comment, seeing through my disguise and identifying me as her cousin. My worlds have officially collided.

101 in 1001 update #2: electric boogaloo

2005-10-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

100. Buy a shredder. -- Completed 10/1/05. I haven't used it yet, but, you know, baby steps.

9. Get a raise at work. -- Completed 10/26/05 (combined w/ #10)

10. Get a promotion at work. -- Completed 10/26/05. I'm now Associate Producer on the new show. Tomorrow, the WORLD!

The entire list.

a good week

2005-10-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

So, a lot has been going on.

I finally found a replacement for myself that my boss liked and she started on Monday. We did two days of "Take My Job, Please" boot camp and now I'm officially in my new position -- Associate Producer.

I played in the Blogger Tournament on PokerStars on Sunday and was really happy with my performance. Out of 1470-something entrants, I finished 25th. That means I'm getting an iPod Nano, which is pretty awesome. Other than a ridiculous suck-out early in the tournament (my KK cracked some poor guy's AA, all-in before the flop), I didn't have to rely on luck too much. My pre-flop hand selection was really good and just about the only all-in I called where I wasn't ahead was the very last one where my AK never improved against TT. Before I called the all-in reraise, my entire thought process was "I know I'm in a coin flip, but I've got a Nano already, so...."

All in all, a good week.

not so amazing, really

2005-10-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

I am not so in love with the family edition of The Amazing Race. I don't really mind the family teams of four, but the fact that the race won't leave the US (or is it North America?) is a simplification that removes much of what I love about the show. There's no language barrier. There's no wrangling with travel arrangements. There are no exotic locales. It's all driving and map reading, which is just not very exciting to watch. While the team bickering is still in evidence (to an extreme degree -- oh, New Jersey team, how I hate watching/pity you), it's not balanced by the awe of a team seeing something amazing or the excitement of going to a country that's been their dream vacation. In short, the show has lost much of the positive spirit that set it apart from the other competitive reality shows.

That being said, I was happy to see the family with the Not-So-Great Santini Dad get the axe. I hated him.

Cannot...resist...freeroll

2005-10-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

I have registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Championship!

This event is powered by PokerStars.

Registration code: 7207407

SAP: en enspanol where available...or everywhere

2005-10-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

So, I sit down last night to watch Desperate Housewives, because it's the law now, that you have to watch, and it was all dubbed in Spanish! I immediately called Jessica to see if it was widespread. She fired up her TiVo to hear that Bree, Susan and the gang were all speaking Spanish on her TV, too. Somebody had flipped a switch and we were getting the SAP version on the main channel. Luckily, Jessica is a genius and figured out that the Closed Captioning was en ingles, so I watched with subtitles. With the pearl clutching, face slapping and spying on people from behind curtains in Spanish, I realized that good ole DH is really a telenovela in Emmy-bait clothing.

The show finally switched back to English at about the 50 minute mark, in the middle of a sentence, no less. Somebody is SO FIRED.

limbo shmimbo

2005-09-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

So, the good news is that I'm getting promoted and I'm interviewing my replacement. The bad news is that I'm not really finding any good candidates to take my place. The neutral, but somewhat irritating, news is that my boss is out of town until October 10th, so nothing is going to happen until after that.

Anybody want to be an Executive Assistant? I'll be your best friend...

overfamiliar customer service=icky

2005-08-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

So, I had to go to the bank on Saturday to deal with some random money stuff that online banking doesn't cover. I can't even wait in line for a teller; I have to sit and wait for someone at a desk.

After waiting a while, it's finally my turn. I sit down and right away, I can tell it's going to be an exercise in frustration. The bank guy is really chummy with me and not in a professional way, in a smarmy "That Guy" way. Well, because I am grumpy from having to drag my ass out of the apartment to deal with the rejects who get stuck working at the bank on Saturday, I am having none of it. He keeps trying to engage me and I give him nothing. He's so busy chatting and smarming at me, that he fucks up what he's trying to do on the computer and has to redo it by hand.

In retrospect, I think I was presenting him with a challenge. Something about my total lack of response to him (answering in monosyllables, making no eye contact, etc.) just made him even more smarmy/chatty. Out of nowhere, he starts telling me about how he went out last night and asking me if I like beer.

And here's where I maybe went a little too far. Here's what I said:

"I'm sorry, but I'm in a bit of a rush and, while I don't want to be rude, I also don't need to be friends with you."

The good news is that this shut him up completely and I was out of there, with my business done, literally, 45 seconds later.

The bad news is that this guy does have access to my bank accounts.

job blah

2005-08-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

Man, my job is boring the crap out of me. I really like my boss and everyone I work with, but there's just nothing new to learn and the stuff I'm doing is not interesting. Somehow, the fact that there is another, more interesting job twinkling on the horizon makes my day to day grind even more mind-numbing.

I've been quasi-offered an AP position for the new show we're producing, but the job only exists if we sell the show. And it hasn't sold yet. It has not sold for the last eight months. So, on the positive side, people here like me and want to promote me. The negative side is that I have no idea when or even if my exodus from assistant-land will begin. Being in limbo sucks.

101 in 1001 update

2005-08-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

64. Win a multi-table poker tournament (anywhere, casino or online). -- Completed 8/20/05.

After making the money in a few of Pokertropolis's 99 cent events, I tried my luck at a few $5 +.50 tournaments. While i mostly play NL tourneys, I signed up for the 8 pm Limit event on Saturday and, 3 hours later, I won it when my 89 cracked the other guy's AA. (I flopped two pair.) I'm up over $200 at Pokertropolis and I haven't put in any money. (I had free entries into the 99 cent events.)

Yay, poker!

meth labs ruin it for everyone

2005-08-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

So, Target has moved all their decongestants behind the pharmacist and has stopped carrying all the ones that work for me and my poor angry sinuses. Just because the same drugs that keep my sinuses from exploding out my face are also used to make the crystal, I now have to hunt and scrounge (like a drug addict - oh, the irony) for my beautiful Alieve Sinus Headache and my Lovey, Actifed.

Nothing to it but to do it -- I'm going to start hoarding. I just hope the meth lab people don't find out and steal my stash.

three things in five days

2005-08-15T18:18:00.000-07:00

Only 98 more to go!

Completed:

49. Finish this list. I know this seems like a gimmee, but I’ve been working on this list off and on for a couple of weeks now and the end is just not in sight.

Actually counting this is kind of lame, but whatever. It's done.

54. Get a pedicure.

The little asian lady hurt my feet, but it was worth it to have cute toes again.

72. Buy a new swimsuit. The underwire is poking out of the only suit I own that even almost fits me.

It's a hot pink bikini. Which sounds a lot sexier than it looks, sadly. At least it fits and isn't falling apart/poking me in the boob.

Next up, going to Cobras & Matadors for Heather's birthday. #30, I have you in my sights.

101 in 1001

2005-08-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

I resisted for a long time, but then I just couldn't fight it anymore. Everybody else I know has already jumped off this cliff, so I have no other alternative but to lemming my way after them. Here it is, my list of 101 things I want to do in 1001 days:

1. Work out 4 times a week for a month straight, at least once at the gym every week.
2. Wash the dishes in my sink. I have washed the dishes a few times since 2005. Not many, but a few. I'm Carrie, I'm disgusting.
3. Wash them as I go for an entire month. Okay, let’s be realistic – a week.
4. Get down to a size 8. Completed 7/1/06 -- Thank you, THE BET.
5. Get another stamp in my passport.
6. Renew my passport.
7. Hang up the pictures in my apartment – no more naked walls.
8. Read the two Sklansky poker books I bought.
9. Get a raise at work. -- Completed 10/26/05 (combined w/ #10)
10. Get a promotion at work. -- Completed 10/26/05. I'm now Associate Producer on the new show.

11. Visit my sister and her husband in DC. Completed 6/8/07. My nephew is the cutest boy in all the land.
12. Get into or start a regular poker game. -- Completed. I've been playing in a Friday lunchtime game for a couple of months now. The buy-in is low, but...baby steps.
13. Go to Europe.
14. Go on another cruise.
15. Buy a piece of furniture to put my purse & keys on when I walk in the back door. Completed 12/29/05 -- Thank you, IKEA.
16. Buy an ink cartridge for my printer. -- Completed 11/1/06. Well, I couldn't find the colored cartridge so I bought a new printer. I'm still counting it because now I can print.
17. Defrost my freezer. The situation is getting grim in there. I had to chisel my box of baking soda out of the forming glacier. Completed 5/29/06.
18. Join the Junior Hollywood Society of Radio & Television.
19. Buy a wireless router for my apartment. Bought, yes. Hooked up, no.
20. Go to the midnight sing-along movie at the Nuart. Or is it at the Hollywood Bowl? Figure out where these movie sing-alongs take place and then go to one. completed 6/30/07. Went to the Sound of Music sing-a-long at the Bowl. I sang myself hoarse.
21. Go to see the Dead Hensons when they come back to LA.
22. Go to Catalina by ferry.
23. Ride in a helicopter.
24. Go to Hawaii.
25. Take a free AVID class at Montana Edit or somewhere similar.
26. Go to Fat Fish for happy hour sushi.
27. Do not move out of my apartment unless it’s to buy a place.
28. Buy a place.
29. Explore LA beyond my own neighborhood.
30. Try more new bars and restaurants. It can’t be all Vermont and Luna Park.
31. Go to some upscale yard sales with Heather.
32. Eat more brunch.
33. Take a pilates class at the gym.
34. Take a boxing technique class at the gym.
35. Become an aunt. (I love this one. I don’t have to do anything but think baby-growing thoughts for my sister.) Completed March 4, 2006.
36. Get a ceiling fan installed in my bedroom. Completed 6/25/07. It's so awesome, I can't even tell you.
37. Get a mentor.
38. Start a script development side business.
39. Donate my old computer. The Salvation Army wouldn't take it, so I listed it for free on craigslist. Five seconds later, I had 23 emails.
40. Take my shoes in to be re-heeled. Completed 12/30/05. Jessica's cobbler is AWESOME.
41. Take my new jeans in to be hemmed and take my Chip & Pepper jeans in to have the belt loop sewn back on. Completed 12/30/05. Now I just have to wait until the alterations are done...
42. Buy a pair of capri pants that don’t look ridiculous on me. Completed February 2006.

43. Get a maid. Well really, be able to afford and then get a maid.
44. Go to a museum or two. The Basquiat show at MOCA would be a good place to start.
45. Figure out what I want to do with my life.
46. Meet more men, in the hopes that I will like one of them enough to give him access to the secret pocket, if you know what I mean, and I think you do.
47. Take a good old-fashioned road trip, where I eat at truck stops and sleep at random motels.
48. Win the lottery.
49. Finish this list. I know this seems like a gimmee, but I’ve been working on this list off and on for a couple of weeks now and the end is just not in sight. -- Completed 8/10/05
50. Write more, in this blog and in general.
51. Learn to let mistakes go instead of rehashing them over and over in my mind. Once I’ve decided what I should have done, I would like to just stop thinking about it.
52. Stop being such a fucking bossy know-it-all. I used to be much worse about this, but it’s still a struggle not to tell people what to do and how to do it.
53. Learn more chip tricks. I can riffle chips with either hand (not to brag) but I’d like to be able to do a couple more tricks.
54. Get a pedicure. -- Completed 8/5/05
55. Get a facial.
56. Get laser hair removal.
57. List books I don’t want for sale on half.com. -- Completed 1/2/06

58. Get a Los Angeles library card. I have a Beverly Hills one, but I should have both.
59. Load more music onto my iPod. Thanks to my lovely sister, I have 50 fantastic songs to download for my birthday.
60. Buy a cover for my iPod, maybe with an arm strap so I can look that much cooler when I’m working out. Since the big boy iPod doesn't come with a belt clip, I bought a case for it that has a clip (and an arm strap).
61. Buy a recharger for my iPod mini so I can charge it up without hooking it to my laptop. Completed 12/18/05 -- Thanks Jen (aka HSW).
62. Pick a signature cocktail that can be ordered anywhere (I love me some mojitos and margaritas, but they are only good at places that specialize in them).
63. Enter a poker tournament in a brick and mortar casino. Completed 7/12/06 -- WSOP Ladies Event kicked my ass.
64. Win a multi-table poker tournament (anywhere, casino or online). -- Completed 8/20/05.
65. Put my Lazy Girl web pages back online somewhere.
66. See more movies. I used to go every week but, now that I’m poor and they are so expensive, I’ve just stopped going. Maybe one movie a month is a good middle ground. I'm going to mark this completed since I've seen Knocked Up, Ratatouille and Harry Potter V in the last few months.
67. Eat Dim Sum in Chinatown.
68. Organize all the crap in my apartment – beauty supplies, books, etc.
69. Go through my closet and drawers; donate everything I don’t wear to Good Will.
70. Read the Abs Diet book that I talked my mom into buying me.
71. Make at least one dish from the recipes included in the Abs Diet book.
72. Buy a new swimsuit. The underwire is poking out of the only suit I own that even almost fits me. -- Completed 8/4/05
73. Finally take my comforter to be professionally cleaned. It’s been in a giant garbage bag since I had to quarantine it during flea-gate 2004. Hmm, well I did a 180 on this one. I bought a new comforter and threw out the old slightly ratty, potentially still flea-infested one. Screw it, I'm counting it as complete. Completed 1/02/06.
74. Find and buy a purse I love as much as I do my fabulous orange bag, which is sadly getting worn-out along the edges. -- Completed 10/22/05. It's purple!
75. Try and get my fabulous orange bag repaired. Does the shoe guy do that?
76. Bring my lunch to work more often, meaning EVER.
77. Eat breakfast every day. I did this for a while and I need to get back to it.
78. Switch gyms to the one near my apartment.
79. Find a good mechanic.
80. Get the dings buffed out/filled in/whatever on my car. Ha! Instead of getting these minor cosmetic things fixed, I just bought a new car. What is WRONG with me? Can I count this as complete? Or do I wait until I have dings in the new car? Ummm, completed 12/29/05.
81. Clean out and vacuum the inside of my car. Well, I cleaned out the old car before I traded it in. Can I count this? Man, this is a slippery slope... Completed 12/29/05.
82. Get my car washed. -- Completed 10/21/05. The only silver lining in having to take my car into the dealership for service. The world's most expensive car wash.
83. Donate my time to a cause I believe in.
84. Clean my apartment top to bottom, behind and under furniture, tile grout, windows and frames – the works.
85. Buy new workout clothes that fit me.
86. Buy a new set of sheets to replace the ones that the cat is systematically destroying, one clawed thread at a time. Completed 1/1/06.
87. Buy a roomba. My kingdom for a roomba!
88. Play poker in Vegas at Excalibur, Aladdin and, once I’m good enough, Bellagio.
89. Cash the savings bonds from my Bat Mitzvah. Twenty years is long enough to hold onto them, I think.
90. Learn to play Omaha Hold ‘Em and Omaha Hi-Lo.
91. Be better about keeping in touch with people outside of my immediate circle. I have the unfortunate habit of letting people slip out of my life once I’m not seeing them regularly.
92. Clean the table out on my shared patio and buy some waterproof cushions for the chairs and a heavy plastic tablecloth. Basically, make it usable for eating and hanging out, instead of gross and dirty (its current state).
93. Buy a plant and keep it alive.
94. Get the band on the watch I inherited from my grandmother replaced.
95. Write a novel. (Step 1: think of a good idea for a novel…)
96. See more comedians in concert. I’m seeing Seinfeld in September. Hopefully, that will be the start of a new trend.
97. Go to a professional tennis match.
98. Buy more dangly earrings. -- Completed 10/29/05. Well, it's one more pair and one more IS more. 1/2/06: Update -- I've since bought 4 more pairs of dangly earrings, so COMPLETED X 4.
99. Organize all my various piles of papers into files in my filing cabinet and throw out/shred all the extraneous papers I don’t need.
100. Buy a shredder. -- Completed 10/1/05.
101. Get regular haircuts to keep the same style instead of letting it grow out and get all shaggy until I can’t stand it any more.

What does it say about me that this list is all playing poker and spending money?

mega schmega

2005-08-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

So, they are coming out with new "Mega" M&Ms that are 55% bigger than standard M&Ms. I have two problems with this.

1. The world does not need differently sized M&Ms. They are the perfect size already. I can tolerate the mini M&Ms because people are programmed to love anything tiny. (I, myself, have fallen under the spell of the tiny diet coke cans.) We don't need a bigger M&M. We don't want a bigger M&M. The whole point of the M&M is that it is exactly enough candy to satisfy, either individually or by the handfull. The "Mega" version just gives the consumer less flexibility in portion size.

2. I dispute the use of the descriptor "Mega." The new candy is only going to be half again as big as the current one. That's just not big enough to warrant "Mega."

My final analysis: The only thing lamer than this new version of M&M is the fact that I've spent this much brainpower thinking about it.

la la la

2005-07-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

My boss is out of town for the next two weeks and I have hardly anything to do. I am already so bored and antsy and it's not even Monday afternoon. I need more internet content to read.

delicate flower

2005-07-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

We're having a nasty heat wave here in LA. It's the kind where it doesn't cool off at night and those of us without air conditioning are doomed to sleep poorly. I have lived in some places with truly horrible summers where the humidity and temperature are so much worse than what we are dealing with here and, truthfully, I have no idea how I dealt with it. I really cannot stand temperature extremes any more. When I went to visit my family in Boston a couple of weeks ago, I complained about the heat and was given stares of disbelief. My mom and sister both told me "This is nothing. This isn't even humid." Living in LA has made me soft.

grump

2005-07-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

I have been in the worst mood this week. There's no real reason for it. Everything's fine, but I am supercrabby. I have no patience with anything the least bit irritating, things that ordinarily would not bother me at all. Earlier this week, the new guy at the office (Who is the totally the guy who is too familiar even though he just met you. Yeah, that guy.) called me this really twee nickname and I just about bit his head off. (Alright, fine, I'll tell you -- he called me "Carebear." Vomit.) Normally, I would just roll my eyes and go on with my day, but I am just not in the mood to put up with his (or anybody's) bullshit.

ow

2005-07-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

My sinuses hurt. I don't know what's in the air but my allergies have gone haywire. I feel like I have two invisible black eyes. I need better drugs.

inappropriate emotion much?

2005-07-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

So, about an hour into my flight home from visiting my parents, the captain gets on the the speaker and says that we may have noticed the co-pilot going back to check the wing. (I had not noticed and had been living in blissful ignorance.) He went on to say that there was a suspicious bulge in the wing and that the Dallas ground crew had radioed to say they thought our plane had blown a tire on take-off. Nobody knew exactly what had happened but the bulge on the wing could be the result of a blown tire. So now we have two more hours of flight time, during which nobody can do anything except get more tense.

To make a long story short(er), we landed a little rockily, but safely. Everyone was very relieved and there was even a smattering of applause for the landing.

Now, I'm a pretty calm flyer, so I never really got too upset to begin with, but I was very impressed that nobody on our flight freaked out during the two plus hours between the captain's announcement and our landing.

Nobody that is, except the head flight attendant. After we'd landed safely and were taxi-ing to the gate, he got on the speaker, nearly in tears, and started talking about how life is very fragile. He all but begged us to call our loved ones and tell them we loved them. He said he'd probably get in trouble for it (since he always(!) does) but he signed off with "God bless us all {sob}!"

The passengers all just looked at each other in confusion. Seriously, dude, if you get this worked up every time there's a stressful flight, maybe you need to find yourself a new job.

imposter!

2005-07-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

There is someone who posts comments on my friends' blogs with my name. I mean, she has the same name as I do. She hasn't stolen my online identity on purpose or anything. At first, it was just disconcerting to see my name under a comment I didn't make. But the comments themselves are so unlike me and, truthfully, kind of obnoxious. So now I'm a little neurotically worried that people I know in real life think I'm writing these irritating comments.

I don't really think there's any way I could get her to stop though. Dammit, there can be only one!

more poker shenanigans

2005-06-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

After finishing in the money at last week's office game, I guess I've developed a little bit of a poker rep. One of my co-workers really put that rep to the test.

He had won a single table online tournament and hadn't realized that it was a qualifying tournament, which means he didn't win any money. Instead, he won a seat in a bigger tourney. He was complaining about this on Friday because he didn't want to spend his entire Saturday playing poker on his computer. He made me an offer -- I could log on as him and take his place in the tournament and we'd split whatever money I won.

Since I didn't have anything better to do, I said yes. After reading up about Sklansky's Gap Concept (which is brilliant!) and freaking out about playing with the big dogs, I sat down on Saturday with 1431 other entrants. Four hours later, I busted out, having just squeaked into the money. My coworker and I will be splitting $800.

Needless to say, I am psyched and staving off a full-fledged addiction.

this just in, UPN only mildly retarded

2005-06-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

So, I guess UPN is showing the REST of the Veronica Mars episodes in order. I don't know why they didn't just show them all.

I know there aren't 22 weeks of Summer, but if FOX can double-pump The OC, UPN certainly could do the same with Veronica Mars. I mean, it's not like UPN is overflowing with quality programming and couldn't find a timeslot.

ass-drag day

2005-06-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

I am just good for nothing today. I cannot get motivated to do any of the work piling up on my desk. I've just been staring at the (cube) wall. I should be feeling peppy since I finished in the money at last night's office poker tourney (I came in 4th out of 20), but said tourney had me up late and I still got up and worked out this morning. Which I'm kind of proud of, I have to admit. Two weeks and counting, I've gotten up three mornings and done my 3 miles.

Now I just have to get myself to sleep at a decent hour. If I don't start getting more than 6 hours a night, I might fall down dead. At least I'll die skinny.

must be run by monkeys

2005-06-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

Why would UPN run a big "new-to-you" promotion for Veronica Mars and then not show the episodes in order. Oh, they showed the pilot first, but then they jumped to episode 6 and tonight is episode 10! Is this some evil twisted plan to make me buy the DVD to catch the episodes UPN won't show? So irritating.

good-bye snooze button... I'll miss you.

2005-06-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

So, I started my new morning workout schedule today. Man, I hate waking up early. Unfortunately, it's the only way I can consistantly get my workouts in.

I am still so flabbergasted that I have turned into someone who frets if she can't doesn't do her cardio enough times in a given week.

It all started two New Year's ago. Or really, when I saw pictures of myself at that New Years Eve Party and realized I was HUGE. Well, okay, I still fit through doorways. But, I'm 5 feet tall on a good day and a 20 pounds on my little body is like 50 on a normal-sized person.

So, I joined a gym and started working out. I had my after-work schedule all set and I did see results. But then I started at my current job and working out after work became less and less attractive since I wasn't getting out of work until 7:30 pm or later. I stuck with it as long as I could, but my gym visits got fewer and further between. And then I got sick and didn't work out for a month.

So, now I'm basically starting from scratch and I'm going to do it right. Sadly, doing it right means early morning cardio fun.

poker? I hardly know her...badump bump

2005-06-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

The last few years, I got really into watching poker on TV. REALLY into it. I've never been a big sports fan, but I started to follow poker the way my dad pays attention to baseball. I could argue the merits of Gus Hansen's "trashman" style vs. Howard Lederer's thinking game. I watched all seven hours of the 2003 WSOP coverage in a row. I was (and am) a poker junkie.

Then, I got a job working for a Big Poker Show. And, when you work for a poker show, it's great if you love to watch the game, but you better be prepared to pony up some money and play.

Truthfully, I'm not a great player. I am not great at doing the math. I get nervous when I bet big. I don't read other players well enough because I'm still too involved in my own hand. I have trouble letting go of a good hand that is probably beat. I call when I should raise.

But, every time I play, I learn something. Every time I play, I get a little more comfortable and a little smarter and faster with my decisions.

Last night I got invited to play in a six-handed no-limit hold 'em game. It was me and 5 guys, only one of whom I knew. I've never played a live game where I didn't know everyone before. We were playing speed rounds - blinds went up every 10 minutes. I probably played too tight, but I knew that that was my only defense against their super-aggressive play. I folded everything that wasn't a premium hand (pocket pair, 2 high cards) and the poker gods were with me. I caught some great cards when I needed them. I won the first game ($80 prize) and came in second (winning my $20 buy-in back) in the second game.

Winning at poker is the best. It's even more addictive than watching it.

pants!

2005-06-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

I saw Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with my lady posse this past weekend. It is a great little movie that left me with a few truths:

1. Greece looks amazing. I should go there.

2. If body swapping ever became possible, I want dibs on Blake Lively. This picture doesn't even do her justice: http://movieweb.com/movies/galleries2.php?film=2486&id=1972&mode=1&name=co9.jpg&nr=11

3. That America Ferrera is a fantastic actress. The scene where she calls her dad made me CRY.

4. You must respect the pants!

haircut haiku

2005-06-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

compliments pour in
did it look crappy before?
I've cut my hair short

don't let the door hit you...

2005-06-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

So, there's a guy in our office that my boss is going to fire today. She was supposed to fire him yesterday, but they couldn't get his check cut in time. He has no idea. It's probably all for the best, since, as we all learned from Office Space, it's better to fire people on Friday.

Don't get me wrong. He totally deserves to be fired. He's lied (to my boss and others), he's behaved unprofessionally in the field and he hasn't completed the work he was hired to do. My boss has had to talk to him about his behavior more than once. He's just one of those guys who never thinks he's going to get caught and then, when he does get caught, he thinks he'll get another chance. Well, he's run out of chances, here.

I just went into his office and told him that my boss wanted to see him at 5:30. When he asked me what it was about, I told him I didn't know. I feel a little weird about that, but what can you do. He probably knows something is up because I suck at lying.

Oh well, in 20 minutes, it won't matter.

make it stop

2005-06-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of May, I got home from a business trip and promptly fell ill. Obviously, I contracted some tourist-carried virus. I was sick for about a week -- the usual fun times: fever, chills, aches, sore throat, coughing, etc. My doctor prescribed antibiotics over the phone, even though we both were pretty sure I had a virus and they wouldn't do anything. I don't know if it was the drugs or the placebo effect or the bug had just run its course, but I started to feel better almost immediately. My energy came back, my fever went away and I was back to my usual self. EXCEPT.

I cannot stop coughing. I feel fine, but everyone constantly asks if I'm okay as I hack away at my desk, in the grocery store, everywhere. I appreciate the concern, but I think most of my coworkers are getting sick of listening to me and the cough that will not die.

life after sweeps

2005-06-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

What does it say about me that I'm at loose ends now that the broadcast TV season is over? My days are usually defined by what is waiting for me on the TiVo when I get home. And now I turn it on and....nothing new. It's all Simpsons and Buffy reruns. Sigh.

And if that's my biggest complaint, I need to get over myself and get a life.

Or at least read a book.

procrastination is not my friend

2005-05-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

I am back at work after a lovely three-day weekend during which I accomplished nothing. Dishes still in the sick? Check. Laundry still in a pile? Check. Apartment still a disgusting shambles? Check and doublecheck. And it's not like I spent the weekend running around, enjoying the gorgeous weather we're having (although it is totally gorgeous). I spent all of Sunday in my PJs watching crap movies on cable. (Let me tell you, Compromising Positions, starring Raul Julia and Susan Sarandan, is a cinematic time capsule from the mid 80s.)

I haven't been to the gym in over two weeks. I was sick with a nasty cold for much of that time, but even before that, my workout regime has been spotty at best.

Hell, I haven't posted here since January.

I need to set some goals for myself and stick to a schedule. Now that May sweeps are over, I should have plenty of free time....

lazy girl lives...sort of

2005-01-24T18:07:00.000-08:00

Back in the dark ages, when I was unemployed for a long stretch, I put up a website to amuse myself (and a few random passers-by) called Lazy Girl, which was filled with lessons about how to get by without doing any work. I got some nice compliments about the site and jokingly referred to the "lessons" as my manifesto.

I was using webspace from my cable provider and when they got bought out, I didn't move my site to the new location (see? Lazy!) and Lazy Girl was no more. I've still got the files on my harddrive at home, but I've never made the effort to recreate it since putting forth effort would kind of go against the Lazy Girl credo.

Today, a friend IM'd me this link http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0689874774/102-2941705-5756106?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance. Those bastards stole my Manifesto! I would ruin them if it didn't seem like too much work.

hold your nose

2005-01-04T16:59:00.000-08:00

So, my New Year's Eve was the usual fun time of getting drunk and kissing boys at midnight (and again at Alaska's midnight, if you want to get technical). Everyone laughed at my jokes and stared at my cleavage. (I am known for my impressive cleavage and, if I didn't wear revealing tops on big nights, people would be disappointed.)

At the end of the night, a group of us were shivering outside the bar, waiting for the taxis that the bartender had promised would be swarming. Sadly, this proved to be untrue. In fact, we were waiting for so long that, when a van-sized taxi showed up, we all piled in, even though we weren't all going home together. I mean, we all knew each other -- I'm not getting in a cab with a bunch of stangers at 2 am, no matter how drunk/tired/cold/cranky I am -- the cab was just going to have to make a few stops.

As I settled myself in the first row of seats, I looked back at the guy sitting behind me and, well, he looked a little green. When I asked him if he was okay, he just stared at me glassily and said "No." Oh boy. On our way to the first stop, which was, of course, in the opposite direction of where the rest of us live, I heard him tell the girl sitting next to him that he needed to get out of the cab. When we got the the first stop, she yanked her legs out of his way as he stumbled out of the cab and... just stood there for a minute. And then he got back in the cab. That's right - HE GOT BACK IN THE CAB. Still green, now a little paler and sweatier than before, but still full of whatever was making him green, pale & sweaty. But not for long.

That's right, on our way to his place, he vomited all over himself and the cab seat. I shared a look of disbelief with the guy sitting next to me and quickly held my nose closed. Which helped a little, but not as much as I would have liked. For the next ten minutes, I (nasally) gave directions to the cab driver to the vomiter's apartment. The whole time, the cabby made no comment and didn't appear upset in the least. Even if he hadn't heard the vomit, he had to have smelled it, but he just took my directions and kept driving. I mean, I guess the damage was done and he couldn't just kick us out of the taxi on Venice Blvd -- no, he totally could have kicked us out, I don't know why he didn't. (I probably would have, in a fit of revulsion.)

In the end, we tipped the cabby $25 on a $35 dollar ride and got the hell out. As I handed him the money, I said "I'm not sure what the damage is back there, but you're definitely going to have to do some cleaning."

the gift

2004-12-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

I love presents. Getting them, sure, but giving them is even better. When you finally think of the perfect idea for someone and manage to find a version you can afford. That moment when they are sitting there, about to tear into the wrapping paper and you're pretty sure they're going to love it, but what if you're wrong and they don't or they already have one or they wanted a different one and you get that little tingle of anticipation and excitement that comes with not knowing what their reaction is going to be. And then, they do love it. You can just tell by the shine in their eyes and the glow of their face. Success!

The only part I don't like is when I can't think of anything to give.

ugh

2004-12-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

I am the lamest blogger ever. This is my third post. Third! I can count the total number of my posts on one hand with fingers left over! Ugh!

work-a-day world

2004-11-12T10:33:00.000-08:00

So, I've been at my new job about a month and I really like it. Or I tell myself (and anyone who asks) that I really like it. But I think I really do. I know I like being at a new job. And not just because my old job was thankless drudgery for a boss who I am pretty sure was in the middle of a nervous breakdown.

Being at a new job is great. There's so much new information and everything is interesting and exciting (even the things I know will not be so much fun once I am doing them for the 500th time). And best of all, everyone knows I'm new, so it's a free pass on asking dumb questions and making mistakes.

But it is starting over. Again. I'm starting to wonder how many fresh starts I'm going to get before the universe just knocks me on my ass for refusing to stick with anything.

yeah, I got nuthin'

2004-11-11T18:10:00.000-08:00

So everyone has a blog or a journal or something. I might as well jump off the same cliff. I don't know whether I'm really going to do this, but what the hell.

And that's my first post.