have returned from the rock. lovely time, but too freakin hot even there. chetola was full, so we stayed at crestwood. even better. not so much a hotel as a country club with fifteen guest rooms. also reminiscent of kellerman's in dirty dancing. took a few pics with my amazing new canon sd1000. they are here-uh.

big endorsement here: if you're ever in the high country yourself, go to stonewall's in banner elk for a new york strip. best I've ever had. tell them I sent you. they'll look at you funny, I'll bet.

somehow I still haven't succeeded in killing the salvias.

saw 1408 tonight. not bad--say a 7 out of 10. didn't freak me out the way the story did, but the best stephen king adaptation in a while.

I don't know why I read trashy celeb gossip message boards. they never fail to piss me off. especially when folks start coming down on this male celeb or that, saying things like "he needs to work out" or "he's gotten really fat." nine times out of ten said famous guy has a body that I'd kill for. have any of these critics ever REALLY seen a fat person? evidently not.

if you have five minutes and thirty-four seconds to spare and haven't seen the film happiness, you should really watch this. I think it's my favorite opening scene from any movie ever. warning: contains oogy language and jon lovitz.

have lost ten pounds and counting. hope it's the elliptical and not the gypsy curse.

I promise to only say this once until fall: too damn hot here.

last week, bush said this of his upcoming Papal tete-a-tete:

"sometimes I'm not poetic enough to describe what it's like to be in the presence of the Holy Father. it is a moving experience."

um, georgie? you hadn't met this Pope yet. were you implying that if you've met one Holy See you've met em all? I can't be the only person who finds that quote odd. maybe it wouldn't seem so off kilter coming from a Catholic. or if I was Catholic myself. hmm.

if you don't ever use your computer to watch video (dvds, tv, etc) stop reading here. you'll get bored.


...okay, since you do, you should get this cute little piece of freeware called power click. download the files and put em wherever. open the program and go to "options." check "disable windows idle timer." right click on the red icon in your system tray and exit. put a shortcut to power click on your desktop, and there you go. whenever you click the shortcut your screensaver and power settings will be disabled until you exit power click. no more moving your mouse around to keep the video goin. this is a lifesaver to me, so I wanted to share.

shit. geico really does save people money on car insurance. I switched from allstate and am saving over $200 every six months...and my new policy cuts my deductibles in half, so I'll only be 50% as financially screwed if I wreck. for the first time I don't feel like my car insurance is a ripoff. I won't soon forget the bad old days--in the wake of my unfortunate accident--of paying through the nose for the privilege of driving the miata.

people saying "shut up" to express astonishment. I don't like it. "no way" was good enough for my generation, and I'm sticking to it.

why the hell haven't more people read cold comfort farm? it's that rare treasure: a quick, hilarious read that also has legitimate literary cred and historical value.

justin got his new job! yes, I know I haven't mentioned that he was in the market for one. you know how I am about jinxing things. choral director at graham high (not the one I attended, naturally). farther drive but better kids and a really strong program. the situation at eghs had become...strained. long story short, he made a good decision in leaving.

we're headed back to blowing rock in a couple of weeks. in light of economic issues--not the least of which is gas prices--we've scaled our vacation back from a two hour flight to a six hour drive to a three hour drive. I'm out of the office for a whole damn week, that's the important thing.

instant viewing on netflix rules. does blockbuster total access offer such a boon? no, they do not.

latest endorsement: neilmed sinus rinse. washing out your sinuses isn't the most pleasant thing to do, but it's great at getting rid of those pesky sinus headaches. and when you breathe it actually feels like more air's getting into your lungs. probably it is.

you know "the ghostbusters symbol?"


yeah, that's it. I can't believe that this oh-so-useful insignia is graced only with the official name "the no symbol." that's just not right. so join up with me in calling it the "negatrix." that's neh-gay-triks. I think it's much more appropriate and easier to throw out in conversation.

charo's real name is María del Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza de Rasten. yeah, I'd shorten it too.

I'm glad josh introduced me to extremely rare tuna steaks.

george washington had a dog named sweet lips. even then, could no one see how wrong that was?

my sinuses have gone on strike. I go around feeling like my aching head's attached to a string and floating about three feet above my neck.

it seems that, no matter how high gas prices go, many people are too stubborn to change their guzzling ways. it seems that desperate measures are needed, so I guess I'll start slashing the tires of SUVs . nah, that's not fair. first I'll find the owner and ask, "do you really need an SUV?" if I don't get a convincing argument, then I'll gut the goodyears. and leave a note explaining why. that seems just. I'll also include exoticars--ferraris, lotuses, and the like--just to be inclusive.

seriously, what gets me here in the south are the number of two wheel drive SUVs. I mean, just what the hell is the point? minivans were good enough for that set in the eighties; what happened?

and speaking of conservation, be proud: I've cut out my pre-work starbucks run. not so much about the money, though. I just discovered that my beverage of choice contains 330 calories and 13 grams of fat. by contrast, the pseudo-lattes I at make home to put in my travel mug run about 180 and 4. every little bit helps, I suppose.

I have a new hobby that I'm incredibly excited about. I've started collecting antique postcards with pictures of insane asylums on them. you'd be surprised what a popular postcard subject mental hospitals used to be. I've got the first two in my album and have two more on the way. when I get a few more I'll scan pics of them into my online gallery.

I'm in the process of upgrading this blog to take advantage of all the "new" blogger stuff that I'm behind on. don't worry if you hate the way it looks now--I'm not too fond of it, myself. it's a work in progress.

I'd been considering creating a separate blog with a more specific purpose than this one. I gave up the idea when I found this site that does pretty much exactly what I'd intended. shoulda known someone would beat me to it.

you know those little quik-brite lights they advertise on tv? well, they really are that great. my car finally has illumination in the glovebox.

if you're reading this and haven't seen it--as I'd say most people haven't--rent the movie black cadillac and tell me if it sucks you in the way it did me. maybe because it watches like a film version of a christopher pike book.

speaking of books and guys named christopher, I've become a disciple of christopher moore. I've read bloodsucking fiends and you suck and found them both excellent. don't go into one of his books expecting some highbrow modern miracle of literature. go in expecting to have a helluva good time. clever, quick, and most of all funny. you may laugh until you pee. you've been warned.

I bought flowers to brighten up the front porch. help me hope that they live. I have a black thumb rather than a green one. I bought salvias because I read somewhere that impatiens were tacky. I don't remember where or if the source was trusted, but I'm very suggestible like that. I once changed my facial cleanser because I knew someone who knew someone who knew someone who said that it dried out her skin.

dammit, why can't the u.s. have a channel like this? canada is so cool.

a lot of convenience stores don't carry eye drops. this is odd to me.

in case it was keeping you up nights worrying, the new coffee table is up in here. southpark's new crate and barrel is the bomb.

I'm still the last of the red hot bloggers. I've just been workin hard and stayin tired.

I'm proud to say that this organization is n.c. based. check em out.

went to the d.c. area recently and had a swank time. I hung out in arlington, falls church, and bethesda. never once did I set foot above ground in the district itself. bizarre.

I can't believe how I'm obsessing over choosing a new coffee table for the living room. it makes me feel materialistic and un-Quaker. starving children in indiana and I'm moaning about how that particular oval cocktail table comes in mahogany but not espresso. I think I just need psychological reassurance that my life is stable enough that I can obsess about a coffee table. well, it's cheaper than therapy.

speaking of coffee, know what I miss most about college? if I got bored and wanted to go out for coffee, I could find someone to tag along. didn't matter when, one friend or another would be free. I didn't have to call around and make plans a week ahead, and no big production was made out of it. we just went. you know?

also on coffee and other food type things, I need to rant. if you're going to order from a drive-thru window, you should not have questions. take starbucks, for example. if you need to know what the difference is between a latte and a cappuccino, what kind of "kids' drinks" they have, how many shots go into a venti, ANYTHING--go inside. when you pull up to the speaker and open your mouth, what needs to come out is your order. if you feel the need to say anything else, inside. if you need to take a minute to decide on what you want, okay. by all means. but if you're gonna strike up a dialogue, inside. the drive-thru is for people in a hurry. by making your time there inordinately long you are defeating the purpose. you're holding up other customers. being a bad person, in other words. does asking questions at the drive-thru mean that you're more likely to go to Hell in the afterlife? it wouldn't surprise me. would hitler have had questions at the drive-thru? probably. do you really want to go to Hell? do you want to be the next hitler? I didn't think so. hurry = drive-thru. questions = inside. there, I'm done.

wha? wha...ha ha! ha ha ha ha ha! hhhheeeehaaaaahaaaaahoooowhooooohaaaa! and dare I say, rotf (lmao).

according to scott stapp's lawsuit against world wide red light district, the released footage of his 1999 sex tape caused him to suffer "loss of reputation."

that is the funniest thing I've ever heard.

want to be a member of a really exclusive club? netflix/otherwise rent wonderfalls on dvd. it's the most original tv series I know of, which is probably why only four episodes ever aired (the dvds contain the entire, mostly unaired first season--13 episodes). or, if you live in my neck of the woods, I'm all about weekend wonderfalls watching parties at my place.

why don't wal-mart employees understand that restocking the shelves does NOT have to involve blocking the entire aisle?

this is the greatest idea I've heard about in a while.

I've never thought of myself as a type A personality. I'm starting to wonder.

I've never thought of myself as being very much like my dad. wondering about that, too.

ben and jerry's cinnamon rolls ice cream is the best thing I've ever tasted. seriously.

been reading more dean koontz. more hondas, more interior design. I'm going to go through his novels, compile data on those topics, and arrange it into a spreadsheet.

about a year ago I speculated that I was in the throes of a quarter life crisis. I did so in a somewhat smirking fashion, however, as is my way when I'm not quite serious. see this? this is me now, NOT smirking. does this mean I have to run away and join the peace corps?

I never would have guessed watching "the mary tyler moore show" that ed asner was a left wing activist.

talk about something being funny because it's true.

I've recently discovered the wonder that is annie ross. well, I already knew her as mrs. hazeltine from throw momma from the train ("dive! dive! yelled the captain through the thing). and as tess trainer from short cuts, where I got a sampling of her vocal talent. but this babe's career as a jazz vocalist began in the fifties--the EARLY fifties. and she's still got it. in fact, she performs at the metropolitan room in nyc every tuesday night. I'm so tempted to fly up just for that reason.

whenever anyone mentions norman mailer I get really irritated. I've never read him; I just do.

I was all set to haul ass for savannah this year when I found out that st. patty's day was on saturday. then I find out they scheduled the stinkin parade for yesterday maybe next year I'll just take a few days off.

warmer weather should be here to stay soon. here's a shocker: this year I'm going to put out flowers. I give them two weeks. I have a black thumb.

the neon bible is an excellent book. I wish I could have written like that at sixteen. or that I could now.

in bedknobs and broomsticks, emelius browne lives in a posh london mansion that he doesn't own. the manse's rightful owners have fled--along with the rest of the neighborhood--due to a massive unexploded bomb in the street directly in front of it. browne loves the bomb because it enables him "to live like a king;" he stays put despite its constant threat.

I wish that I didn't see his situation as such a perfect metaphor for my life.

more introspection: is it possible to feel ashamed of an action without regretting it? the more I think of it, the more I think it is.

digging daylight savings time. it's lovely to see the slant of the setting sun paint the top eighth of my cubicle walls orange.

the boone/blowing rock trip was a smashing success. I had no idea how picturesque the area is; it reminds me of pictures I've seen of aspen. the mountains are just a bit less pointy. turns out there actually are ski slopes in nc, too--wasn't sure I believed it. lots of cute shops and cafes. best of all, we woke up to actual SNOW on sunday morning. a few pics are here.

okay, folks. toshiba is doing a crap marketing job, so I guess it's up to me. now hear this: at amazon.com, the toshiba gigabeat MES60VK is now $229.99. that's a 60 GB media player. for less than a 30 GB ipod. not to mention that it's the superior device anyway. why the hell isn't toshiba plugging these babies?! I mean, I know that they were busy developing the zune...which is more expensive and the size of a small suitcase in comparison. trust me, people. if you're in the market, get a gigabeat.

dean koontz is an excellent novelist, but he writes entirely too much about furniture. I'm all about character development, but I just don't need to know how many coats of lacquer were hand applied to the protagonist's cherry wood armoire by capuchin monks ten thousand years ago. the man should have been an interior designer. and what's up with the hondas? can I read one dean koontz book where someone doesn't drive a honda?

I can't figure out why my car smells like a mixture of sulfur and b.o. I'm not in the habit of not showering and then repeatedly striking matches in it. and no, I haven't used valet parking in quite some time.

finally saw notes on a scandal. it was just as good as I'd been told. finally saw infamous. it wasn't. to each his own. I mean, it was okay, but...maybe if I hadn't seen capote first.

yonder lies the trip to blowing rock. hopefully it won't rain; it's been bad for that lately. I didn't authorize it, either. someone didn't fill out the proper forms.

is it weird that one of my life's ambitions is to move to pittsburgh? seriously, in my opinion pittsburgh's pretty freakin sweet. great indie scene (both music and film), nice museums, actual winter weather, and a truly awesome landscape--mount washington overlooking the three rivers and downtown. not to mention cheap as hell to live there, provided you can find gainful employment. I haven't been for a visit in almost four years, which is four years too long. one day. just you wait.

I hate living in a world where some dumb broad shaves her head and it makes headlines. but I guess once you start taking the hair off of certain areas of your body it could get addictive and spread to others. kinda like tattoos.

remember the video game burger time? that shit was hard.

I'm so sick of time warner jacking up cable prices that I'm thinking about switching to satellite, directv probably. thoughts?

I love that daylight savings time is starting earlier. what I won't love is resetting all the electronics in the house that ordinarily set themselves and will later become confused and require further resetting.

it's generally known that I loathe and fear robots. that said, will someone please buy me one of these? $24,500 seems quite reasonable.

I hope that everyone had a pleasant v-day, whether or not you viewed it as a holiday. justin and I exchanged goodies. as my big contribution, I reserved us a lakeview crown suite at the ultra swank chetola lodge in blowing rock for a few weekends from now. except for trips to asheville, I haven't been to the n.c. mountains for many years and am looking forward to it.

a note to my creditors: if you don't enable me to pay your bills online, you're just asking for them to be paid late. just thought you deserved a warning.

attention all hot tea drinkers! you should buy an ingenuitea; they're great. my only regret is that I paid $24 (including shipping) to order mine and then found them at teeter for $14. still, it's well worth it. of course, if your idea of a cuppa involves the use of teabags then it doesn't really apply. I'm only speaking to serious hot tea drinkers here.

today's pet peeve: captions on photos that identify the people in them WITHOUT doing so from left to right. it's just common sense.

I enjoy the new apples in stereo album. it's kitschy without being nauseatingly cute--a line that they haven't always drawn well.