Narnia

Tony and I watched The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe last night. I enjoyed it a hell of a lot more than I thought I was going to, that's for sure. The Christian symbolism was all there, but for some reason, it didn't grate on my nerves very much. Maybe I'm just feeling more spiritual lately, I don't know -- but I found myself smiling at each symbolic scene, quietly praising the filmmakers for being so surreptitious about their execution. I thought the movie was very fun. The kids were a hoot, I loved the beavers (no comments, please), and the witch was creepy as all get-out.

It made me wish I had a magic wardrobe (or something) to walk through and leave this dreary place behind. I'd go in a second. And I'd never look back.

There's a 20 year-old girl working my office who takes herself entirely too seriously. And she's an idiot. The things she's asked me to explain -- you'd think she'd never left her house in HER LIFE. Unreal. And this is the person the big boss has decided to make his personal assistant. So yes, she's in charge of the company checkbook, paying bills, and coordinating payroll. I cringe each day because I'm sure she's going to fuck something up. And she does. Daily.

This morning, she brought a nice big pile of paperwork to my desk and said the boss wanted her to tell me to make sure it was all completed and taken care of properly. Nothing major -- just boring stuff like license renewals, current TB test results, and other crap. I almost threw it at her. I've been around the block a few times, and I have a real issue with a 20 year-old who doesn't know what "fax" is short for delegating work to me. I need a cigarette.

I AM: still reeling from the atrocious Silent Hill movie. Good GOD it was awful.

I WANT: chocolate cake.

I WISH: I could eat anything I wanted without having to worry about how it will effect my tummy.

I HATE: current MTV.

I MISS: Sex and The City.

I HEAR: the Dixie Chicks's slammin' new tune, "Not Ready to Make Nice."

I WONDER: what happens after THIS.

I REGRET: not taking the job in Denver, all those years ago.

I AM NOT: Rapaport.

I DANCE: occasionally.

I SING: loudly and poorly.

I CRY: most likely too much.

I AM NOT ALWAYS: polite.

I WRITE: poetry.

I CONFUSE: my partner -- he thinks I'm somewhat crazy.

I NEED: to stop smoking.

I SHOULD: start walking.

I START: at least one new book a week.

I FINISH: last. ;-)

This is the kind of day that makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs.

Every five minutes.

Repeatedly.

I just feel like something major is bubbling under the surface. Honest to God -- it's tactile. The hairs on my arms bristle and the air seems to pop. Something is most definitely coming. And damn, I hope it's good.

Memoirs of ... something

Memoirs have always interested me. I think everyone has a story to tell ... and having read a number of memoirs over the years, it's unfortunately obvious that not everyone needs to tell his or her story. I've heard many different things regarding Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle, both good and bad, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Nothing like making up one's own mind, don't you know.

Oh my.

I think Walls is a good writer. She's concise, interesting, never too flashy or too simple. There's a smoothness to her work that's gratifying. I've never liked reading "easy" stuff. Well, that's not entirely true. I've been known to read some fluff and/or trash now and then ... but I do primarily like books with some meat to them. I like to be challenged ... to have to think and digest. I consider myself a voracious reader. It's nothing for me to read more than one book in a week ... but I do go sometimes for a couple weeks without reading anything new. Reading is quite simply one of the lovely pleasures of life for me ... and it helps foster my love of words like nothing else. But back to The Glass Castle.

As I said -- I don't discount the author's ability to spin a yarn. I just don't believe 80% of what she says she went through. Maybe I'm being too judgmental ... but I just can't buy it. I won't go on and on about the absolute insanity of her childhood, but suffice to say she's painted a really grim and, in my opinion, highly improbable existence. Was I entertained? For the most part, sure. But I have to say, my disbelief and skepticism colored the book for me quite a bit. If it's true, bully for her for pulling herself up and making a success of her adulthood. And how sad that it took all that misery, poverty, and downright abuse to get her where she is today. If it's bunk ... well, she sure has cashed in on pressing all the right buttons. I don't know whether to applaud her or throw shit at her. It also makes me want to write about my childhood -- cuz honey, I've got some stories that'd spin just about anyone into orbit. But Walls ... well, hell. I've not been so divided about something I've read since college.

And I suppose that makes the book perfect for me. It certainly challenged me. I certainly had to give it thought, consideration, and let it "gel" in my head. It made me think about my crazy brother, my crazier sister, my alcoholic father, and my "whatever gets you through it all" mother. Hmmmm. Self reflection. Coming to terms with weird shit from one's childhood. Therapy via memoir. Damn! Maybe Jeannette Walls is brilliant...

4 Things ... thanks to Shel

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. Pizza maker at Little Caesar's Pizza
2. Deli worker at Pay Less Supermarkets
3. Proofreader/Editor at Macmillan Publishing
4. Manager - Downtown Comics, Inc.

Four movies I would watch over and over:

1. Tootsie
2. The Empire Strikes Back
3. Clueless
4. Broadcast News

Four TV shows I love to watch (pick your current faves):

1. "Lost"
2. "Desperate Housewives"
3. "American Idol" (I admit it -- I'm a junkie)
4. "Jeopardy!"

Four places I have been on vacation:

1. Cancun, Mexico
2. Yellowstone National Park
3. San Francisco, California
4. Denver, Colorado

Four websites I visit daily:

1. How Was Your Day, Dan?
2. Popsugar
3. EOnline
4. Newsarama

Four Favorite Foods:

1. Italian
2. Greek
3. Thai
4. Chinese

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. Greece
2. England
3. Hawaii
4. Australia

Four things I always carry with me:

1. Keys
2. Wallet
3. Burt's Bees Lip Balm
4. My eyeglass cleaning cloth

Random stuff ... lots of nothing to chatter about ...

Sunday was my "friend" Anita's birthday. I haven't spoken to Anita in well over a year ... hell, it might be two years. I'm not sure what happened, but we just drifted apart. Yes, she lives in Denver, and that doesn't make it easier to stay in touch ... but I keep in touch with friends and family all over the country, so that's really no excuse. And I have to say - this one isn't my fault. I've tried and tried ... but Anita just doesn't seem interested in maintaining the friendship. It stings a little, because when we were kids, we were damn near inseparable. We were friends when no one else would be a friend to either of us. Jill, Anita, and I would spend 90% of our free time together, watching movies, hanging out, complaining about our horrid lives (or what we considered horrid at the age of 14). I was determined I wasn't going to call her cell phone and wish her happy birthday, regardless of what my gut was telling me to do, because dammit, she didn't acknowledge my birthday last year ... and I didn't even get a Christmas card from her, although I sent one to her address. So I struggled with it all day: Do I call or not? I decided not to ... and, when I was chatting with Jill while driving back from the grocery store late in the afternoon, she told me she had called Anita and left a message. Dammit! I knew she'd cave! But I was determined. Not going to do it -- no thank you. So of course, on my way to the theatre to collect Tony, I called. I left a singsong message, trying to sound breezy and unbothered. And I know I won't hear from her. But it did feel good to call.

So my iPod decided to freeze up and act like a petulant child last night. I tried everything to reset it, unfreeze it, power it down, and/or fix it ... but nothing worked. So I let it stay stuck overnight. The charge ran down, of course, so I thought I'd bring it to work and see what happened. Well, it's unfrozen ... but all my music is gone. So hopefully, it'll be as simple as connecting it to my computer when I get home so it can update itself. Sheesh. I've been lucky with the thing -- most people I know with iPods have had numerous problems, but this is the first issue I've had in the almost-year I've had it. Tony hates when I talk about it (for obvious reasons), but I really do fucking love the thing.

Watched "The Flavor of Love Reunion Special: After the Lovin'" last night ... and while it was quite enjoyable, it wasn't the ghetto trash spectacle I was so hoping it'd be. I do love me some New York and Goldie, so they were worth watching for, most assuredly. It was all obviously a big set-up for another season ... so boo to VH-1 for that, but really ... it was a big ratings hit for them, so who can blame them? They KNOW what time it is.

If I hear that damn James Blunt song one more time, I swear I'm going to cut someone.

I spent a bit of time this afternoon updating my DayPlanner. I'm such a geek about stuff like that, but it really made me feel good. It's fun. Does that make me weird?

I need to find time to watch the first few episodes of "so noTORIous," which I DVRed. I know I've spoken ill of Tori Spelling in the past (and really, who hasn't?), but she's actually gotten some fun reviews for this little vanity show. I still think she has deformed cleavage and a nose only a plastic surgeon could love, but I must give her snaps for being perfectly willing to poke fun at herself. Although I don't suppose her willingness to embararass herself should surprise me any. We are talking about the star of "Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?" here. Agreeing to a script with that dumb-ass title certainly took guts, so why not a mock-reality show? :-)