A few weeks ago I went to a Cubs game with some folks from work. We were working on a project and this was our "treat" the company paid for tickets (whoo hoo, all $17 a piece).
The Red Line goes right by my house (well 2 blocks away) and right next to Wrigley Field so it's a nice short trip to the ballpark.
Since it was a Game Night the train was full of suburbanites but there was this one guy standing and when I looked at him, I immediately said "gay."
About 5'8", 150 lbs, hair that was cut in one of those "chunky" new styles with a bandana around the back, tight (and I mean tight) faded blue jeans, he had earrings in both ears, he looked like the consummate fag to me, and hey I should know!
The only interesting thing about him (other than he was totally primping and trying to make himself look pretty) was that he had a belt buckle on that was an LED screen, it was probably 2 inches by 4 inches and it could display messages, etc.
Guess what it said "Sorry boys I'm str8" Well now, come on, if you're always being accused of being gay, and you're not, shouldn't you do something about it? Other than advertise on your really gay belt buckle that you're not gay?
Then he started fiddling around with it and changed the message.....he changd it to his phone number....I wish I was that full of myself sometimes!
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
eBay and murder
I lost the remote to my digital camera (I know, how stupid of me) and I knew I needed to get a new one. But Olympus wanted $20 for it, which I felt was a bit too much.
So I decided to check out eBay. They had a bunch of them there, and I actually won an auction for $0.99 (and shipping of $4.50 rip off).
I'm excited about that, but today I got the email from the seller...guess what his ebay name is?
Dolarhyde
And their last name is not that (because I have to mail them a check) which means they purposely chose that screen name.
That's a little creepy and now I'm afraid to send him my check.
If you don't know who the character Dolarhyde is, in the book "The Red Dragon" he was the man that Hanibal Lecter helped track down.
Dolarhyde was a man who worked at a film processing plant and picked his "victims" based on the films they sent in and had developed.
I think I'll use my work address in case he tries to track me down and "hand deliver" my package.
So I decided to check out eBay. They had a bunch of them there, and I actually won an auction for $0.99 (and shipping of $4.50 rip off).
I'm excited about that, but today I got the email from the seller...guess what his ebay name is?
Dolarhyde
And their last name is not that (because I have to mail them a check) which means they purposely chose that screen name.
That's a little creepy and now I'm afraid to send him my check.
If you don't know who the character Dolarhyde is, in the book "The Red Dragon" he was the man that Hanibal Lecter helped track down.
Dolarhyde was a man who worked at a film processing plant and picked his "victims" based on the films they sent in and had developed.
I think I'll use my work address in case he tries to track me down and "hand deliver" my package.
Monday, June 27, 2005
New Shoe Syndrome
I just realized that I've been walking funny all day.
Ever see those funny video's of animals walking funny because someone put "booties" on their feet.
That's how I feel as though I've been walking today, but of course it's not that bad, but you know how it is with new shoes.
They're either stiffer, softer, fluffier or somehow different than your regular shoe so you walk differently.
But then again, I always buy shoes that are "cross functional" (i.e. they go well with either black pants or khaki pants) as I am a straight boy in that regards, I only own a pair of brown shoes, a pair of black shoes, a pair of sneakers and a pair of boots.
The Boyfriend has been hounding me to buy new shoes, but I say you can only wear one pair at a time, and it's not like I'm wearing a flowery skirt that I've got to match my shoes and purse to.
I have a friend who is a shoe whore, he must have at least 50 pair of shoes, it boggles my mind!
How many pairs of shoes do you have?
Ever see those funny video's of animals walking funny because someone put "booties" on their feet.
That's how I feel as though I've been walking today, but of course it's not that bad, but you know how it is with new shoes.
They're either stiffer, softer, fluffier or somehow different than your regular shoe so you walk differently.
But then again, I always buy shoes that are "cross functional" (i.e. they go well with either black pants or khaki pants) as I am a straight boy in that regards, I only own a pair of brown shoes, a pair of black shoes, a pair of sneakers and a pair of boots.
The Boyfriend has been hounding me to buy new shoes, but I say you can only wear one pair at a time, and it's not like I'm wearing a flowery skirt that I've got to match my shoes and purse to.
I have a friend who is a shoe whore, he must have at least 50 pair of shoes, it boggles my mind!
How many pairs of shoes do you have?
New Shoes and Makeup
I went shopping yesterday.
I decided it was way too hot to be standing outside watching the Gay Pride Parade (plus if I want to see a bunch of gay boys I just need to go to the bars, LOL). It was in the 90's yesterday and there was no way that I was going to be taking off my shirt.
I even canceled an event with the Boyfriend because it was so hot. He was disappointed, but he was with his family so he had fun.
Instead of the parade I decided to go shopping downtown. I love going "downtown" it's a 45 minute train ride that's filled with crazy people and considering it was The Taste and Gay Pride the train was overflowing with all sorts of people.
I had to run some errands becuase I had been pushing them off so I went to Marshall Fields at Water Tower place. I got some moisturizer and eye cream (Gurl) and had a nice conversation with the counter girl, she gave me some really good tips to help clear up my skin and even threw in an exfoliater sample, whoo hoo!
I then went to look at some Man Bags as I like the one I have, but I'm looking for a new one. But they didn't have any I liked. As I was leaving the mall area I saw Steve Madden and I thought I'd go see what was new.
You have to understand, I enjoy shoe shopping as much as I enjoy looking under the hood of a car. Typically I'll see a pair of shoes and go ok those are good, are they the right size, let's go.
But I actually tried on three different pair and liked these the best. There was actually a pair I liked better (Black with a pale yellow stripe) but they didn't have my size.
I decided it was way too hot to be standing outside watching the Gay Pride Parade (plus if I want to see a bunch of gay boys I just need to go to the bars, LOL). It was in the 90's yesterday and there was no way that I was going to be taking off my shirt.
I even canceled an event with the Boyfriend because it was so hot. He was disappointed, but he was with his family so he had fun.
Instead of the parade I decided to go shopping downtown. I love going "downtown" it's a 45 minute train ride that's filled with crazy people and considering it was The Taste and Gay Pride the train was overflowing with all sorts of people.
I had to run some errands becuase I had been pushing them off so I went to Marshall Fields at Water Tower place. I got some moisturizer and eye cream (Gurl) and had a nice conversation with the counter girl, she gave me some really good tips to help clear up my skin and even threw in an exfoliater sample, whoo hoo!
I then went to look at some Man Bags as I like the one I have, but I'm looking for a new one. But they didn't have any I liked. As I was leaving the mall area I saw Steve Madden and I thought I'd go see what was new.
You have to understand, I enjoy shoe shopping as much as I enjoy looking under the hood of a car. Typically I'll see a pair of shoes and go ok those are good, are they the right size, let's go.
But I actually tried on three different pair and liked these the best. There was actually a pair I liked better (Black with a pale yellow stripe) but they didn't have my size.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Saturday, June 25, 2005
New Flower Stand
When I was home my Mom gave me some money. She told me I should buy something I wouldn't typically buy.
I've been wanting to get a flower stand for my back porch because my neighbors moved back to Australia and left a bunch of plants for me.
they were just sitting along the side of our narrow porch so I wanted to get something nice for them.
It is SO HOT HERE today, already 93 probably warmer.
Oh, on my way to get my manicure there was a whole bunch of stuff going on at the Red Line. Cops, traffic shut off, firemen, ambulances, apparently someone jumped in front of the train.
I don't know what happened, but that's what I heard. Channel 2 was there so I'm sure it will on the news.
I've been wanting to get a flower stand for my back porch because my neighbors moved back to Australia and left a bunch of plants for me.
they were just sitting along the side of our narrow porch so I wanted to get something nice for them.
It is SO HOT HERE today, already 93 probably warmer.
Oh, on my way to get my manicure there was a whole bunch of stuff going on at the Red Line. Cops, traffic shut off, firemen, ambulances, apparently someone jumped in front of the train.
I don't know what happened, but that's what I heard. Channel 2 was there so I'm sure it will on the news.
A new camera
No, not for me, for the boyfriend. His birthday was a few weeks and I didn't know what to buy him. I was going to get him one of those portable DVD players, but I knew he'd never use it. About a week before his birthday he said that he wanted to buy a new printer, and he had been hinting about a digital camera. The one has is really old, it's not as old as the Sony Mavica's, but it's just a generation younger than that.
Remember the Sony Mavica that wrote the pictures to disk, that was so controversial and exciting. No need for those crappy memory cards, use disks that you already have. I had one of those, an old boyfriend bought it for me because he was mean to me... : -)
I'm learning Photoshop and I thought a funny picture would be one of those Sony Mavica's, but instead of it writing on a disk drive, it wrote to an 8-Track Tape....I think it would be funny.
But wow, I'm really off topic, so we now return you to your regularly scheduled (or unscheduled) blog entry:
I bought the boyfriend a new camera for his birthday, it's been sitting in a box at my house! So I broke it out and got it ready for him to take some pictures. You know it's been killing me that there have been unopened electronics sitting in the house unused - it's a SIN!
So the camera takes pretty nice photos, not bad for one of those Printer/Camera all in one box kind of deal.
Plus, I just got a haircut this morning and a shave, I feel like a new man. And I'm getting ready to go get a manicure!
Now that I've finished my original post, I'll compound on the camera. He had been hinting about getting a new digital camera, and I was thinking that would be a really nice present for him.....and then he starts talking about the Sony Cybershot DSC-T7. Yeah I'd like one of those too.
I know how the boyfriend is, he bought a Dell Jukebox and had it for about 6 months before he destroyed it somehow. He dropped it, or it fell in the snow, or it got left outside in the rain, I don't know what he did, but he killed it. So I decided to start looking for a camera for him, but I wanted to get him a junker, one that he could use and abuse and not have to worry about it when he kills it.
I got him the Fuji FinePix A120 and it's really nice, it runs off of AA batteries, it's light and it's small.
My personal camera is the Olympus Digital Stylus 300 (which I just realized they don't sell anymore). That's good for me, alright this post is getting too long. I'll start a new one.
Extended Warranty
Time shifted post, so that it comes after the one above this one.
I bought my camera two years ago and I love it, it's small, I always carry it with me and it takes great pictures.
When I bought it from Best Buy, I purchased the extended warranty, because the salesman told me they covered batteries.
I never buy the extended warranties on products because I never anticipate having the product that long, but I knew I was going to have this camera for a while.
I beat this camera up so badly, it's tossed around and around, gets packed in luggage, thrown in my pocket with my keys.
But the great thing is, the case is metal. If I ever buy another camera, I will make sure it has a metal case. It's so much sturdier than those plastic things.
Plus since I bought the warranty I don't care how I treat it because I know I'll get a better camera when I kill this one.
But the real reason I bought the warranty was because they cover the battery. I couldn't beleive my salesperson because I had never heard of them covering anything the battery or something that wasn't part of the camera, but they do.
Last summer my battery started to die, so I went into Best Buy told them I needed a new battery, they gave me a claim number and a phone number to call. Within a week I had shipped FedEx to me a new battery! I couldn't believe how easy it was.....and they're going to cover it for 4 years, that's almost $240 there if you figure a new battery is easy $60 PLUS, when this camera dies, they'll have to replace it with an equivalent type because Olympus doesn't sell this anymore, which means that I'll get an even better camera and I won't have to pay for it : -)
I'm glad that I bought that warranty!
I bought my camera two years ago and I love it, it's small, I always carry it with me and it takes great pictures.
When I bought it from Best Buy, I purchased the extended warranty, because the salesman told me they covered batteries.
I never buy the extended warranties on products because I never anticipate having the product that long, but I knew I was going to have this camera for a while.
I beat this camera up so badly, it's tossed around and around, gets packed in luggage, thrown in my pocket with my keys.
But the great thing is, the case is metal. If I ever buy another camera, I will make sure it has a metal case. It's so much sturdier than those plastic things.
Plus since I bought the warranty I don't care how I treat it because I know I'll get a better camera when I kill this one.
But the real reason I bought the warranty was because they cover the battery. I couldn't beleive my salesperson because I had never heard of them covering anything the battery or something that wasn't part of the camera, but they do.
Last summer my battery started to die, so I went into Best Buy told them I needed a new battery, they gave me a claim number and a phone number to call. Within a week I had shipped FedEx to me a new battery! I couldn't believe how easy it was.....and they're going to cover it for 4 years, that's almost $240 there if you figure a new battery is easy $60 PLUS, when this camera dies, they'll have to replace it with an equivalent type because Olympus doesn't sell this anymore, which means that I'll get an even better camera and I won't have to pay for it : -)
I'm glad that I bought that warranty!
Friday, June 24, 2005
This is not my house
Thanks to Osbasso I happened upon this link about a guy who documented in pictures his mother's obsession with eBay.
I agree with Osbasso, at first I was intrigued, but as I kept looking at picture after picture it was becoming a sad state of affairs.
Now I'm not the tidiest person in the world, but I do get a bit "crazed" when things get a little overwhelming, but there is no way in the world that I would be able to live like that.
At least this lady is somewhat organized. When I was growing up, I had a friend who's family was like this, but it was total chaos. I could hardly bear to go visit because they literally had to clear a place on the couch for me to sit.
Well Happy Friday and Happy Weekend to you!
I agree with Osbasso, at first I was intrigued, but as I kept looking at picture after picture it was becoming a sad state of affairs.
Now I'm not the tidiest person in the world, but I do get a bit "crazed" when things get a little overwhelming, but there is no way in the world that I would be able to live like that.
At least this lady is somewhat organized. When I was growing up, I had a friend who's family was like this, but it was total chaos. I could hardly bear to go visit because they literally had to clear a place on the couch for me to sit.
Well Happy Friday and Happy Weekend to you!
The vegetable stand
When I was growing up we had a huge garden, it was at least 2 acres.
We had everything from potatoes to cucumbers to bell peppers, tomatoes, beets, carrots and my all time unfavorite - green beans.
It's not that I don't like green beans, it's just I never liked picking them. I don't know why, they're actually pretty easy but it just took forever to pick and I always hated that.
We had such a large garden that we used to sell vegetables on the side of the road. We live way out in the country, but there's a major highway that runs right infront of our house.
We started out with just a little table and a jar. The stand was mostly on the "honor" system since it wasn't busy enough for someone to sit there all day, plus we had chores to do. But we never had any problems with people, they were always honest.
Somewhere around 1978 or so, my Dad built this shed for us. It was a great building, it had two rooms with a swinging door between them and the whole front had a door on it so we could lift it up to show we were open.
We would sell so many vegetables during the summer that we used the money to pay for our school lunches during the year. Of course lunches were like 35 cents back then.
I remember in the summer we used to fill the back of our pickup truck with fresh picked corn and sell out in a matter of hours. We used to sell a dozen ears for a dollar and when we raised the price next year to a buck and a quarter people about went mad.
This other time we had rutabegas and this woman from the country asked us why there was dirt on it instead of wax? I guess she didn't realize they came out of the ground.
We had everything from potatoes to cucumbers to bell peppers, tomatoes, beets, carrots and my all time unfavorite - green beans.
It's not that I don't like green beans, it's just I never liked picking them. I don't know why, they're actually pretty easy but it just took forever to pick and I always hated that.
We had such a large garden that we used to sell vegetables on the side of the road. We live way out in the country, but there's a major highway that runs right infront of our house.
We started out with just a little table and a jar. The stand was mostly on the "honor" system since it wasn't busy enough for someone to sit there all day, plus we had chores to do. But we never had any problems with people, they were always honest.
Somewhere around 1978 or so, my Dad built this shed for us. It was a great building, it had two rooms with a swinging door between them and the whole front had a door on it so we could lift it up to show we were open.
We would sell so many vegetables during the summer that we used the money to pay for our school lunches during the year. Of course lunches were like 35 cents back then.
I remember in the summer we used to fill the back of our pickup truck with fresh picked corn and sell out in a matter of hours. We used to sell a dozen ears for a dollar and when we raised the price next year to a buck and a quarter people about went mad.
This other time we had rutabegas and this woman from the country asked us why there was dirt on it instead of wax? I guess she didn't realize they came out of the ground.
What's in a nickname?
When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. I remember that my grandfather had an El Camino with a cover on the back and I used to LOVE to ride in the back of that thing.
One day we were driving through the country and we passed by a field with all of these flowers and I asked my grandfather "What is that?"
He told me it was Buckwheat and from that point forward that was my nickname.
Buckwheat
I've been called that so long, that I think my Uncle Bill has forgotten my real name. The only people that call me that are my family members (Grandparents and Uncles). My grandmother still calls me Bucky, and everytime she'll stop and say "Oh you're a grown man, I shouldn't call you that." At which point I stop her and tell her, "I'll always be your Buckwheat"
One of my Uncle's nickname is Tinker, My Dad is Tuck (which he HATES, we call him Dicky) and my Sister is Mrs. Kippygin.
What crazy nicknames are in your family?
One day we were driving through the country and we passed by a field with all of these flowers and I asked my grandfather "What is that?"
He told me it was Buckwheat and from that point forward that was my nickname.
Buckwheat
I've been called that so long, that I think my Uncle Bill has forgotten my real name. The only people that call me that are my family members (Grandparents and Uncles). My grandmother still calls me Bucky, and everytime she'll stop and say "Oh you're a grown man, I shouldn't call you that." At which point I stop her and tell her, "I'll always be your Buckwheat"
One of my Uncle's nickname is Tinker, My Dad is Tuck (which he HATES, we call him Dicky) and my Sister is Mrs. Kippygin.
What crazy nicknames are in your family?
This is not where my nickname came from
When I was applying to colleges, this one group came out to our house to meet me and my family.
We were going through the application process when the lady asked "Do you have any nicknames?" Well since I'm Michael of course there's Mike, Mikey, Mickey, etc. and I said "No, I prefer Michael."
At which point she starts in on this story, "Oh it's so funny, we were at this student's house the other day and his nickname was Buckwheat, and he wasn't even black."
Well of course my parents and I started howling, because that's my nickname, but for a totally different reason.
She was so embarassed, I bet she never told that story again. But I tell it all the time.
We were going through the application process when the lady asked "Do you have any nicknames?" Well since I'm Michael of course there's Mike, Mikey, Mickey, etc. and I said "No, I prefer Michael."
At which point she starts in on this story, "Oh it's so funny, we were at this student's house the other day and his nickname was Buckwheat, and he wasn't even black."
Well of course my parents and I started howling, because that's my nickname, but for a totally different reason.
She was so embarassed, I bet she never told that story again. But I tell it all the time.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
I'm gonna grumble and then it's over
This isn't my typical kind of post, so I'll make it short. A person that I consider a very good friend, always takes advantage of me....I know you say "well you let yourself get taken advantage of." But that's not true.
We ride to work together, we live a block from each other, we go to the gym together. So this is a person that is a very good friend.
Here's what happened the other day.
We're walking to the car after work, I've got some things I have to take care of and he says "oh, can we please stop by the grocery store. I don't want to carry everything home." So what am I supposed to say, he knew all day that he had to go to the grocery store, yet waited until the last possible moment to ask.
Then just now, the phone rings, and it's him (I almost didn't answer it) and he says "what are you doing tonight?" "Nothing just watching TV and stuff." "Well," hem haw, "The A/C isn't working over here, can my dog and I come over and sleep at your house?" What the hell am I supposed to say, "No, it's 90 degrees, deal with it."
He does this all the time, always at the last minute, and it's always an emergency and I always feel as though I'm being put on the spot and if I say no I'm the bad guy.....ugh!
Ok, I'm done, I feel better.
We ride to work together, we live a block from each other, we go to the gym together. So this is a person that is a very good friend.
Here's what happened the other day.
We're walking to the car after work, I've got some things I have to take care of and he says "oh, can we please stop by the grocery store. I don't want to carry everything home." So what am I supposed to say, he knew all day that he had to go to the grocery store, yet waited until the last possible moment to ask.
Then just now, the phone rings, and it's him (I almost didn't answer it) and he says "what are you doing tonight?" "Nothing just watching TV and stuff." "Well," hem haw, "The A/C isn't working over here, can my dog and I come over and sleep at your house?" What the hell am I supposed to say, "No, it's 90 degrees, deal with it."
He does this all the time, always at the last minute, and it's always an emergency and I always feel as though I'm being put on the spot and if I say no I'm the bad guy.....ugh!
Ok, I'm done, I feel better.
Reading
I've been trying to read more, by major influence from the boyfriend. He rides the train to work everyday so he has about an hour each way where he has time to read. Me, I drive to work, a whole 10 minutes in the car, so my reading time has to be carved out of my other "free time."
Typically I enjoy reading when I'm traveling (which I've been doing a lot of lately) because I know that I'll have a 2-4 hour time period where I can be uninterrupted and read, but at the same time, not really have anything else to do. Catch my drift?
So here are some of the books I've read recently:
- The Botany of Desire
- The Secret Life of Bee's
- The DaVinci Code
- The Chronicles of Narnia
The Botany of Desire - what an interesting book, four short stories about how botany has been desired by Man. The Apple - (Sweetness) to make applejack and to help settle the west. The Tulip (Beauty) - how they manipulated it to make it more beautiful. The Potato (control) - how we have used gene splicing to control nature. and Marijuana (Intoxication). I want to re-read it again.
The Secret Life of Bee's - a story about a little girl growing up in the old south who tries to discover herself and her dead mother at the same time.
The DaVinci Code - I got tired of the paperback version never coming out, I don't want to hear it from you.
The Chronicles of Narnia - I've had the boxed set of this book since I've been a kid. The books have a price of $2.95 each on them, so you know how old they are. I've not read this since I was probably 9 or 10 and I'm enjoying re-reading them so much. They just go much more quickly now than I remember, but perhaps I was a slow reader back then.
So what are you reading now?
Typically I enjoy reading when I'm traveling (which I've been doing a lot of lately) because I know that I'll have a 2-4 hour time period where I can be uninterrupted and read, but at the same time, not really have anything else to do. Catch my drift?
So here are some of the books I've read recently:
- The Botany of Desire
- The Secret Life of Bee's
- The DaVinci Code
- The Chronicles of Narnia
The Botany of Desire - what an interesting book, four short stories about how botany has been desired by Man. The Apple - (Sweetness) to make applejack and to help settle the west. The Tulip (Beauty) - how they manipulated it to make it more beautiful. The Potato (control) - how we have used gene splicing to control nature. and Marijuana (Intoxication). I want to re-read it again.
The Secret Life of Bee's - a story about a little girl growing up in the old south who tries to discover herself and her dead mother at the same time.
The DaVinci Code - I got tired of the paperback version never coming out, I don't want to hear it from you.
The Chronicles of Narnia - I've had the boxed set of this book since I've been a kid. The books have a price of $2.95 each on them, so you know how old they are. I've not read this since I was probably 9 or 10 and I'm enjoying re-reading them so much. They just go much more quickly now than I remember, but perhaps I was a slow reader back then.
So what are you reading now?
Curious and Curiouser
I was surfing around flickr this afternoon because I decided to stay home this evening.
Tonight was to be Party III out of a series of IV, but it's just too darn hot. This event was going to be "on the plaza" aka - outdoors, and it's almost 90 degrees now up here near the lake, the party is downtown which means it's gonna be hotter there. Plus it's a business networking pride party, so it's not shorts/flip flops kind of weather, so I'm sitting at home having a little smoke.
But, I was surfing around flickr, how do you typically surf? I'll find someone I like on the main page and then start looking at the people on their sites who leave messages, save as favorites, etc. Is that how you do it?
I found this one flickr account that had no pictures of it's own...but instead had about 25 saved favorite photos for a celebrity that has an account. It's sort of like cyber stalking, as I was sort of creeped out that they had an empty account but had favorites.
I somehow ended up on Rosie O'Donnell's flickr page which was pretty cool. As I was looking through her photostream I saw all of these people who had said they had chosen that picture as a favorite. Ok, either I'm really fucked up in what I like/don't like, or there are a lot of crazy people out there.
She has some interesting things on there, but honestly nothing that I would mark as my "favorite"...so people are so weird.
But then, I like ketchup with my Grilled Cheese sandwiches (which I had for lunch today and freaked out my lunch partner.)
It's started me looking to see who has my pictures listed as a favorite......oops, no one does...LOL...whew, I'm so relieved.
Tonight was to be Party III out of a series of IV, but it's just too darn hot. This event was going to be "on the plaza" aka - outdoors, and it's almost 90 degrees now up here near the lake, the party is downtown which means it's gonna be hotter there. Plus it's a business networking pride party, so it's not shorts/flip flops kind of weather, so I'm sitting at home having a little smoke.
But, I was surfing around flickr, how do you typically surf? I'll find someone I like on the main page and then start looking at the people on their sites who leave messages, save as favorites, etc. Is that how you do it?
I found this one flickr account that had no pictures of it's own...but instead had about 25 saved favorite photos for a celebrity that has an account. It's sort of like cyber stalking, as I was sort of creeped out that they had an empty account but had favorites.
I somehow ended up on Rosie O'Donnell's flickr page which was pretty cool. As I was looking through her photostream I saw all of these people who had said they had chosen that picture as a favorite. Ok, either I'm really fucked up in what I like/don't like, or there are a lot of crazy people out there.
She has some interesting things on there, but honestly nothing that I would mark as my "favorite"...so people are so weird.
But then, I like ketchup with my Grilled Cheese sandwiches (which I had for lunch today and freaked out my lunch partner.)
It's started me looking to see who has my pictures listed as a favorite......oops, no one does...LOL...whew, I'm so relieved.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Foxglove and Hosta's
In my parents "trailer park" one of the older gentleman that lives there decided to turn one part of the park into a literal park. He has spent countless hours mowing the grass, trimming the trees and making the area into a nice cozy area.
This is one of the areas in his park/garden.
This is one of the areas in his park/garden.
Hummingbird
This was a hummingbird outside my grandmother's window.
Although she may be going through a tough time I know that she gets joy out of watching the birds and the animals in her backyard.
She told me that a bear had paid a visit about 3 weeks ago. I'm glad I missed that one!
Although she may be going through a tough time I know that she gets joy out of watching the birds and the animals in her backyard.
She told me that a bear had paid a visit about 3 weeks ago. I'm glad I missed that one!
Water Lily
We went to visit a friend, and he had a beautiful garden, vegetable patch and pond.
This was one of the water lilies in the pond.
This was one of the water lilies in the pond.
I'm such an amateur
I know the picture sucks, it looks like I took it with a camera phone but no, it was with my regular camera. It's just a bad picture.
But this is the Mayor of Chicago, the Honorable Richard (J, M, or D) Daley who made a speech at a Chicago Cultural Center for his annual "Pride Reception"
As you are probably aware, it's Gay Season. It's sort of like your Christmas, but it's for the boyz and gurls! So there are all sorts of events and parades, and parties, and gatherings, and gang bangs, scheduled during "gay season."
This event was Event II of IV leading up to and culminating with the fabulous Gay Pride Parade on Sunday.
Last night we went to a Pride Reception/Networking Event sponsored by a local Real Estate Agency, one of the Gay Rags and one of the Grocery Stores.
My boyfriend was not able to attend with me because there was a family emergency and he had to take care of his son while his ex- went out of town.
He suggested, in his absence, that I invite one of his best friends, Art, who graciously accepted and met me there.
We had a fabulous time, free cocktails, free munchies (including some fabulous cheeses and some hard salami's which were quite delicious regardless of the light sheen of oil that had already risen to the top.) but more importantly free cocktails at a fancy bar downtown.
We had a couple Cosmo's, the bartender boy did an amazing thing when he was pouring the cosmos, which I can't explain but was intriguing, and then went home. I took the train down and Art gave me a ride home.
So tonight was event II in our series of IV parties. The crowd was much cuter and a much bigger crowd. Many more lesbians and a lot of older gay men. But the Mayor gave a really nice speech (I caught the last 5 minutes of it) and there were a few other speeches but the audio setup in the room was terrible and you could hardly hear what they were saying.
I felt as though I was at a baseball game and something exciting just happened, but I have no idea what it was....so I just clap along with everyone else until they stop.
But, it was a nice event, we had a few glasses of wine, ate some cheese and veggies. Saw a few people we had met last night, see the networking is already working, we jokingly asked where we were going to meet up tomorrow and made plans to do so.
Met a few new people and headed home.
So the one thing I took away from the Mayor's speech:
"He's really short."
But this is the Mayor of Chicago, the Honorable Richard (J, M, or D) Daley who made a speech at a Chicago Cultural Center for his annual "Pride Reception"
As you are probably aware, it's Gay Season. It's sort of like your Christmas, but it's for the boyz and gurls! So there are all sorts of events and parades, and parties, and gatherings, and gang bangs, scheduled during "gay season."
This event was Event II of IV leading up to and culminating with the fabulous Gay Pride Parade on Sunday.
Last night we went to a Pride Reception/Networking Event sponsored by a local Real Estate Agency, one of the Gay Rags and one of the Grocery Stores.
My boyfriend was not able to attend with me because there was a family emergency and he had to take care of his son while his ex- went out of town.
He suggested, in his absence, that I invite one of his best friends, Art, who graciously accepted and met me there.
We had a fabulous time, free cocktails, free munchies (including some fabulous cheeses and some hard salami's which were quite delicious regardless of the light sheen of oil that had already risen to the top.) but more importantly free cocktails at a fancy bar downtown.
We had a couple Cosmo's, the bartender boy did an amazing thing when he was pouring the cosmos, which I can't explain but was intriguing, and then went home. I took the train down and Art gave me a ride home.
So tonight was event II in our series of IV parties. The crowd was much cuter and a much bigger crowd. Many more lesbians and a lot of older gay men. But the Mayor gave a really nice speech (I caught the last 5 minutes of it) and there were a few other speeches but the audio setup in the room was terrible and you could hardly hear what they were saying.
I felt as though I was at a baseball game and something exciting just happened, but I have no idea what it was....so I just clap along with everyone else until they stop.
But, it was a nice event, we had a few glasses of wine, ate some cheese and veggies. Saw a few people we had met last night, see the networking is already working, we jokingly asked where we were going to meet up tomorrow and made plans to do so.
Met a few new people and headed home.
So the one thing I took away from the Mayor's speech:
"He's really short."
Monday, June 20, 2005
Grammy
This is my grandmother.
This picture was taken just a little over a month ago on Mother's Day.
It's mind boggling that so much has happened in such a short time period.
She is stable, I can't say that she's doing ok, because she's not herself, but she's managing.
She's going to the doctor this week and they'll determine if chemotherapy will be appropriate.
I was glad that I got to go home this weekend to visit her for a few hours.
It was a short weekend (I got to my sisters about Midnight on Friday and flew home this morning at 6:00 am)
I'm bushed!
This picture was taken just a little over a month ago on Mother's Day.
It's mind boggling that so much has happened in such a short time period.
She is stable, I can't say that she's doing ok, because she's not herself, but she's managing.
She's going to the doctor this week and they'll determine if chemotherapy will be appropriate.
I was glad that I got to go home this weekend to visit her for a few hours.
It was a short weekend (I got to my sisters about Midnight on Friday and flew home this morning at 6:00 am)
I'm bushed!
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Throwing away ketchup
When I was growing up, we were poor. But looking back at it, I never knew. We always had birthdays and Easter and Christmas, but my parents were struggling. When my sister was 4 she was diagnosed with a degenerative bone disease that almost cost her life. So my parents had lots of medical bills and regular bills, but I never knew we were poor.
Of all the things my Mother did to make ends meet, there was only one thing that totally grossed me out. When the bottle of ketchup with get down to the very last bits, she would take a little bit of water, shake up the bottle and get the last bit of ketchup out of the bottle.
The only problem was, instead of the usual anticipation of waiting for the ketchup to come out of the bottle....it was like tomato soup. To this day it still grosses me out.
Does anyone else like ketchup on their Grilled Cheese sandwiches? People tell me I'm weird but I've always eaten it that way. I recall being a kid and my Mom would make the BEST grilled cheese sandwich (crispy on the edges, gooey inside) and she would pull that bottle of ketchup out and walk towards the sink.
My heart would drop in my chest because there is nothing grosser than tomato soup running around the plate soaking in to your previously crispy grilled cheese.
What brought this all on you ask? My one big pleasure in life, is throwing a bottle of ketchup away before it's completely empty, and I just did that!
Ahhh...I love being an adult! (Please don't tell my Mom I threw Ketchup away though)
Of all the things my Mother did to make ends meet, there was only one thing that totally grossed me out. When the bottle of ketchup with get down to the very last bits, she would take a little bit of water, shake up the bottle and get the last bit of ketchup out of the bottle.
The only problem was, instead of the usual anticipation of waiting for the ketchup to come out of the bottle....it was like tomato soup. To this day it still grosses me out.
Does anyone else like ketchup on their Grilled Cheese sandwiches? People tell me I'm weird but I've always eaten it that way. I recall being a kid and my Mom would make the BEST grilled cheese sandwich (crispy on the edges, gooey inside) and she would pull that bottle of ketchup out and walk towards the sink.
My heart would drop in my chest because there is nothing grosser than tomato soup running around the plate soaking in to your previously crispy grilled cheese.
What brought this all on you ask? My one big pleasure in life, is throwing a bottle of ketchup away before it's completely empty, and I just did that!
Ahhh...I love being an adult! (Please don't tell my Mom I threw Ketchup away though)
I'm procrastinating.
I'm traveling home to NE PA this weekend to see my grandmother, and becuase of the reason I've been putting off packing. I'm only going home for a few days, but typically I'm packed two days before I leave. But I know that this is not going to be a good trip.
My grandmother was recently diagnosed with anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid
I spoke with Mom earlier this week and all she said was "I think you need to come home." Which I am not taking as a good sign.
My boyfriend got mad at me the other day because he came over and hugged me and told me to let go...but I couldn't...I can't. He said the he felt as thought I wasn't telling him anything. He's such a sweet man, I'm not used to having an emotional "partner" like that. I find it very difficult to be "emotional" or to let other people see me as an emotional person. So I have a habit of just holding everything in and trying to deal with it myself.
I've got to deal with that!
My grandmother was recently diagnosed with anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid
I spoke with Mom earlier this week and all she said was "I think you need to come home." Which I am not taking as a good sign.
My boyfriend got mad at me the other day because he came over and hugged me and told me to let go...but I couldn't...I can't. He said the he felt as thought I wasn't telling him anything. He's such a sweet man, I'm not used to having an emotional "partner" like that. I find it very difficult to be "emotional" or to let other people see me as an emotional person. So I have a habit of just holding everything in and trying to deal with it myself.
I've got to deal with that!
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Wrigley Field
Went to Wrigley Field last night to watch the Cubs beat the pants off of the Marlins.
Work bought us the tickets becuase of this project we're working on.
Wrigley Field is a great old ball park!
Plus they have Frozen Margarita's now!
Work bought us the tickets becuase of this project we're working on.
Wrigley Field is a great old ball park!
Plus they have Frozen Margarita's now!
And then I'm done
I don't typically do this, but I was just so frustrated today.
I’ve been in some big meetings these past two weeks, they’ve pulled together a group of disparate employees and we’ve been brainstorming ideas for this project. It’s been a lot of fun, we’re mingling with people we wouldn’t typically mingle with and we’re actually getting some headway.
But here’s where I’m going to go off. Last week I brought up this idea, I thought it was a good idea and the others agreed. So this week we’re going over “solutions” and a guy who was not there last week said, “Hey, wouldn’t it be great if we could do xxx.” And because he wasn’t there the week before didn’t know that it was already brought to the table….well everyone is like “oh yeah, that’s a great idea, let’s go with that.”
I’m not one to toot my own horn that often, and he didn’t know I brought it up last week…but I’m sort of pissed of that no one seems to remember that I brought up the exact same idea last week…ugh!
Part 2
There’s this one person (they shall rename nameless and genderless) who has a habit of coming to meetings late and then forcing everyone to repeat what was already discussed. This person missed most of the meetings today and comes in during the last half hour and says “I don’t understand how you came up with this, could you explain it to me?” Bigger UGH!!!!!
I’ve been in some big meetings these past two weeks, they’ve pulled together a group of disparate employees and we’ve been brainstorming ideas for this project. It’s been a lot of fun, we’re mingling with people we wouldn’t typically mingle with and we’re actually getting some headway.
But here’s where I’m going to go off. Last week I brought up this idea, I thought it was a good idea and the others agreed. So this week we’re going over “solutions” and a guy who was not there last week said, “Hey, wouldn’t it be great if we could do xxx.” And because he wasn’t there the week before didn’t know that it was already brought to the table….well everyone is like “oh yeah, that’s a great idea, let’s go with that.”
I’m not one to toot my own horn that often, and he didn’t know I brought it up last week…but I’m sort of pissed of that no one seems to remember that I brought up the exact same idea last week…ugh!
Part 2
There’s this one person (they shall rename nameless and genderless) who has a habit of coming to meetings late and then forcing everyone to repeat what was already discussed. This person missed most of the meetings today and comes in during the last half hour and says “I don’t understand how you came up with this, could you explain it to me?” Bigger UGH!!!!!
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
He's so sweet
The Boyfriend is so sweet, I was in meetings all day today and these were sitting on my desk when I got back.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Friday, June 10, 2005
If I could be anything....
I would be a magician.
I've always loved magic, I like the "mystery" behind it....but the funny thing is, once I figured out how it works....I'm not so excited about it.
So perhaps that's what intrigues me so much. I enjoy trying to figure out how they do things. It's all an illusion, which means it's not real, there's got to be some gimmick that makes it work. I've not seen a good magic show in years.
I've seen David Copperfield I couldn't tell you how many times, at least a dozen, almost once a year...that was until 1998. He just got boring, he did all the same tricks and only had one big new one (I totally understand illusions are difficult to do) but come on dude, at least do different coreography from year to year.
The most amazing thing I ever saw him do was when he flew across the stage. The whole time I was telling myself, this isn't real, it's an illusion, but it looked so real, I still can't figure out how it's done (even after reading the Chat Room things about it (Yes people are still talking about it, uh oh, I just realized what I'm doing.) I'm sorry.
But check out this little movie, it's very cool. I've got it partially figured out but need a little more. Perhaps you can help me figure it out.
Is this not the coolest thing you've ever seen. (link is to a streaming windows video media file (just so you know).
Watch his hands right after the candle is big and he's folding the bag.
I've always loved magic, I like the "mystery" behind it....but the funny thing is, once I figured out how it works....I'm not so excited about it.
So perhaps that's what intrigues me so much. I enjoy trying to figure out how they do things. It's all an illusion, which means it's not real, there's got to be some gimmick that makes it work. I've not seen a good magic show in years.
I've seen David Copperfield I couldn't tell you how many times, at least a dozen, almost once a year...that was until 1998. He just got boring, he did all the same tricks and only had one big new one (I totally understand illusions are difficult to do) but come on dude, at least do different coreography from year to year.
The most amazing thing I ever saw him do was when he flew across the stage. The whole time I was telling myself, this isn't real, it's an illusion, but it looked so real, I still can't figure out how it's done (even after reading the Chat Room things about it (Yes people are still talking about it, uh oh, I just realized what I'm doing.) I'm sorry.
But check out this little movie, it's very cool. I've got it partially figured out but need a little more. Perhaps you can help me figure it out.
Is this not the coolest thing you've ever seen. (link is to a streaming windows video media file (just so you know).
Watch his hands right after the candle is big and he's folding the bag.
As a side note about David Copperfield
Wow, I actually went and looked at the David Copperfield website, he is doing a show almost every day from today until the end of the year.
I was totally astounded that he is doing that many shows....and of course wouldn't you know it, but we're going to Las Vegas on 9/22 and his last show there is 9/21.
OYE!
I was totally astounded that he is doing that many shows....and of course wouldn't you know it, but we're going to Las Vegas on 9/22 and his last show there is 9/21.
OYE!
Thursday, June 09, 2005
| You Were Actually Born Under: |
 You are very observant - and it's hard to get anything past you! A total perfectionist, you are especially picky about looking your best. You're a big dreamer - such a big dreamer that reality can disappoint you. You are most compatible with an Ox or Snake. |
| You Should Have Been Born Under: |
 You are solid, methodical, and you do things right the first time. Even when no one else does, you always believe in yourself. You tend to see the world in black and white, right or wrong. A good memory and eye for details means you tend to thrive at near impossible tasks. You are most compatible with a Snake or Rooster. |
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Time to eat Crow
I've found that Crow is best eaten with a side of spaghetti.You may recall that I've previously posted about my downstairs neighborWell this morning, as I was leaving late for work, I notice that he has this paper posted to his front door.
I owe an apology.
Here is what his note says:
I graduated this weekend from a long and strenuous degree from Columbia College learning how to run Serendipity Yout Theatre the way it needs to be run.
Thank you my very gracious and understanding neighbors for putting up with my noise and my aggravation and loads of Chardonnay when I was trying to study and fight for ideas. Chiefly you Michael..I will enver bang on the ceiling again. Party on my friend!
Angels live in this building and thank youf or letting me be and become. Love and Peace.
So I did the neighborly thing and dropped a bottle of wine and a note on his doorstop to congratulate him on his graduation.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Not the best of Monday's
Before I begin, I want to say that I struggled with the idea of creating this post, but I wanted to share.
My Mom called me yesterday to tell me that my Grandmother (87 years old) was just diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer.
She had a persistent sore throat for about a month, and was trying to take care of it herself, but she called my mom last week and said that she was having problems swallowing. The immediately went to the hospital where they did some tests and ended up taking a biopsy.
It turns out that the cancer is malignent : -( ( I really don't think that there is an emoticon to express how I'm feeling right now).
I called my Grandmother today, and although she sounded a little down she did sound good overall.
I don't know much more, as they're still trying to figure everything out (course of treatment, etc.)
I know she'll be fine, my Mother is a two time cancer survior (Thyroid cancer as well, and Breast cancer). My Mom's a fighter and I know my Grandmother is.
I'm just so sad that at 87 years old she has to go through this now.
I've already had my cry about it (in fact I've cried more than when I found out that I was sick), so if you have a moment please think of my Grandmother and all those around the world who are suffering from cancer.
My Mom called me yesterday to tell me that my Grandmother (87 years old) was just diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer.
She had a persistent sore throat for about a month, and was trying to take care of it herself, but she called my mom last week and said that she was having problems swallowing. The immediately went to the hospital where they did some tests and ended up taking a biopsy.
It turns out that the cancer is malignent : -( ( I really don't think that there is an emoticon to express how I'm feeling right now).
I called my Grandmother today, and although she sounded a little down she did sound good overall.
I don't know much more, as they're still trying to figure everything out (course of treatment, etc.)
I know she'll be fine, my Mother is a two time cancer survior (Thyroid cancer as well, and Breast cancer). My Mom's a fighter and I know my Grandmother is.
I'm just so sad that at 87 years old she has to go through this now.
I've already had my cry about it (in fact I've cried more than when I found out that I was sick), so if you have a moment please think of my Grandmother and all those around the world who are suffering from cancer.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Pop Up Ad's are Everywhere
Place: The Beach at South Beach Miami
Time: Memorial Day Weekend
Imagine this.....you're lying on a nice lounge chair under a big blue umbrella on the lovely shores of the Atlantic Ocean almost at the tip of Southern Florida.
The sun is shining and there's a cool breeze while you're sipping your ice cold pink lemonade, the music you brought is playing quietly in the background and you're enjoying watching all of the hotties on the beach.
Sounds tranquil doesn't it? It was. It was a beautiful experience, that is until the Pop Up Ad's started.
Pop Up Ads you say? But you're on the beach, well amazingly the beach is no longer safe from Pop Up Ads.
We were enjoying our afternoon when a single airplane flew buy pulling a huge banner behind it advertising someone who was going to be somewhere at sometime during the evening. And then another one...and another one....and another one.
At one point there were 4 airplanes in the air pulling banners. Some had big lettering (obviously those people paid a lot) and others had really small lettering (so much so that you couldn't even read what it was for, uh oh). There was even one time when two airplanes were piggybacking and were almost on top of each other pulling banners.
But then, it was South Beach, it was Memorial Day Weekend (also Hip Hop Weekend as we found out) and the beach was crowded......I just found it very interesting that even when you're sitting on the beach you're bombarded with advertising, oh well, we asked for it!
Time: Memorial Day Weekend
Imagine this.....you're lying on a nice lounge chair under a big blue umbrella on the lovely shores of the Atlantic Ocean almost at the tip of Southern Florida.
The sun is shining and there's a cool breeze while you're sipping your ice cold pink lemonade, the music you brought is playing quietly in the background and you're enjoying watching all of the hotties on the beach.
Sounds tranquil doesn't it? It was. It was a beautiful experience, that is until the Pop Up Ad's started.
Pop Up Ads you say? But you're on the beach, well amazingly the beach is no longer safe from Pop Up Ads.
We were enjoying our afternoon when a single airplane flew buy pulling a huge banner behind it advertising someone who was going to be somewhere at sometime during the evening. And then another one...and another one....and another one.
At one point there were 4 airplanes in the air pulling banners. Some had big lettering (obviously those people paid a lot) and others had really small lettering (so much so that you couldn't even read what it was for, uh oh). There was even one time when two airplanes were piggybacking and were almost on top of each other pulling banners.
But then, it was South Beach, it was Memorial Day Weekend (also Hip Hop Weekend as we found out) and the beach was crowded......I just found it very interesting that even when you're sitting on the beach you're bombarded with advertising, oh well, we asked for it!
Panda Walking
The animals are going to start taking over, I know it!
At first it was "funny" when an animal would walk on it's hind legs, everyone would say "Oh isn't that cute, he's walking like us."
But just wait, it's only a matter of time before they're holding ray guns and herding us all into Yankee Stadium.
Here's the article about this Red Panda in China.
The funny thing about both of these articles is that they're both from Asia....hmmmmmm
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Sorry
Sorry I haven't posted much this week.....but whenever I finish a project I always just sort of shut down for a few days to recover.
I find that when I'm working on something (either getting a storyline in order, or trying to set up shots, etc.) that I'm ALWAYS thinking about it....even when I'm not working on it, I'll be thinking about it, or it will be running in the back of my mind.
I find now that after I finish I just have to take a mental break and try to reset all my synapses.
I'll get better about posting soon, I promise : -)
I find that when I'm working on something (either getting a storyline in order, or trying to set up shots, etc.) that I'm ALWAYS thinking about it....even when I'm not working on it, I'll be thinking about it, or it will be running in the back of my mind.
I find now that after I finish I just have to take a mental break and try to reset all my synapses.
I'll get better about posting soon, I promise : -)
What does her real voice sound like?
Saw an interview with Nicole Kidman for the new Bewitched movie and it got me thinking.
What does her REAL accent sound like? I know she's from Australia but in every movie, she has a different accent......
I bet her real voice is like really nasaly and twangy but she always talks with an Australian accent to throw everyone off?
What does her REAL accent sound like? I know she's from Australia but in every movie, she has a different accent......
I bet her real voice is like really nasaly and twangy but she always talks with an Australian accent to throw everyone off?
Flying Angst
We just got back from a trip to Ft Lauderdale to help a friend celebrate this 40th birthday.
It's too far to drive so we took lovely Spirit Airlines down there, flying nowadays is so strange. I think that because air travel is fairly inexpensive now, ANYONE can fly, and I mean anyone.
For example:
There was this guy on the plane who somehow lost his boarding pass between the gate (where he had to present it to get on the plane) and his seat. He then proceeded to argue with the lady who he "thought" was in his seat, even though he couldn't prove it.
There was the guy who, as soon as we landed (literally) had his cellphone on and was checking email. I was wondering, who is this self-righteons, pompous ass who can't be out of communication for a three-hour flight?
There was this guy who was sitting in the back of the plane with us, and as soon as we were at the gate and the rang the bell to let us know, he went sprinting down the aisle so he could be the first one off.
Why do people behave so badly on airplanes? It's almost as bad as the way people drive in parking lots?
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Follow-up to the movie
From a prior post, I mentioned that my latest movie project was finished just in time for my friends birthday.
So I was waiting all weekend for Sunday afternoon to arrive so that I could surprise my friend with his movie.
He decided that he wanted to play a game "Who knows me best?" where he asked all sorts of questions (why is this important? what word did I think I made up?, questions that friends would know). I thought this would be the perfect time to "ambush him" with the movie, so I worked it out with his sister that she would take control of the movie and pass it off as her own to get it started.
So we gathered everyone in the living room and went over the quiz....and then pulled the curtains closed to darken the room and started the VCR.
I made sure I was sitting in a position where I could see both my friend and his mother.
The way I designed the movie, you don't really understand what it's truly about until about 4 minutes into it
It was perfect because (unbeknownst to me) he had leaned over to his partner on the couch and said "Why is he showing HIS movie?" he was so mad that he thought I was using his party as a vehicle to showcase my movie. (I'm still laughing about that)
There's a lot of buildup and you think the movie is going in one direction and suddenly it breaks into baby pictures and Jim Croce signing "Time in a Bottle."
Right when the music starts the words "Along Came Arthur" scrolled along the screen one word at a time and everyone there was calling out each word as it came on the screen (it was a very cool effect I hadn't planned) and suddenly he realized what it was all about.
He and his mother were both trying not to cry looking at all of these old pictures.
Afterwards, he gave me a big hug and told me how mad he was at me.....not only because he thought I was trying to take over his party, but that I totally surprised him and he had no idea about the whole project.
So I was waiting all weekend for Sunday afternoon to arrive so that I could surprise my friend with his movie.
He decided that he wanted to play a game "Who knows me best?" where he asked all sorts of questions (why is this important? what word did I think I made up?, questions that friends would know). I thought this would be the perfect time to "ambush him" with the movie, so I worked it out with his sister that she would take control of the movie and pass it off as her own to get it started.
So we gathered everyone in the living room and went over the quiz....and then pulled the curtains closed to darken the room and started the VCR.
I made sure I was sitting in a position where I could see both my friend and his mother.
The way I designed the movie, you don't really understand what it's truly about until about 4 minutes into it
It was perfect because (unbeknownst to me) he had leaned over to his partner on the couch and said "Why is he showing HIS movie?" he was so mad that he thought I was using his party as a vehicle to showcase my movie. (I'm still laughing about that)
There's a lot of buildup and you think the movie is going in one direction and suddenly it breaks into baby pictures and Jim Croce signing "Time in a Bottle."
Right when the music starts the words "Along Came Arthur" scrolled along the screen one word at a time and everyone there was calling out each word as it came on the screen (it was a very cool effect I hadn't planned) and suddenly he realized what it was all about.
He and his mother were both trying not to cry looking at all of these old pictures.
Afterwards, he gave me a big hug and told me how mad he was at me.....not only because he thought I was trying to take over his party, but that I totally surprised him and he had no idea about the whole project.
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