New Goal Deadline

The Christmas goal of self-publishing Mom's book is Sunday...and I'm changing the goal and the deadline. We're reaching higher, people.

I'm still going to finish editing the book, gather blurbs, and have a dust jacket designed...but for the purpose of submitting to a half dozen publishing houses by the end of January (giving Abrams first crack, of course.).

I've received too much feeback and coaching from people that self-publishing is not the way to go with this book. Between the perfect tie-in with Mom's Cancer and the Legendary Author who may very well give a blurb, we're shooting for the stars.

Mom would be very pleased.

Admit It

How many of you have been downgraded on your Holiday Cards from "love" to something effed up like warmly or fondly...

Something that really takes more thought than just putting love, for chrissakes...

Don't be stingy with the love, people.

Nip/Tuck, Nip/Tuck, Nip/Tuck!!!!

Snip, snip, sweetheart.

Two seasons of waiting finally coming to an end. Who is The Carver?

I'm saying Christian. Julian needs a movie career, after his stellar work on The Profiler, Charmed, and now Nip/Tuck. Which would mean no more naked Julian...sigh. But I would only be shocked if Team Murphy don't shock me yet again...is Merrill alive?



Is The Carver:



It is wrong for me to get this much enjoyment out of life. Wrong, wrong wrong. Must go hit myself with a Bible a few times to atone.

Internet Searches...

That brought you here today:

Tawny Kitaen
Urban Bohemian
Creative Screenwriting
I'm Super Thanks For Asking
Writing Description a Poor Middle-Aged Man
Kid Girls and Kid Boys Having Sex

...And you still haven't found what you're looking for.

Hmmnn....

I've been thinking today about fashion and how what you wear reflects who you think you are, and how I usually wear Anthropologie/Free People/vintage-shabby chic-type things, often with hats, and how pleased I was to see Charlize Theron in several of the pieces I own on Arrested Development until it was revealed that her character is mentally retarded...

Wowza

I have a really good, solid lead on getting a blurb for Mom's autobiography from her favorite Bigshot Legendary Author. Can't even believe it. Beside myself with joy. If this happens, you could pretty much run over me with a car the day after and my life would be complete.

Inspiration

Another friend has joined the blogsphere. Check out HeidiWood. That's now two friends I've corrupted into our evil web of words.

By the way, all you people whining about "When are you going to post your short film?" can SUCK IT. It's been there for days now, and RM's the only one to view it and comment. Fickle public. Griping nothing's good on, and when there is you DON'T WATCH.

Kong A Masterpiece

IMHO. My viewing companion wasn't as enthusiastic, but I loved every frame. See it in the theatre.

Get Your Hi-larious Short Movie...

Please feel free to PASS ON THIS LINK! Or...THIS LINK! Whichever you prefer, really. Makes no difference to the clams.

Aberrations Vol. IV

As promised, here is our short film. Hope you enjoy it! If not, it's only 5 minutes and 18 seconds of your life.



Thanks for the streaming help. Anyone know what I need to add to the html code so that the Quicktime controls show? This is the embed tagging I'm using:
(EMBED SRC="aberrations.mov" WIDTH=240 HEIGHT = 196 AUTOPLAY=true CONTROLLER=true LOOP=false PLUGINSPAGE=http://www.apple.com/quicktime/")

Okay, Okay

I'm set on the hyphen usage. Thanks, all.

Mom's 358 page book is off to India to be typed by flying fingers...I just wasn't getting it done. Too hard. It will be back next week, and I'll be looking for two groups of people who want to volunteer to:

1. Proof-read part or all of Grandpa's Girl.
2. Read a chapter or two and contribute a promotional blurb for the back cover, etc.

The book is an autobiography of the year leading up to her one-year stay in a sanitarium at age seven. It's very sweet, and has lots of folksy details of growing up in South Dakota during WWII. Also poignant and full of life, just like Mom. Brian is drawing the cover; a picture of Mom sitting on her beloved Gpa's lap. (He was also featured in Mom's Cancer.)

Anyone interested? Much obliged.

The 40-Year-Old-Virgin

Or is it The 40 Year-Old Virgin...or The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Those dashes have been just about everywhere. Different uses in the official ad campaigns, even the various mentions in the LA Times. No one can agree, and this is coming from the camps who should know where to put a dash.

So my question today is...how DO you decide where to put a dash? Is there any official rule? Handbook? Is there an evolution of dashes in our culture vocabulary?

This issue has been bugging me lately because I'm editing Mom's autobiography, and she is a dash user. Multiple dash user on every page. But I can't necessarily say she's wrong. And staring at the words doesn't seem to help. So how do I decide?

Final Cut Help

Anyone know the correct codex to use for converting your final cut file to a quicktime small enough to stream well online?

Mixed Feelings About Narnia

UPDATE: I want you to like this film and to take many many people to it. Please read the far superior reivew at AICN. Oh, and the whole Christian thing is so blown out of proportion. No one writes articles on how "The Game" and "The Matrix" affected the EST community, or how "Star Wars" converted people to Taoism. Freaking ridiculous.

I really wanted to love it. Me and this film have BAGGAGE, from my memories of reading it with mom in third grade to the poster I brought from comic-con straight to her hospital wall, to the anger that she's not here to see it with me. Not sure if I wasn't able to suspend disbelief on the first viewing because I know the source material so well, or because the FX were unconvincing and a tad awkward. The script was fine; definitely covered most important moments of the book. The kids' acting was a little uneven, but better than most.

My biggest problems were the talking animals looking strange, and that the majority of digital shots were during the day. I kept coming out of the movie, looking at the shortcomings of the digital art. And I hate to say it, but I didn't believe Aslan. It really bugged me that his right side of his face looked a little smashed in, and that he wasn't white. REALLY bugged me that he wasn't white. I just don't understand the choice. The digital polar bears and unicorn were white and looked much better, so it must have been some misguided choice not based on technology. He needed to be more special, emanating light. A regular lion was too easy to compare to a real one, or even a cartoon one like The Lion King.

Lucy was fantastic, and so was Mr. Tumnus.

Tilda Swinton was her usual effing amazing, badass self. Girl crush. She was just killer.

I'd like to see the movie again with a crowd of children. My preview crowd was adults grumbling about how they hadn't read the book. Some jackass behind me compared it to the Little House on the Prairie series. Wanted to leap over my seat and throttle him with a lion's roar.

The other thing I keep thinking is who is their audience? Seems like it's exclusively for ten year olds. Not the filmmakers' fault really, because they were faithful to the book. Giddily, awe-ishly faithful. Never seen grown WETA men cry at Comic-con presentation before. But the first half of the movie is too childish for eleven year olds and up, because the ones I know are watching Lord of the Rings and Resident Evil. And anything younger than ten would enjoy the first half of the movie, then probably wet their pants when Aslan is stabbed to death on the stone table and Ed and Peter lead the battle against the extras from Lord of the Rings. And if parents were so worried about the death in Goblet of Sex, then they maybe should be prepared for Ed to get "killed" on the battlefield.

I don't know, I don't know. I'm fretting. I'd really like to see the movie do great.

It's hard though, because some of the most vivid memories I have of the book are things like the description of Lucy riding Aslan, her fingers intertwining in his mane as she buried her face in it and just felt safe and protected and loved by her god. That just wasn't there in the movie, and really, how could it be? But it's so important.

Emotionally, I didn't lose it. Pretty proud of that. Thought of mom a few times, mostly of her comment to me on her last day that she was ready to grab Aslan's mane. He was totally her spirit animal.

Got a small fishie from her. The Laura Engle jackass behind me wouldn't stop talking about how he'd just gotten back from visiting his uncle dying of terminal cancer, and what the "last hospital he would be at" was like, and how suprisingly lucid he was. Kept talking about it right up until the curtain opened for the credits. Come to think of it, that guy was lucky to get out of there alive. You never know what unstable nutjob blogger is sitting right in front of you during a movie, grieving her orphaned status.

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Sex

Has anyone else seen Harry Potter? NO WAY I'm letting some little kid of mine see that. Holy freakin' Cinemax for hormonal teens.

Preview Copy

Of Mom's Cancer arrived the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was great timing to be able to show my cousins and aunt. It looks beautiful. Can't figure out how they were able to put such a reasonable price on a cloth-bound hardcover. If you're in LA and see me, ask me if I have it on me...I'll try to carry it around until March when you get yours!

Brian wrote nicely about the whole mixed bag of emotions of receiving it. Look under his November 26th post.

Helpful Entertainment Tips

RECOMMENDED MOVIES
Must see "Walk the Line" and "Prime"...in the theatres.

Though I would love to find that jackass' review who stated Johnny Cash would never have had a drug problem if Rose had just married him to begin with. Ex-squeeze me? And all the negative reviewers of Prime can kiss my white butt-cheeks. My audience laughed the whole way through and clapped at the credits. 'bout time we had an authentic rom-com.

Reserved recommendation of "Jesus is Magic"...matinee or rental. Still think Margaret Cho and Kathy Griffin are vying for Funniest Woman Alive, not Sarah Silverman. No comment on sad state of affairs that "woman" still has to be inserted in that title.

REQUIRED TV
If you haven't seen or finished "Rome", for Zeus's sake, what the hell are you doing? Must go see it now. HBO on demand. Soooooo great, and not just because Ciarin Hinds has been a god to me since "Persuasion" and Broadway's "Closer." WHAT ENTERTAINMENT. Holy crap that was good. Can't believe they're waffling on renewing. Guess it was the 100 million dollar price tag. But really worth it HBO, really!

"Invasion" continues its slow-burn. Stephen King was right; this is the "Lost" rip-off to beat. Never would have initially predicted it. But how do you top a born-again Christian vet hacking off his newly regenerated left arm with a chainsaw to prove his worthiness to Xenu?

How? You watch any single minute of Nip/Tuck. Holy freakin' "Oops I crapped my pants." This show is insanely riveting. When it ends every Tuesday at 10:59, I just want to run around the house flapping my arms screaming NIP/TUCK!!!!! like a nutter. Haven't been this excited by a show since "Twin Peaks." Freaking fanstaaastic. Can't believe I don't know anyone watching it. Losers. So for the record, I'm clearly wrong that the Carver is Liz. That was a man's body last episode, and a tall one at that. So that eliminates half the men and Gina, and we know it's someone they all know. Gotta say, I'm going with Christian. I think he's a schizo masochist, and the scene we saw of him getting carved was some kind of "A Beautiful Mind" ploy. Why? Kimber's reaction when she was kidnapped, and writing the letter. Poor, very dead Kimber. Oh my god, and the Neo-Nazi plotline? Brilliant!

"The Shield" marathon is this weekend, so catch the Farmington goodness and Glenn Close. Soooo amazing, even the uneven episodes. Vic is Tony Soprano cubed.

RECOMMENDED READING
"Zombie Tales." And not just because Ron Lim is a convention buddy, and I had turkey with just about everyone else. It's a great read for anyone jonesing for some more undead. The short form is really fun; you're bound to find something for you.

Aunt Twisty is

...at it again with another brilliant post, this one about violence against Mexican women. Of course, I've shopped at half the stores she lists as maquiladoras. Urgh, guilt.

Aunt Twisty, I lit a candle for you. Continued good thoughts during chemo.

More Google Madness

Someone googled "What to Buy an ENFP for Christmas" and visited my site...so through that odd connection, I found this site with its excellent holiday advice about paring down.

I'm Not Dead Yet

Or am I? Feel like I got hit with a 2x4.

So as you all know by now, I disappear from the blogging world when things are going shitty and I'm overwhelmed. Thanksgiving Day was actually spent with a group of great new friends, and then the next morning Nurse Sis and I got up way too early to prepare for our cousins' arrival...they left Sunday, and I've pretty much been asleep since then. I have a g-friend who lost her mom recently who said I'd need a ridiculous amount of sleep the first year to process all the emotional turmoil. She wasn't kidding. As delightful as the company was, it's harder than ever to be social...AND then there's guilt during the moments when I'm not missing Mom.

I'm thinking it's TIME...time I take ahold of the low-lying depression and really get into it. Get some therapy, get some massages, address the whole "don't touch me or cause any large emotions in me" aversion I'm having. Do some screaming on the beach. The past two months I've mostly felt numb and in denial. Now I guess it's time to start feeling again. Jump in. Get my anti-anxiety dosage handled, stop medicating through food and alcohol, stop avoiding writing that puts me in an emotional tizzy, address the lack of a sex drive and the whole headache/nausea/vertigo side effects I've had. There's just so much to do; so many outstanding projects and commitments in my life that I don't want to wrap up that have to get done so I don't go insane from avoiding them. Time to grow up and take responsibility for the shambles of my life. Bring it on, bitches!

Can You Tell I'm Procrastinating

Cleaning house sucks. Really really really don't want to do this. Where is my clone?

Okay, this response to my post a few days ago about calling myself a "Rogue Amazon" cracked me up so much I have to post the whole thing here.

Ah gods, smite me now before I have to organize/clean my office...Are the rest of you in this much pre-holiday pain?

Is it possible you're an Rogue Urban Bohemian Entrepeneurial Amazon? Just curious. Yes, that would make you a RUBE Amazon, which is probably contradictory in and of itself.

The term "Rogue Amazon" reminds me of an Angel ep where Wesley described himself as a "Rogue Demon Hunter," and Cordy asked him, "What's a Rogue Demon?"

- MIM

Brilliant. What do I stand for? I'm a rube.

Ouuuuuuch

Yesterday after hearing yet another incredibly annoying radio ad to "GO SEE RENT!!!!", I declared to Nurse Sis that if the studio didn't freaking knock it off with their obnoxious hard-sell tactics, they were going to lose a guaranteed customer. Then I read this incredibly funny review of "Rent" in today's LA Times. Bye-bye, movie. Not gonna see it. Everybody has AIDS, AIDS, AIDS!!!!

Cosmic Male Twin?

Swear to TPTB, I could have written Paul's post on his Rocking Funeral plans (Not to denigrate the post...could have written the subject matter, not the excellent/unique take on it). I've thought often about our weird customs since attending my Uncle's military funeral last weekend. It was a perfect expression of Cal, just as Mom's was for her. So...what's mine?

Between seeing my friend Suzanne Lyon's excellent/poignant hootenanny film about middle-age love and the funeral business Undertaking Betty last week at the Crest (yes Naomi Watts is that incandescent in person...I'm girl-crushing) and re-viewing Eddie Izzard's DVD comedy routine about wanting his casket flung at a tree to give his guests one more laugh, I'm thinking:
my funeral = GO BIG OR GO HOME.

It's Spock ears, pirate talk and the Time Warp for my memorial revelers. Start growing your brass balls now or you can't come and get the awesome goodie bag. I'll be damned if the last party I throw isn't the best one ever. Arrrrrgh.

Holiday Shopping

So I've never confessed to you guys what a freak I am about giving gifts. I'm one of those people who has a gift closet and picks up stuff that reminds me of people throughout the year. Yes, I'm already done with my Christmas shopping, and yesterday pondered wrapping them and then finishing my holiday cards, all in the name of procrastinating from cleaning and writing (oh bane of my existance).

In the spirit of understanding how many of you HATE shopping for loved ones and can't hire me for assistance and who don't want to take down Wal-Mart, here is another great suggestion:

Presents whose proceeds go to the Christopher Reeve Foundation. A little something for everyone there, and a worthy cause.

Wal-Mart Movie a Success

I love seeing brave filmmakers making a difference. I received this email today. And if you want to have your holiday shopping done, they have one heck of a bulk deal on their documentary. -KS

Dear activists, colleagues, and friends,

I am neurotic, jewish and from New York, so I am not pre-disposed to celebrate...but...LAST WEEK WAS AMAZING.

Norwich: "Wow. At the Norwich Public Library last evening we had to close the doors and turn folks away!"

Milwaukee: "We were thrilled with the turn out and media coverage for our two screenings."

Portland: "Had a fantastic screening at Bridgeport UCC in Portland, Oregon on Saturday night... a packed house."

Flagstaff: "more then 800 people. ... standing and sitting in the aisles. We another screening planned."

Madison: "More then 900 people waiting in line in the snow to see the film."

The reports like these from around the country (see photos) of filled screenings, from schools to church to bike store to hospital basement to pizza parlor to yoga studio...Wherever a screen exits, someone was showing the film. I spoke in Eugene to a crowd of over 700 at Lane community college, Lisa was in Santa Fe, Devin in Chicago, Kabira in Florida with College Democrats and Republicans, Sarah hit Santa Monica and West Hollywood, Jim entertained Orange Coast College, Sharaf went to Chapman College and Rick Jacobs spoke to Progressive Majority. You get the idea! 7,000 screenings around the country, and hundreds of thousands of people were engaged in the real deal of democracy.

Now that (most) of you have had a chance to see the film, it's time to take action. Wal-Mart Watch and Wake-Up Wal-Mart are the two major national campaigns, and we strongly urge you to get involved with them. But there are literally hundreds of allies who are working to fight Wal-Mart, so we created a page where you can explore all of the activity here:

http://www.walmartmovie.com/help.php

I'd specifically like to draw your attention to the Healthcare Accountability Act. Our friends at the Campaign for America's Future, MoveOn.org and others are asking you to write your member of Congress and encourage them to co-sponsor this bill that would require profitable companies like Wal-Mart to take responsibility for their employees' healthcare. It's very simple, you can start here:

http://www.walmartmovie.com/accountability.php

Thursday is Thanksgiving, and many of you will be gathering with family and friends, so please bring the film with you. While some are watching football, others can learn about the high cost of low price -- it's certainly more fun to argue about Wal-Mart then whatever family fight has been going on for years.

To help spread the word, we're now offering a box of 5 DVDs for $50 with free shipping anywhere in the U.S. This is an amazing deal and about as low as we can go and still keep the lights on, so please give the gift that just might change where people buy their own holiday presents. Buy a box here:

http://www.walmartmovie.com/watch.php

I want to leave you with one more incredible story sent in from Santa Maria, California:

"We published letters to the editor, put up posters and passed out flyers. At the premier the room was packed. The most crucial of the screenings was 48 hours prior to a city council meeting where slick Wal-Mart reps were coming to try and get the zoning code changed to allow for a 55 acre supercenter. At the city council meeting the chambers were packed...Empassioned by the stories in the film by people just like them, the chamber audience got a bit rowdy....Wal-Mart failed to get the council members approval with a vote of 5-0 against them! Thanks in no small part to your film, your alternative distribution strategy and dedicated local field producers like Bob Banner here in San Luis Obispo...the city of Santa Maria is safe! (for the time being)"

The film is becoming the tool it is meant to be, going into the world and building the movement. Unlike traditional opening weeks, this one is just the beginning, and the fight will be a long and hard one, but with your help and support the film is touching hearts, changing minds and creating social change!

Onward,
Robert Greenwald
and the entire Brave New Films team -- Devin, Jim, Kabira, Lisa, Rick, Sarah and Sharaf


P.S. Today is Wal-Mart day at the Huffington Post. Read blogs from Al Norman,Stan Fortune, Sen. Kennedy, Rep. Sanders, one of the film's co-producers Kerry Candaele, David Sirota, Andy Stern, and many others (including me).

P.P.S. Since Friday is supposed to be the biggest shopping day of the year, it's a great opportunity to have some fun. Check out the Wal-mart Takedown Action Center for some guerilla ideas.

Square Peg

Finally found my definition. I'm a Rogue Amazon.

Sweet.

Big Bro's Post

About Uncle Cal is really lovely, and has two great pictures.

Off to Uncle Cal's funeral. Very sad, but I'm pleased he's going to get his full military funeral.  

Go Team Murderball!

Oscar documentaries announced
Nov 16, 2005, 10:29 GMT

LOS ANGELES, CA, United States (UPI) -- The independent hit 'March of the Penguins' was among 15 documentaries short-listed Tuesday for the upcoming Academy Award nominations.

The list was whittled down from 82 eligible documentaries, The Hollywood Reporter said. The nominees for the 78th annual Academy Awards will be announced Jan. 31.

The other documentaries making the cut include 'After Innocence,' 'The Boys of Baraka,' 'Darwin`s Nightmare,' 'The Devil and Daniel Johnston,' 'Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,' 'Favela Rising,' 'Mad Hot Ballroom' and 'Murderball.'

Also making the short list are 'Occupation: Dreamland,' 'On Native
Soil: The Documentary of the 9/11 Commission Report,' 'Rize,' 'Street Fight,' '39 Pounds of Love' and 'Unknown White Male,' the Academy said Tuesday.

The Academy Awards will be presented March 5 at Hollywood`s Kodak Theater and televised live by ABC.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International

Aslan!!!!

I just realized we should be organizing/buying Narnia opening day tickets. Who's in? El Capitan, with a stage show and the film exhibit! Say, 8 pm? There's only 100 General Admission seats left! The more, the merrier!

And please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe we can all buy our own tickets and sit together...that they truly are GA and not numbered tickets like Arclight...is that right?

Dare I Hope?

They're making Lex and Kitty look so good. I don't know what I want more; her wardrobe or to date a handsome bald man who dares to wear those boots and that jacket. Yum. Ah, but we've been crushed by comic flicks before. It's the age-old adage. Better to have loved and lost...

No Witty Title

My Uncle Cal passed away Sunday at 5 pm. You guys can always tell when I'm feeling super-crappy because I stop posting. Anyway, just thought I'd let you know what's up.

I'm so glad I didn't go. He even followed almost the exact same schedule as Mom once they took him off the ventilator. I feel really awful for my cousins, and for Brian and Brenda seeing such a similar death of a loved one so soon, and most of all for my sweet Aunt who is suddenly peerless in our family.

Moral of the story? DON'T SMOKE.

ENFP and Famous People

Wow. Someone googled that and then came to my site. What a disappointment for them. :) 14,000 hits for that search on Google and I'm on the first page. Crazy.

Through the search results I found another site to look up your famous celeb kin four-letter people. I've got Cher on my list!

Mmmmnnn...at the risk of having the taste of a drag queen, aren't these Giuseppe Zanottis delish? I REALLY have to cancel my Neiman Marcus subscription. Trouble with a capital T. 

I'm Super, Thanks for Asking

My mom's older brother was too ill to make it to her funeral because of his own health problems (lung as well). As you'll see in her autobiography, they were quite a pair, and he has always been super protective of her. He hasn't been able to talk about her since she died, and with his own health so precarious, Nurse Sis had visited my Aunt and Uncle last week to check in on him and make sure he wasn't thinking about following mom.

Of course, yesterday we got the word that he was back in the hospital with pneumonia and that the prognosis was poor. Nurse Sis flew out today (I dropped her off at LAX and promptly locked my keys in the car at the loading zone. Getting the door jimmied cost the same amount as a shuttle for Nurse Sis would have - go figure.). The cousins and Big Bro will all be gathered at the hospital by nine, leaving me the only relative not there.

By the time I got the news at three pm that Uncle Cal was on a ventilator, all the non-stop flights out were booked. Which is interesting, because beyond the physical limitations of getting to Nevada quickly, I'm not sure I can emotionally handle it. From here I can at least be happy that mom and Uncle Cal will be together soon to take care of each other. But if I was in a hospital room so soon, seeing another loved one go through all the same procedures, the machines making the same noises as they did for mom...I just think I would finally snap.

At the risk of being all Mel Gibson Bad 80s Movie Hero, everyone I love has been dying. It's been a rough two years, losing four grandparents, my other uncle, my best friend's mom, a close friend of the family, all while supporting mom through her battle...I'm tired, and I'm trying to hold it together, but christ, you know? Nurse Sis always says "The more people you know, the more people you know are going to die."

What's worse for me than that cheery thought is that I'm now in the oldest generation of my family. I'm thirty-two, and all our elders are gone. My siblings and cousins are all that's left (assuming my poor aunt can stick this out). Huh? What is up with this mass exodus off the planet? And if something bad is going down, then take us with you, guys.

So sad that it has come to this...We tried to warn you but you didn't listen...So long and thanks for all the fish?

Superhero Haircuts

Thanks for the tip Christina, this site is great. Think my fav is the Magneto chic.

Family Guy's Take On Me

Love it. Such a child of the 80s.

Outing a Lurker

Hi Heidi! How's Defamer and Fug today?

3-D 80s

I don't know how VH1 keeps finding material, but their shows are STILL funny. Got the newish 1982 show on in the background, and I'm cracking up. Seriously, how cute and funny are Michael Ian Black and Hal Sparks? Crushing! Don't tell me their gay or a-holes; I don't want to know.

Awesome Day

So I highly recommend meeting someone in person you know in the blogsphere. I met Kristen Havens yesterday for brunch at a hipster place on Sunset and had a blast with her. Cool chic with a cool website.

Added bonus? Actually gave me the willpower to start the low-carb diet again. Going fine so far. Then I went back to S for the first time in a month, and accidentally wound up in a makeup class with a different teacher and students. I wandered into the Amazon Women on the Pole Class, and it was heaven. For once, I was the youngest and smallest in the room. Totally inspired by their bravery and gusto and sexiness. No more excuses; those women are ALL upside down on the pole, darnit. AND doing 'Ronde Jambe' and 'Corkscrew.' No excuses about the extra pounds to lift.

Added bonus of having an older and wiser teacher? Rad 80s music to S to like "Jukebox Hero" and "Hot Blooded" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me." What a blast. And I got to lapdance on the back pole to Dido's "Here With Me" which is the perfect mood/speed for me. Fun fun fun and I am sore sore sore today. Totally had the foot cramps and leg shakes back in class, and a cherry of a bruise on my arm and thigh today. Ah well. At least I can still walk in the six inch heels.

ENFP

Lookie there. Haven't taken the Meyers-Briggs test in forever, and I'm still the same four letters. Kinda fun. Pretty much nails me, especially the piano-playing part: ENFP

Here's the test for you.

Poem about Mom

Christina wrote this about Mom right after her death (In Memory of Her: Fair Lady). I've been so out of it, I haven't visisted her blog since then. Thank you so much for your words and loving presence.

Beautiful! 

Mom's LA Hootennanny...

Was lovely and just as spirited as she would have wanted it. Thanks to the fifty plus wonderful friends who attended. I'm sure she loved it. Pix:

Thank you Mark and Charmaine - so thoughtful 

Sunflowers! 

More lovelies 

Beautiful 

One of her fav flowers 

Flowers 

another table 

Mom's Urn and red hat 

Sign in 

Bat? 

Stat! 

Superhero! 

Hero! 

Me (as Diana Prince half-changed) and Judd on Aslan 

Mom (and Judd) 

Patrick, me, Jack 

Melissa, Melinda, me