Things that totally stink: Running out of packing tape while you are trying to pack.

FedEx is ruining my life. Living in the South stinks so much because everything fails to function when there is snow in the forecast. The four guys going from New Orleans may miss their flight to Seattle if FedEx doesn't get their act together and deliver by 8:30 tomorrow morning. Ugh.

Ted just told me all about his and Kev's adventures in Los Angeles yesterday. You'd think staying at the Beverly Wilshire the night before the Grammys would warrent some sort of famous-person sighting... but alas, there was none. I was hoping he'd run into Bono.

Did you know that Linkin Park played 42 showcases before getting picked up by a major label? "For three years, Linkin Park were rejected by every major label in the business and by a lot of indies, as well. Warner Bros. passed three times before finally signing the band in late '99. .. When Bennington arrived in 1999, the band played forty-two showcases for labels and, the singer says, 'got turned down by everybody.'" That is pretty much insane. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a fan, per se, but that is still somewhat inspiring. The LA showcase got postponed to June. I'm making my desire to go abundantly clear.

Moving party is moved to tomorrow night. What have I gotten myself into?

Hans Brinker and his silver skates? I found it interesting that two supposed Apolo-Anton-Ohno fan websites that have sprung up have both been shut down by their respective free hosts because of exceeding their alloted bandwidth. Just goes to show that people just love this new heartthrob. The skating-sensation will be on Leno tonight. May have to check that out.

I have seen mixed reviews of the Salt Lake 2002 Olympics Playstation game. It apparently only has six events (Women's Slalom, Men's Downhill, Men's Snowboard Slalom, Men's 2-Man Bobsleigh, Men's Ski Jumping, & Women's Freestyle Aerials), but the screenshots look pretty impressive to me.

Strange Sighting:
This morning I saw a hip, young guy sitting at a table in Starbucks. That is not very unusual especially in Cool Springs. What make me look twice was the fact that this guy was knitting. He had a couple of rolls of off-white yarn, and he was going to town on some unidentifiable project. (However I suspect it was going to be a beanie, since there were a couple others on the table.) He was totally cool about it... which in turn makes him totally cool.

So help me, for some people who come off being entirely laid back... I know some of the nit-pickiest people in the free world. I will not be bothered by this tonight.

Song for the Day:
Hands Clean - Alanis
This so could have been my story at one time.
~~We'll fast forward to a few years later
And no one knows except the both of us
And I have honored your request for silence
And you've washed your hands clean of this~~

"Tonight, when you lay your head on your pillow, forget how far you have to go. Look instead at how far you've already come." ~Bob Moawad "May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be at your back. May your mission in life feed your passion like no other." ~Unknown "Often intuition will direct you. If it feels right, it's probably right." ~Oprah Winfrey

 

Last night I watched an amazing special on the wild horses of Mongolia with Julia Roberts. It was absolutely beautiful. The simple lifestyle of the nomad. I could probably learn a lesson or two from them. They pack up their houses and move whenever they have to find new land for grazing. They only have what they need, and it all packs up (house and all) into a few bundles they load on horses. I think it's going to take three trips with a truck for my stuff. Part of me wishes that I had the opportunity to go over there and experience things like that. Someday... perhaps.

 

I think I am really going to miss the Olympics. It was a nice release. It's kind of sad to think that it will be so long until the next one. I have come to love these sports and these atheletes, whereas before I had probably watched alpine arials a total of zero times. Maybe I should organize a group for people suffering from Olympic withdrawal. I can figure out when the other major championship events happen in these sports and put out a schedule for everyone interested. Hmm, it's a thought. When I find myself with some free time... I'll call it Danielle's Olympic Hangover.

I keep my magnetic poetry on the inside of my apartment door so that people can release their creativity as they are heading out. I am about to take it all down, but I wanted to put the poems here to save for posterity's sake. These were all written by me, Manda, Jay, Nate or Roy. I forget who did what anymore.

maddie loves me (That was Manda, for sure.)

chocolate chant club
can cry car (Roy)

we rock raw & repulsively (Roy)

please let the music soar

men like me (originally by Manda, but Roy transformed into...)

men like me to cook & iron
for them

I whisper my scream
& produce black language

as luscious as an egg

blood rust on the water

you are summer

they think I dress ugly (me)

bittersweet symphony

no ache
no crush
be light
and true
the moment when love
falls for you (me)

Okay, I admit it. I can see why people think that that Ohno kid is just cute as the dickens... but I have been concerned about those little fan soul patches. First of all, I don't know that I completely agree that is it a soul patch as opposed to a goatee of sorts. Surprisingly, I found a few articles on the subject.

ESPN.com discusses what a soul patch can actually say... "a soul patch says things like, 'I'm cool' or 'I'm a little rebellious' or 'I'm sensitive' or 'I'm a little hung up on myself' or 'I can grow hair right there on that spot right below my lip, and some of my friends can't.'" (What's with the backwards flags on that photo anyway?)

Kim Ode from the Star Tribune apparently does not dig the patch, though she does admit that he is adorable. "So I'm liking Apolo Anton Ohno. I like his moves on the inside curve of the speedskating oval. I like his refusal to whine for NBC about the realities of short-track racing. I like his back story. I like his looks. He is cute, really cute." I don't know. I think I prefer the soulpatch to a full blown goatee.

The Seattle Times goes into the history of the soul patch. It also mentions that "Evening Magazine host John Curley made 3,000 replicas of [Ohno's soul patch] with fake fur and double-stick tape, then gave them to fans who wore them to Ohno's gold-medal-winning race Wednesday night."

So they may have a point. Soul patch fever. Yeah, maybe. But am I the only one who thinks we just have 3,000 people walking around looking a bit like Charlie Chaplin? (Yes, I know his was a mustache, but really, they don't look a thing like Apolo either.)

You are Irvine! Comfortable whether in social settings or home on the range, you're easygoing and have a good heart. That is one reason everyone seems to adore you. But sometimes you feel like people don't see the real you behind that cowboy hat. Take the Final Fantasy 8 Test here!

Song of the Day:
Crossroads - LL Cool J
This song takes me back to junior year. What a weird experience. Chad and Dustin were the closest thing to gangstas that my tiny hometown had... but somehow we connected on some level. Does that make me a gangsta ho?

Ross the Intern with his Apolo Anton Ohno soulpatch.

I am slowly packing everything from the living room. My bedroom is going to be another issue. I could restock an entire Goodwill store with all the clothes and other items I am getting rid of.

Big few weeks ahead...
1. Levi is apparently going to help me move furniture this week.
2. Moving into my new place... from here on known as The Manor.
3. The guys are coming to town for two weeks to record.
4. Before you know it, the spring tour begins. Woot woot!

One more worm from that Olympics-sore-loser-protesting can that was opened last week: "The International Skating Union rejected on Friday Russia’s protest against Irina Slutskaya’s second place in Thursday’s Olympic women’s figure skating. 'The protest has been denied,' referee Britt Lindgren told Reuters."

I have had 43 hits already today mostly from people searching for Ross the Intern from The Tonight Show on Google. Sorry folks, I don't have any inside info on the guy. I just happened to mention that he was funny the other day, and all of a sudden I'm one of 5 websites with that phrase. He's such a trip. I may have to go get myself some red gloves.

Am I the only one who sees this?

Sarah Hughes vs. Reba McEntire


I think it's the same person.

Friday Five
1. Hey, baby, what's your sign? Do you think it fits you pretty well? Capricorn. I tend to not put a lot of stock in all that, but it's sort of accurate.
2. What's the worst birthday gift you've ever received? Any Christmas card with a "P.S. Happy Birthday" on it.
3. What's the best birthday gift you've ever received? That's really hard to say. I have a hard time deciphering what was birthday and what was Christmas anymore. But I really love my sewing machine.
4. What's the best way you've celebrated your birthday thus far? I generally celebrate the same way every year. Church in the morning, some sort of Christmas party in the afternoon/evening... for my 16th, my mom planned a surprise party for me which was cool. One year she took a bunch of my friends and I to see Aladdin, which was great.
5. What are your plans for this weekend? Pack and move or die trying.

Cool! Found a blog from someone who is actually at the Olympics as a spectator.

I don't know what happened to the line on the right side of my box here. It's irritating me only slightly as I do not have time to figure out why and fix it.

Want free fonts with no popups? www.fontfreak.com/fonts-new.htm

Trust me. If you go to just fontfreak.com, that's where all the popups and popunders and banners and cookies and crap comes in. This is my public service announcement for today. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Well, the proverbial can of worms was opened when they decided to give out a second set of gold medals for the pairs skating. I can see this becoming one eye-rolling protest after another. How about we just give everybody gold medals and ship them all back home?

"Russia has sent a letter of protest to the head of the International Ski Federation (FIS), claiming that biased judging denied freestyle skier Olga Koroleva an Olympic gold medal in the women’s aerials event on Monday."

"Lithuania have launched a protest against the judging of Monday’s ice dance competition, the second former Communist country to challenge Winter Olympic officials since the 'Skategate' controversy."

I have found a great place -- monkeyinadryer.com. It is unbelievable. He has all these sites that he has made for completely random stuff like... The Unofficial Playdoh Site and The Snowtropper Resource Center and The Boots of Star Wars Resource Center and Twiggy: Queen of Mod.

There is also Playdo.com. I'm not sure exactly what the point is yet, but you get to make a cute little character for yourself. (This is my head: ) And then I think the point is for little teenie-boppers to chat with their friends and play games and stuff.

Basically this is all stuff that is distracting me from my work. I'll be back later.

I just have to say that I love the Nsync Chilis commercial. But what's even better is the outtake found on chilis.com.

I am dying to find screenshots from Conan O'Brien on the Olympic Show tonight. Dan Jansen was giving him speedskating lessons, and it was quite possibly the funniest thing I have seen in a long while. I actually laughed out loud... but I'm a Conan lover.

I have also been getting a kick out of Ross the Intern on The Tonight Show. His interview with Jamie Sale and David Pelletier was hilarious.

I was amazed to discover tonight that Hallmark is making a Dinotopia miniseries! Dinotopia is one of the most beautifully illustrated books ever. I cannot wait to see what they do with it.

Friday Five
1. What was the first thing you ever cooked? Goodness... I have no idea. Hardboiled eggs?
2. What's your signature dish? Champagne Salad.
3. Ever had a cooking disaster? (tasted like crap, didn't work, etc.) Describe. Well, victory and disaster can be so closely related.... The whole cornish hen / pumpkin soup night was fun and seemed potentially successful, but curry can be scary.
4. If skill and money were no object, what would make for your dream meal? My family's traditional Christmas dinner.
5. What are you doing this weekend? I need to pack... I need to pack... I need to move. But I may actually get to see Brotherhood of the Wolf on Monday. Yay!

I'm not in the Dido demographic. I only own three of the albums mentioned: The Joshua Tree, Jagged Little Pill, and Protection (which should only count as half, because I own Blue Lines as well... it had nothing to do with Tracey Thorn).

There is a disturbance in the force.

With all of the websites out there in the world about every topic ever invented, you would think that there would be a website somewhere with photos of the different designs of olympic medals through the decades. I did find this article on the design for this year's medals.

I also wanted to see if there were any blogs by people who were actually in attendance of any of the actual olympic events this year. There actually are two out there by guys who are working at the games. Guy Number One and Guy Number Two. (Found via this guy.)

I am not convinced that they are the only ones, so I will continue my quest.

By the way, I was kicking tail in the Fantasy Olympics there after going with Germay for the womens luge.

I was looking for information on the National Geographic special I watched the other night on volcanos, but I came across this article instead: Dino-Era Vomit Fossil Found in England. That is just great. Did they really call it a "technicolor yawn"?? It doesn't get much better than this, folks.

Chris pointed out this hard-to-believe article: Man convicted of shooting girlfriend over word rage. That is just crazy.

I love Google and their cute little graphics.

Will you be my valentine?

Good article in TIME - Good Mourning, America



You gotta love that trio of snowboarders who swept the medals yesterday though. After hearing them in interviews, I thought they came off a little more intelligent than I had given them credit. And you just know that those three faces are going to be plastered all over the walls of junior high girls after they are featured in Tiger Beat and the like.

Another someone who was not interested in having an American pity party at opening ceremonies. Scroll down and read Too Wrapped Up in the Flag.

Call me horrible... but a part of me is glad the Canadians did not win the gold for pairs figure skating. Confidence is one thing, but that Jamie Sale is a little too Nancy-Kerrigan-style-wenchy-ish for me.

Well, I started off the Fantasy Olympics strong. I made an excellent choice for the Women's Moguls going with USA who ended up with 2nd, 5th, and 7th. (You get points for each team member from that country in the top 10.) I walked away with 22 points for that one tying with 935 other people.

Unfortunately, Switzerland let me down in the Men's Downhill giving me only 3 points dropping me to 2,384th place. Ugh. Austria was the choice to go with there.

So today I am cheering for Canada in the Men's Halfpipe and Switzerland in the Ladies' Downhill.

Goodness!!! I was just looking up the ticket prices for closing ceremonies just out of curiosity. Sheesh. $885 per seat pretty much regardless of location. Well, now after looking at the prices for some of the other events, I cannot really decide if that is expensive or cheap. After all, the Men's Hockey Bronze medal game is $325.

Okay, enough of sports. I accomplished three goals last week. That just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
1. I now have a copy of the Venus Hum cd.
2. I now own a copy of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller.
3. I finished my tie-skirt. Yay! I have received so many good comments on it from completely random people. A man at the gas station. A lady at Target. A man even tapped me on the shoulder at the bookstore and said, "I really like your ties." Not to mention all the people I've caught taking a second glance. I did not realize I was going to cause such a sensation.

Happy Birthdays to my Brother (21st) and Father (54th) this past weekend!!

Martin over at The Copydesk said what I wanted to say only better in regards to the whole flag fiasco at the Olympics. I honestly had not thought much about the Olympics coming to America until the last couple days when I have heard news bits about this tattered flag.

Please don't think me calloused or insensitive, but really... leave it to egocentric U.S.A. to want to exploit our tragedy. Can't we just be proud to be Americans simply because we are Americans and not because we are trying to prove our resilience in defiance of terrorism? Because then what happens later? It's the return of the blasé. And yeah, I'm pretty sure that we aren't the only people who suffered any kind of great loss over the last year or so.

So, yeah, I guess I am watching the opening ceremonies tonight. Sting is on, after all.

And I just signed up to play in the Fantasy Olympics. I had to sacrifice what would have been a few of my choices just because I believe Germany is going to kick arse this year. We shall see.... I'll keep you posted. :)

"I saw the picture that you sent. Pretty creative, which is consistent with your character," says the someone whose opinion used to matter more than anyone else's.

What a day.

Today I have been bombarded with the word memoir.

1. On my way to work, I listened to Alexandra Fuller being interviewed about her memoir titled Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight. She spoke very intelligently, and I am curious enough now to consider either purchasing it or getting a library card.

2. There is a new course being offered at Barnes & Noble University titled Memoir Writing. I would be interested in doing this course, however I do not feel I have the time to commit to such a venture at the moment.

3. I randomly ran across Bill Shunn's website where he tells about the writing of his memoir. More specifically the tale of his arrest as he was trying to board a flight in Canada while being a missionary for the Morman church. I have read the excerpts and do hope to read more. I have a soft-spot in my heart for people like that, I guess... (Elder Wheeler and Elder Cavanaugh... I know you're out there somewhere, and I hope that we planted as many seeds of doubt in your minds as you tried to plant in ours.)

So anyway, I was thinking that maybe I should just go ahead and write my own memoir. I'm not sure that I would exactly have an audience. I'm not related to anyone influential nor have I done anything extremely breathtaking. I don't know. We shall see. Maybe for next November's NaNoWriMo! :)

To go see Sixpence or not to go see Sixpence.... that is the question.

See what Care Bear you are.


I'm an Earth Spirit

I forgot what I was going to say.

 

Chris spoke one day too soon. I opened the door this morning and had to let out a giggle of delight. Snow had just started gently falling. It has even started to accumulate a little bit now. Yay! A taste of home!

 

 



See which Greek Goddess you are.
(via domynoe)
Umm... so maybe I don't really want to be well-liked.

Danielle
smile like you're leaning
on a split-rail fence
breathing roadside dust
and lemonade
red hair showing
bluejeans wearing
sunset glowing
midwest poetry
in your pose.
--by christopher j. madin
30 January 2001



gone down south
strip joints and
christian radio stations
and no snow
at Christmas-
worth the
1,200-mile drive
to go sledding
with the family
--by christopher j. madin
05 February 2002

Song(s) for the Day:
We Danced Anyway - Deanna Carter
Because I heard it in the car the other night and have been in a mod-country mood lately.

no wait, I want it to be:
I Never Saw Blue Like That - Shawn Colvin
They played this at my sister's wedding. I want to learn to play it.... soon... when I get my keyboard.

Today on my lunch hour I finally went to see the Confederate Cemetery in Carnton that I pass signs for every day. I used to be so disappointed with my friends who live in amazingly historic areas and yet they have never visited any of them. I always thought that if I ever lived in New England or coastal Virginia or coastal Florida, I would most certainly take advantage of the history lesson surrounding me. So now I find myself in my own little time warp, and I intend to take advantage of the beauty.

I also have a strange fascination with cemeteries. There is such a mysterious beauty about them. So many stories. So much pain and heartache. So many heros and loved ones. I wish I had had my camera with me today.

There were rows upon rows of small grave markers with one aisle going down the middle. The rectangular resting place was surrounded by an iron fence with a gate on either end. The far end met up with the McGavock family cemetary... the curious thing I noticed about the family area was that so many of them died at early ages. I wonder what their stories are.

I did not spend much time there, because it was rather cold. There were several old trees that creaked in the wind. As I stepped on some soft earth and sank ever so slightly, my imagination started getting away with me. It was deliciously eerie.

When I came back I thought I would look for some more information on it. Glad I did that after I had been there. Supposedly the place is haunted... if you believe in that kind of thing. This site shows supposed photos.

Anyway... that was my fun for today. Now I have the hiccups. I need Hiccups Away.

My goal for the next three days (besides packing up half my apartment) is getting my hands on the Venus Hum cd. I think after falling asleep to it last week, it has implanted itself within my inner psyche.

I may even resort to going to the mall for once.

Which Carbonated Beverage Are You?

AmIAnnoyingOrNot.com - A fun alternative to Am I Hot or Not


Take the What Should Your New Year's Resolution Be? Quiz
(thanks connie)

Get'cho freakon. (That's for Manda.)



Thanks to for the poignant review of that video.


1. Have you ever had braces? Any other teeth trauma? No, but I probably should have. I had stains on my teeth from a medication I was given as a child... which sucked, and I recently had something done about that. And for the record, I have aboslutely no cavities. I had a few in my baby teeth, but none since those fell out.
2. Ever broken any bones? No, but I have always wanted to.
3. Ever had stitches? I had my knee scoped my senior year. This was a result of falling while running through the woods in the dark in the fall. That injury was reaggrivated in The Big Van Accident of December 1994. So had the surjury that spring to fix it once and for all.
4. What are the stories behind some of your [physical] scars? I don't really have anything fun. Just the three scars on my right knee. I used to have one kinda where the ankle meets the foot from when I dropped a scissors point-down... but I think that one only shows up in the summer anymore.
5. How do you plan to spend your weekend? Mark's back in town. Yay! I think we are going to catch a movie some night. I'm going to The Edge for the first time in weeks on Sunday. Then every other spare minute it going to be spent packing. Woohoo.

I admit that I listen to public radio. I am 25-years old going on 65, I know. I have been hooked on it ever since working with Tim Arkema in Michigan. Now it is basically my only source of news. I couldn't get along without my Morning Edition. I really miss Diane Rehm and Talk of the Nation... but I catch Fresh Aire with Terry Gross on my way home.

So last night on Fresh Aire, Terry was interviewing Lt. Col. Martha McSally. In summary, she is suing the defence department for the unequal treatment for U.S. Servicewomen in Saudi Arabia. I was just very impressed by her level-headedness and clarity in speech. She did not come off as being some sort of feminazi, just as someone who has deep convinctions. So for that, I just wanted to bring her up here.

garagesale.com - I wanted that site to be cooler. Sad.

I'm sewing my necktie skirt. Started last night. By my estimations I need three more ties. Too bad the Goodwills down here are horrible.