Tuesday, May 31, 2005

early evening

Tired, Just Thinking About The Next Week

My mom is still in the hospital from the car accident.  She’s doing okay though, but her doctor wants to monitor her for a while longer because her liver is still bleeding.  Better safe than sorry.

On Thursday, we’re getting together with my cousins for dinner at N9NE, at The Palms, for my aunt’s 90th birthday.  On Friday, Leigh-Ann and I have tickets to see the Las Vegas 51s.  They’re the Dodgers AAA affiliate.  And coolness, it’s ZOOperstars night.  It’s silly, but it always entertains us.  Then Saturday & Sunday, we have the CoffeeFest/Dessert Expo convention.  It’s something we look forward to all year, but this year, with so much going on, we’re not going to really look forward to it until we’re there.  Then, we’ll forget about everything else and enjoy the smell of espresso, the taste of biscotti and chat with fun new strangers.  After that, a friend from our message board will be in town and we’ll be getting together for sushi or somethin’.

Then...we rest.

Sunday, May 29, 2005

evening

They’re Okay, But…UMC Trauma Center Isn’t All That Fun

I guess you might be wondering why I was at UMC’s Trauma Center, huh?  My parents were in a car accident early this morning.  Totalled the car, but fortunately, didn’t total my parents.  My dad is a little bruised and burned from the airbag, but is fine and will be going to a private doctor for a check-up.  Right, Dad!?  My mom, who is tiny, was hit pretty hard by the airbag and had a lacerated liver—she’ll be spending the night at the hospital.

Advice to everyone - get a car with airbags if you can.  It’ll help you survive smashing into a cement barrier.  Also, wear your seatbelts.  And, to help prevent injuries, wear your seatbelt properly.  Seatbelts:  Why You Should Use Them While I was in the trauma center waiting room, quite a few people died from car accidents.  My guess is, most of them weren’t wearing seatbelts.  If you’re reading this, I probably like you and want you to stick around for a while.  So, wear your seatbelts.  In a few days, I’ll show you the car and you can decide if seatbelts and airbags are helpful.

Thursday, May 26, 2005

evening

Book Reviews - The Beginning of the Journey (updated 5/28/05)

Okay, I’m starting with an oldie from elementary school.  It made such a huge impression on me that, to this day, I have Tikki Tikki Tembo’s whole name memorized.  It’s nothing amazing, but it brings back fond memories.  Of course, not as fond as Harriet the Spy, which was my favorite kid’s book of all time.  I read it so many times that I almost wore the book out.  The follow-up, The Long Secret wasn’t as impressive, so I’m not even bothering to link to it.  Harriet the Spy was my favorite childhood companion.  So, it’s no surprise that I loved the last book I read, Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy by Lindsay Moran.  Lindsay Moran is Harvard grad who had a Fulbright scholarship to study in Bulgaria.  After that, she decides to sign up for the CIA.  The whole process is fascinating, from the tests to get in, the training exercises of losing tails and doing spy stuff in different cities, to her graduation and starting the job.  It made me lose complete respect for the CIA, but it was a fun and interesting read and I hope Lindsay Moran writes more books.  She’s like an everyday person who’s smarter than most of us, but isn’t obnoxious about it and has a great sense of humor and a thirst for adventure.  Easily one of the most interesting books I’ve read in a while.

As you can see by the extended entry, I have a lot of reviews to get caught up on.  But the titles are all there to remind me to come back and tell you about them.

read entire entry...

lunch time

Fantasy Baseball

Man, I just can’t seem to catch a break.  My Killer Tomatoes are fading fast.  My first basemen can’t hit.  One of my catchers (Jason Varitek) is doing great, but he doesn’t play every game.  My other catcher is in a huge slump.  Eric Gagne still doesn’t have a save this season.  My second basemen are mediocre.  Greg Maddux has been supremely disappointing so far this season.  He’s -19 for the season in points.  That’s no way to help me move from 6th to 1st place and overtake the evil Lumpy Rutherfords.  Derek Jeter, at least, is still good, still cute and plays through just about any injury.

I can’t wait until Fantasy Football starts.  It’s so much easier, only worrying about one game a week.  Also, it gives players more time to heal, instead of players getting hurt every single day...or is that just my team?

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

late evening

Idiot of the Day - Tom Cruise

First, for his idiotic “fool in love” behavior on Oprah.  I don’t know who’s buying it, but from checking out the web, not many people.  Also, Tom-baby, when you’re wooing a virgin, what’s the point of rose petals all over the room?  Either she isn’t a virgin or you’re wanting more from her than she’s ready to give.  But enough about the silliness of you blathering on about a three week old relationship with a child.  Your most heinous crime of the week—bashing Brooke Shields for taking Paxil for her Postpartum Depression and telling her she should have taken “vitamins”.  Yes, Dr. Cruise, she wanted to kill herself, but Flintstones vitamins would’ve come to the rescue, I’m sure.  Until you give birth and have your hormones raging, or heck, even get a medical degree, then keep your phony toothy mouth shut.  You know what, even if you do manage to give birth somehow and go to med school, still go away.  We’ve all had enough of your phoniness to last a lifetime.  Hey, you know what, maybe if you take enough vitamins, you’ll be cured of your utterly repulsive behavior.  Try ‘em.  Send email to let us know if they work.  Hey, maybe the vitamins will work for the rent boys you keep suing too.  Vitamins are magical.