Perhaps thanks to the rain over the weekend, David's allergies were in check yesterday so we took a nice walk around the neighborhood, and ended up stopping for dinner at one of our favorite pubs, Mr. Henry's. After we finished eating, our waiter came over and said "So how are you hot dudes doing?". Shameless ploy perhaps, but he got his 20%.
We have these little pots in our kitchen window that we've never been exactly sure what to plant in them. Most plants would outgrow them too quickly. A few weeks ago David got a bunch of these little weeds and succulents from the horticulture teacher at his school and they've been thriving nicely. But now he has gotten obsessed, and when we walk around he scours the neighborhood for more that he can steal. Last night he found three new varieties. He just pulls off a tiny stalk and plants it when we get home. It cracks me up. But he stole one from a little park over by the Botanical Gardens and after a few days it even produced a delicate little yellow flower. There are worse obsessions, right?
So what is going on with Idol this season? Overall it is by far the best group of singers they've had since I started watching, but somehow it is all sort of...dull. The Andrew Lloyd Webber week was good, but I don't get how there wasn't a gay intern or someone who could go to Castro and say, dude, don't sing "Memory". Here, listen to Laurie Beechman and her guitar sing "Love Changes Everything", and do that instead. (Also, did Ryan say that Streisand made "Memory" famous? Wasn't that "Memories", which is a completely different song?) I did really like Archletta's "Think Of Me", because he took a girl song and changed the arrangement around and made it sound like a pop song written for him. Best yet though was Syesha, who took a song I didn't even know (give me a break, how many of you know anything from Starlight?) and was totally sexy and fun.
This week was even worse though. Neil Diamond, really? Castro and Brooke, both of whom showed such early promise, have gotten completely predictable and dull. Castro just seems bored. Brooke though, is having panic attacks on stage, which is just kind of sad and hard to watch. Her second song was way better than the first (which was a disaster), but she won't get back to great until she just relaxes. And stop talking back to the judges!!!! I hate that! The David's were both fine but boring. The only person who was any good at all was, shockingly, Syesha. She is like Neil and Sabra from SYTYCD, peaking late in the season. I don't know if it is, perhaps, too late to save her (since Simon clearly is done with her and wants her gone), but for the second week in a row she was the best thing about the show. With Carly gone (whom deserved better but asked for an early dismissal with her refusal to get a makeover) Syesha indisputably has the best vocals. I hope she edges out Castro or Brooke this week, but I'm not holding my breath. I still expect the final two to be the two David's.
Oh, and how awesome was Paula? After they sang their first song she starts giving feedback and is like "Your first song was just ok, but your second song didn't show your personality." Awkward pause. Er, his second song? Oh My God! Paula is a time-traveller! It totally explains everything, why she is always so weird, because she already knows what is going to happen but is always trying to remember what she can't say and the strain is just too much for her. lol (In fairness, I'm sure she saw them rehearse both songs, but still. And how lame to get negative feedback on a song you haven't even performed yet?)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Pick your fluid, I saw it
For the record, our days in DC are limited. This is the first time I've ever loved spring so much, DC really blossoms and the weather has been fantastic the last week or so. Unfortunately David is allergic to it, forcing him to hide indoors at times where I desperately want to go out for walks. We'll see how long it lasts. But we won't survive long in a city where David can't go outdoors on the most beautiful days of the year. Apparently it is a tree of some sort. Hope it drops its flowers soon whatever it is.
This weekend at work: a big, tall, burly guy walks out of his room and yells at me "It is cold in my room! I'm calling the police!". A little later a white lady doctor tries to talk to him and he shouts at her "Get out of my room white woman!". She came out and jokingly asked me if I thought this would be a good time to talk to him about stopping his drug use. Heh. Happily I only had to deal with him for one shift. He was definitely a guy nurse patient though, all the girls were scared of him. He snuck through his shared bathroom and totally freaked out the woman in the next room. He retreated, but then started asking what her name was. We moved him across the hall pretty quickly.
I also took care of another gentleman who has been on our floor for week, very confused following a stroke. He talks a lot, but very little of what he says makes any sense. We'd had a pretty good weekend, but then he got it in his head he wanted to leave. The more agitated he got, the more we had to stop him from leaving, and the more we held him back the more combative he got until he started hitting, kicking, and spitting. He's been on so much Valium and Benadryl and Seroquel that the drugs hardly touch him, and even after some Haldol he was screaming and fighting us, so we had to put him in four point restraints. It was very clear we were doing it for his own safety, but still it has been haunting me, I hate having to tie someone down. In his head, all his talking must make sense, and it must be terribly frustrating for him. I had him again last night, and he was a bit calmer (he wasn't violent) but still very agitated and wanting to leave. Fortunately his IV is the only thing left that he could pull out (the feeding tube and foley are gone), so I was at least able to release one of his hands, which calmed him down. As soon as I released his other hand though he started trying to get out of bed to head for the door, so we had to keep that one. Poor guy.
Otherwise it was the weekend of bodily fluids. One guy throwing up. A lot. One guy with pins in his leg that were bleeding all over the place. Two guys with tracheostomies coughing up lots of boogers. The confused guy was pooping. Another with a PEG tube into his stomach that came open and leaked the chocolate shake I'd given him a few hours earlier all over his bed. None of it is fun, but somehow it is always the boogers that gross me out the most.
The weird thing, is that other than the restraints, which really bothered me, I am really liking my job. It is tiring, and can be stressful, and sometimes I don't eat for 12 hours and sometimes my legs hurt from never sitting down, and there is always another piece of paperwork to fill out. But I have to say it feels pretty good when people say thank you after a long day.
This weekend at work: a big, tall, burly guy walks out of his room and yells at me "It is cold in my room! I'm calling the police!". A little later a white lady doctor tries to talk to him and he shouts at her "Get out of my room white woman!". She came out and jokingly asked me if I thought this would be a good time to talk to him about stopping his drug use. Heh. Happily I only had to deal with him for one shift. He was definitely a guy nurse patient though, all the girls were scared of him. He snuck through his shared bathroom and totally freaked out the woman in the next room. He retreated, but then started asking what her name was. We moved him across the hall pretty quickly.
I also took care of another gentleman who has been on our floor for week, very confused following a stroke. He talks a lot, but very little of what he says makes any sense. We'd had a pretty good weekend, but then he got it in his head he wanted to leave. The more agitated he got, the more we had to stop him from leaving, and the more we held him back the more combative he got until he started hitting, kicking, and spitting. He's been on so much Valium and Benadryl and Seroquel that the drugs hardly touch him, and even after some Haldol he was screaming and fighting us, so we had to put him in four point restraints. It was very clear we were doing it for his own safety, but still it has been haunting me, I hate having to tie someone down. In his head, all his talking must make sense, and it must be terribly frustrating for him. I had him again last night, and he was a bit calmer (he wasn't violent) but still very agitated and wanting to leave. Fortunately his IV is the only thing left that he could pull out (the feeding tube and foley are gone), so I was at least able to release one of his hands, which calmed him down. As soon as I released his other hand though he started trying to get out of bed to head for the door, so we had to keep that one. Poor guy.
Otherwise it was the weekend of bodily fluids. One guy throwing up. A lot. One guy with pins in his leg that were bleeding all over the place. Two guys with tracheostomies coughing up lots of boogers. The confused guy was pooping. Another with a PEG tube into his stomach that came open and leaked the chocolate shake I'd given him a few hours earlier all over his bed. None of it is fun, but somehow it is always the boogers that gross me out the most.
The weird thing, is that other than the restraints, which really bothered me, I am really liking my job. It is tiring, and can be stressful, and sometimes I don't eat for 12 hours and sometimes my legs hurt from never sitting down, and there is always another piece of paperwork to fill out. But I have to say it feels pretty good when people say thank you after a long day.
Friday, April 25, 2008
When you've been together as long as we have...
Our friends Rick and Jeffrey came to visit this past weekend. We met Jeffrey on tour with the Disney show in Taiwan ten years ago. I can't believe that was ten years ago! Like David and I, they have been together for 15 years, and like David and I, they are weird, but in all the right ways. You can read what Rick had to say here. We had a great time, even though I had to work one of the days they were here. As is par for the course for us, we walked blisters into poor Rick's feet. We love company, and if you are reading this we probably want you to come visit us too, but I can guarantee we are going to walk you to the Capitol Building, which is a mile from our house, and then it is another good walk down the Mall to all the museums and monuments. It adds up. So start working on your callouses before you get here!
We had perfect weather the first few days they were here, and took full advantage of being outdoors. Then the rain came, which really just gave us an excuse to stay home and visit a little more, which was just as much fun. We geocached, we fondued, we saw the Hope Diamond. Rick FINALLY made us a Friend Frame, and it is totally creative and awesome. We've had a few additions recently so are going to have to add a new row of frames to the wall. I love that!
Also, Rick and Jeffrey basically promised that when David and I move to Hawaii they are going to move there too. I'm sure I didn't misinterpret that. And I'm holding them to it. When they left they headed up to New York to see a few Broadway shows, so of course I'm totally jealous. Also, we showed them the MTV airing of "Legally Blonde" which we still have saved on the Tivo. Jeffrey was all "I don't really care to watch that", but once it had been on about, oh, thirty seconds, he sat down mesmerized and enjoyed the entire thing with us. As for me, I enjoyed it even more on a second viewing. It may not have quite the charm of the movie, but it comes close, with a perfect performance from Christian Borle and lots of fun laughs.
Our next special guest star will be our bestest friend from Albuquerque, Erin. Then Kyle and Liz, and my Dad. Next month will be busy! But in a great way. The allergy season has hit in earnest for David (fortunately just after the boys left), and I hope it will ease up a little for him before Erin gets here. Cause there are plenty of outdoors adventures we want to take her on. Can we say Six Flags???
Quick note...
After two night shifts, I'm jet-lagged and am trying to get re-oriented for my day shifts this weekend. Tues night among my four patients I got to give Golightly which you nurses know results in some very sad "South Park" type humor (if you find poop dripping onto the floor funny), plus I had two Heparin drips, sacral ulcer dressings, contact isolation, aspiration precautions, a cortisol test (which required three blood draws over the course of an hour and a half), I gave two units of blood, I prepared two of them for dialysis...it was extraordinarily busy for a night shift. Luckily the night crew is the best and I got plenty of help.
I had to get the Survivor post done with before my memories started to fade, but we just had some most excellent company that I will talk about soon. Complete with photos! But I have to force myself to sleep for now. Wish me luck.
I had to get the Survivor post done with before my memories started to fade, but we just had some most excellent company that I will talk about soon. Complete with photos! But I have to force myself to sleep for now. Wish me luck.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Survivor, or the season that keeps giving, and giving, and giving...
Am I just crazy, or is this one of the best seasons of Survivor ever? I mean, I've had all these fears about how things are going to turn out, and frankly with those two girls left I still have a few. But am I wrong or has every single episode this season been anything less than awesome?
Parvati wants to do damage control. Good luck with that. People love to play the game until they themselves get played, and then they love nothing more than to blame you for all their problems. James, at least, in consistent, even reviving his once-funny apple metaphor. Now it just sounds tired. I bet James is a great person to have as a friend, very loyal and simple and direct. But, after watching that strategy fail once before, don't you think you might at least consider that it might not be the best way to play the game? This is, remember, a GAME. You adjust, you maneuver, that is what makes it interesting. James is strictly Outplay, and while that is a huge plus, it isn't enough all by itself. Next week then?
Amanda, I admit, is in a hard place. Both betrayed and out of the loop. But, then, what game have you been playing? Oh, right, nothing much but riding on Ozzy's coattails. Where is the player we had last season? Right at the beginning of the episode, she said something like, "You want to play? Then game on!" This, of course, thrilled me that she might start moving and shaking. But, like Ami, I'm a'feared that she is all talk and no game this time around. I guess Todd just brought out the best in her. Also very funny was when she was complaining to James about how evil Parvati was to blindside Ozzy like that. I wanted James to cough and say "Darling, didn't you do the EXACT SAME THING to me last season???" Heh. But emotion often takes over the weaker players. Sad that at this point I am calling James and Amanda weak, but really, what have they done besides ride on our good memories of them last season?
The food auction, always a highlight. They should put James on the box for Life, cause he really will eat anything. The, er, non-pretty invisible girl, gets to send someone to Exile, and she picks...Jason? She redeems the choice later (and deliciously so), but still, stupid move. I mean, really? Sending the guy you both want to get rid of as well as the guy most likely to find the Idol to Exile? If I had been the pretty invisible girl, I would have been saying "Pick me! Pick me!" But whatever. She also gets to pick three friend to share her cake, and makes her point with leaving Amanda out. Then she is weird, and is all "Don't eat too much of my cake."
Bonus: Eric pays Cirie $40 to lick the cake from her fingers. And right here we have my dream final two. He started off slow, but you have to love anyone who will pay money to lick chocolate cake off a teammates fingers. You also have to love someone who will accept money to have their fingers licked. Note: I declare this scene mandatory inclusion in any future "Best Of Survivor" clip shows.
Suddenly, non-pretty invisible girl comes out of her shell. She is ranting and raving and plotting against Jason, who, without any actual consideration, seems a shoe-in for most clueless Survivor ever. (Well, with possible competition from Dr. Sean from first season.) He finds the Idol easily. I'll give him credit for being a great competitor. But he has no skill at all in reading people. At the immunity challenge, the girl is great, and without overplaying her hand gives him a false sense of security. For one of the first times this season, James really competes well, but Scrappy-Do manages to just beat him. Happy Birthday Eric.
Back at camp, the Survivors rummage through Jason's things and find the Idol. For some reason this bothers me. There are clearly rules of behavior, or they would just steal it, and I think everyone deserves a small modicum of privacy. Just a nitpick, but there it is. The girl again approaches Jason, and gives a pretty terrible performance, showing not the slightest bit of excitement when he tells her he has the Idol. Luckily for her he is hopeless and falls for it anyway.
Now, all of this is seeming way too easy for me. Suddenly James and Amanda are talking, and he suggests voting Parvati. Interesting. I have no desire to see her fall before Jason, but intrigue is always good, and all it would take would be Eric's vote to at least get a tie. At tribal we get to see more of Ozzy's mad face. When he heard it was Parvati that turned on him, I thought he was going to leap the aisle to kill her there. Funny, but none of the Favorites are improving their image with this season. Well, maybe Penner, but his tearful exit gives him an advantage. Cirie is the only one who hasn't been either desperate or just coasting.
In the end Amanda does an Ami and doesn't stick her neck out. Did Eric refuse or did they just not even try? Or is it just that no one dares defy Cirie, who always seems to get just what she wants. Jason getting blindsided exactly like Ozzy was last week was pretty delicious, though perhaps not quite as satisfying since he didn't get all huffy about it. But regardless, I'm happy with the outcome. For me, you have to have at least a bit of skill at Outwit to get to the end, and he was certainly lacking there.
Things look grim for James, and I'm not even talking about the finger. I'm hoping Eric slips through though, because the girls will start to turn on each other before long. I love Eric even more after the previews for next week, when he admonishes his family member for not being appropriately worshipful of Probst. "YOU WERE STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO JEFF!!!" he screams. Be still my heart.
Parvati wants to do damage control. Good luck with that. People love to play the game until they themselves get played, and then they love nothing more than to blame you for all their problems. James, at least, in consistent, even reviving his once-funny apple metaphor. Now it just sounds tired. I bet James is a great person to have as a friend, very loyal and simple and direct. But, after watching that strategy fail once before, don't you think you might at least consider that it might not be the best way to play the game? This is, remember, a GAME. You adjust, you maneuver, that is what makes it interesting. James is strictly Outplay, and while that is a huge plus, it isn't enough all by itself. Next week then?
Amanda, I admit, is in a hard place. Both betrayed and out of the loop. But, then, what game have you been playing? Oh, right, nothing much but riding on Ozzy's coattails. Where is the player we had last season? Right at the beginning of the episode, she said something like, "You want to play? Then game on!" This, of course, thrilled me that she might start moving and shaking. But, like Ami, I'm a'feared that she is all talk and no game this time around. I guess Todd just brought out the best in her. Also very funny was when she was complaining to James about how evil Parvati was to blindside Ozzy like that. I wanted James to cough and say "Darling, didn't you do the EXACT SAME THING to me last season???" Heh. But emotion often takes over the weaker players. Sad that at this point I am calling James and Amanda weak, but really, what have they done besides ride on our good memories of them last season?
The food auction, always a highlight. They should put James on the box for Life, cause he really will eat anything. The, er, non-pretty invisible girl, gets to send someone to Exile, and she picks...Jason? She redeems the choice later (and deliciously so), but still, stupid move. I mean, really? Sending the guy you both want to get rid of as well as the guy most likely to find the Idol to Exile? If I had been the pretty invisible girl, I would have been saying "Pick me! Pick me!" But whatever. She also gets to pick three friend to share her cake, and makes her point with leaving Amanda out. Then she is weird, and is all "Don't eat too much of my cake."
Bonus: Eric pays Cirie $40 to lick the cake from her fingers. And right here we have my dream final two. He started off slow, but you have to love anyone who will pay money to lick chocolate cake off a teammates fingers. You also have to love someone who will accept money to have their fingers licked. Note: I declare this scene mandatory inclusion in any future "Best Of Survivor" clip shows.
Suddenly, non-pretty invisible girl comes out of her shell. She is ranting and raving and plotting against Jason, who, without any actual consideration, seems a shoe-in for most clueless Survivor ever. (Well, with possible competition from Dr. Sean from first season.) He finds the Idol easily. I'll give him credit for being a great competitor. But he has no skill at all in reading people. At the immunity challenge, the girl is great, and without overplaying her hand gives him a false sense of security. For one of the first times this season, James really competes well, but Scrappy-Do manages to just beat him. Happy Birthday Eric.
Back at camp, the Survivors rummage through Jason's things and find the Idol. For some reason this bothers me. There are clearly rules of behavior, or they would just steal it, and I think everyone deserves a small modicum of privacy. Just a nitpick, but there it is. The girl again approaches Jason, and gives a pretty terrible performance, showing not the slightest bit of excitement when he tells her he has the Idol. Luckily for her he is hopeless and falls for it anyway.
Now, all of this is seeming way too easy for me. Suddenly James and Amanda are talking, and he suggests voting Parvati. Interesting. I have no desire to see her fall before Jason, but intrigue is always good, and all it would take would be Eric's vote to at least get a tie. At tribal we get to see more of Ozzy's mad face. When he heard it was Parvati that turned on him, I thought he was going to leap the aisle to kill her there. Funny, but none of the Favorites are improving their image with this season. Well, maybe Penner, but his tearful exit gives him an advantage. Cirie is the only one who hasn't been either desperate or just coasting.
In the end Amanda does an Ami and doesn't stick her neck out. Did Eric refuse or did they just not even try? Or is it just that no one dares defy Cirie, who always seems to get just what she wants. Jason getting blindsided exactly like Ozzy was last week was pretty delicious, though perhaps not quite as satisfying since he didn't get all huffy about it. But regardless, I'm happy with the outcome. For me, you have to have at least a bit of skill at Outwit to get to the end, and he was certainly lacking there.
Things look grim for James, and I'm not even talking about the finger. I'm hoping Eric slips through though, because the girls will start to turn on each other before long. I love Eric even more after the previews for next week, when he admonishes his family member for not being appropriately worshipful of Probst. "YOU WERE STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO JEFF!!!" he screams. Be still my heart.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Survivor, or how the entitled mighty fall
This will be a shorter blog than usual, cause I have company and will be busy today having awesome fun in the totally gorgeous weather. Luckily they arrived last night from LA and are jetlagged and still asleep, so I had time this morning to watch Survivor. What a way to start what is bound to be a good day. I'm simply giddy with delight. ::evil laugh::
The reward challenge was a good one. I still find schoolyard picks where one person gets left out morally wrong, so if I didn't already love Cirie I'd have some extra good-will for her now. I mean, she was the obvious choice, but still it just sucks for the show to go out of its way to be mean. Also obvious was who was going to win. And they did win, so I can't tell for sure, but I get the feeling that Jason is, well, kinda dumb.
Back at camp James seems to be going out of his way to annoy people, making as much noise as is possible two feet away from his sleeping teammates. I don't care how superior you think you are, pissing people off is not going to make your point in a game like this. Then he has the gall to complain about how his teammates had the gall to complain about him. Life is fun when you never look in a mirror.
On to the immunity challenge. And yes, Jason is dumb. But before that the invisible girls get to show off their inexperience by losing the challenge without benefit of food. The first one was pissed off, which I hate to say it, but it made it even funnier. Then a priceless moment. James is mocking them, and then just as he says "That would suck!" he does the same thing and loses. Ha! Instant replay moment. Jason trusting them not to vote him off was, shall we say, stupid and naive. But I'll at least give him credit for trying something risky. I mean, I'd have given him more credit had he said "sorry but I have to win" (Parvati could have given them the food just as easy), but still, at least he wasn't just giving up like Ozzy and Eric did. Amanda at least had a reason why she had to quit, although had she peed down her leg to win she would have been my favorite Survivor ever. Maybe Eric is secure enough to quit after two minutes for a bowl of candy, but Ozzy was just stupid. I hope his cookie was yummy, because he paid a million bucks for it.
Cirie once again comes through for me and starts a counter plan to Ozzy's vote off Jason plan. Getting rid of Ozzy makes sense on every level, but the true test comes down to Parvati, who has to backstab her alliance to make it happen. She was in a tough spot, does she just let Ozzy walk away with it all, or does she take the gamble and give herself a shot at it? In the end I thought she wasn't going to do it, I thought she'd stay in the safety of Amanda and James. But then, Cirie does tend to get what she wants, doesn't she?
There are many reasons I'm glad Ozzy is gone, his arrogance chief among them. He clearly reads his reviews and believes he is entitled to win. But wow was he angry. Almost as angry when he lost the million dollars to Yul. When Jeff snuffs out his fire, he turns around and gives the death ray eye to everyone left. Remember when Ami was sobbing because she wanted to stay so bad, but before she left she said "Do well guys!". Class. Ozzy: "I don't know who voted me off, but I hate them." Buh-bye.
(Bonus for Ozzy getting voted off: Eliza. And we voted this girl off? I want eye-popping reactions like that every week from now on!!!)
Parvati rolled the dice, and in the end I think the person who stands to benefit most is...Amanda. While voting off Ozzy might give her a little credit with Eliza (who remember was always trying to get rid of Parvati when she had the chance), obviously Ozzy and James would never vote for her. Amanda wouldn't if she ends up on the jury. Probably not Eric either. So while I love that she did it, I really don't see her winning at this point. She is an appeaser, but won't be able to just "make everything" ok" with them after this. She would have to start playing like a Todd and make a very clinical case of why she did it, but I just don't see them buying it from her. So while she currently has some power now, I think her chances of winning is slim. I'm pretty sure James will be a target soon. What is killing me are those invisible girls, who seem impossible to target, yet they can't possibly end up in the end. And Jason? Ugh.
If Cirie makes it to the end, I think she has a good shot. But I think Amanda and Parvati are probably too smart for that. However, here is my newest idea. It is going to be Eric. I say that because, one, everyone seems to want to adopt him. The fans like him, the favorites like him. His charms eluded me for a long time, but I have to admit he is sort of growing on me in an aw-shucks kind of way. And notice that the reward challenge was all about him. Eric relates to the natives, Eric plays with the kids, Eric chews betel-nut and barfs. I mean, it was like he won the challenge all by himself. The last time I remember a reward challenge being edited like that was in Africa, when Ethan was playing soccer with all the cute kids, just a few weeks before he went on to win. Was this the rehabilitate Eric episode? Anything could happen at this point, but for now that is my story and I'm sticking to it.
The reward challenge was a good one. I still find schoolyard picks where one person gets left out morally wrong, so if I didn't already love Cirie I'd have some extra good-will for her now. I mean, she was the obvious choice, but still it just sucks for the show to go out of its way to be mean. Also obvious was who was going to win. And they did win, so I can't tell for sure, but I get the feeling that Jason is, well, kinda dumb.
Back at camp James seems to be going out of his way to annoy people, making as much noise as is possible two feet away from his sleeping teammates. I don't care how superior you think you are, pissing people off is not going to make your point in a game like this. Then he has the gall to complain about how his teammates had the gall to complain about him. Life is fun when you never look in a mirror.
On to the immunity challenge. And yes, Jason is dumb. But before that the invisible girls get to show off their inexperience by losing the challenge without benefit of food. The first one was pissed off, which I hate to say it, but it made it even funnier. Then a priceless moment. James is mocking them, and then just as he says "That would suck!" he does the same thing and loses. Ha! Instant replay moment. Jason trusting them not to vote him off was, shall we say, stupid and naive. But I'll at least give him credit for trying something risky. I mean, I'd have given him more credit had he said "sorry but I have to win" (Parvati could have given them the food just as easy), but still, at least he wasn't just giving up like Ozzy and Eric did. Amanda at least had a reason why she had to quit, although had she peed down her leg to win she would have been my favorite Survivor ever. Maybe Eric is secure enough to quit after two minutes for a bowl of candy, but Ozzy was just stupid. I hope his cookie was yummy, because he paid a million bucks for it.
Cirie once again comes through for me and starts a counter plan to Ozzy's vote off Jason plan. Getting rid of Ozzy makes sense on every level, but the true test comes down to Parvati, who has to backstab her alliance to make it happen. She was in a tough spot, does she just let Ozzy walk away with it all, or does she take the gamble and give herself a shot at it? In the end I thought she wasn't going to do it, I thought she'd stay in the safety of Amanda and James. But then, Cirie does tend to get what she wants, doesn't she?
There are many reasons I'm glad Ozzy is gone, his arrogance chief among them. He clearly reads his reviews and believes he is entitled to win. But wow was he angry. Almost as angry when he lost the million dollars to Yul. When Jeff snuffs out his fire, he turns around and gives the death ray eye to everyone left. Remember when Ami was sobbing because she wanted to stay so bad, but before she left she said "Do well guys!". Class. Ozzy: "I don't know who voted me off, but I hate them." Buh-bye.
(Bonus for Ozzy getting voted off: Eliza. And we voted this girl off? I want eye-popping reactions like that every week from now on!!!)
Parvati rolled the dice, and in the end I think the person who stands to benefit most is...Amanda. While voting off Ozzy might give her a little credit with Eliza (who remember was always trying to get rid of Parvati when she had the chance), obviously Ozzy and James would never vote for her. Amanda wouldn't if she ends up on the jury. Probably not Eric either. So while I love that she did it, I really don't see her winning at this point. She is an appeaser, but won't be able to just "make everything" ok" with them after this. She would have to start playing like a Todd and make a very clinical case of why she did it, but I just don't see them buying it from her. So while she currently has some power now, I think her chances of winning is slim. I'm pretty sure James will be a target soon. What is killing me are those invisible girls, who seem impossible to target, yet they can't possibly end up in the end. And Jason? Ugh.
If Cirie makes it to the end, I think she has a good shot. But I think Amanda and Parvati are probably too smart for that. However, here is my newest idea. It is going to be Eric. I say that because, one, everyone seems to want to adopt him. The fans like him, the favorites like him. His charms eluded me for a long time, but I have to admit he is sort of growing on me in an aw-shucks kind of way. And notice that the reward challenge was all about him. Eric relates to the natives, Eric plays with the kids, Eric chews betel-nut and barfs. I mean, it was like he won the challenge all by himself. The last time I remember a reward challenge being edited like that was in Africa, when Ethan was playing soccer with all the cute kids, just a few weeks before he went on to win. Was this the rehabilitate Eric episode? Anything could happen at this point, but for now that is my story and I'm sticking to it.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Breaking: Fire Alarm causes evacuation of the Newseum on opening day!
Today was the perfect day. When I left to walk to the gym, I almost just kept walking because it was so nice out. Warm, but with a refreshing breeze. I was so happy.
After the gym I took another two mile-ish hike over to the Newseum. The Newseum is a brand new museum here in DC dedicated, obviously, to the news. It wasn't that I was dying to immerse myself in, er, news, but today was opening day, which meant that admission was free. After today admission is $20 a person. In a city of free, completely awesome museums, I'm not exactly sure who they think is going to pay $20, but hey, that is their problem not mine.
So I get there, and as expected there is a pretty long line. But it is moving fast, and like I said it was beautiful out, so I didn't really mind. I started looking through the brochure, and I'm not really seeing anything that is really catching my eye (no, I really don't want to pretend I am a reporter or editor on the interactive floor, thank you, and I got quite enough 9/11 imagery living in NY to last me for forever.) But on the first floor is a collection of Pulitzer Prize winning photographs, which is the one thing I'm actually really intrigued by. I finally get in, and just as I've looked at about five photos, the fire alarm goes off. ::sigh:: Like most everyone else, I ignored it for as long as I could, and made it through most of that exhibit. A very meak, confused employee was trying to make people leave, but everyone was mostly ignoring him. Then someone else came through and said it was a false alarm. Then another person came through and said, no, we had to leave. So I did. Outside, the line was still moving, which meant that the employees at the front door were still letting people in, and I could see people inside climbing staircases to the upper floors. So I guess it was just the ten people where I was that had to leave. YOU ARE DEAD TO ME NEWSEUM!
I suppose I could have waited in line again, but the fire alarm was still going off, so after another five minutes of waiting I gave up and came home. I saw what I wanted at least. I'm really baffled at who their audience will be. It does seem that you get a nice view from the upper level anyway, but that is about the only question I'm left with.
After I got home for a while, I left again to walk over to David's school and walk him home. About half-way there I realized that I'm getting an awful lot of sun today, and I wonder if I'm going to be a little on the pink side tomorrow. I don't care, today was what every day should strive to be.
I'm working all weekend. Getting excited for our company next week!
Oh, so Idol is curiously boring this season. Which is weird, because I still think it is their most talented bunch ever. But we've had like two weeks in a row of fairly boring performances. I can't even get that upset over Michael Johns leaving. I mean, he left too early, but it wasn't like he was going to win, he was only good covering Queen songs, and how long could that last? I still think Archletta is the most adoptable, Carly is the best singer but the worst dresser, that David is growing on me but Simon was right and he was SUPER PRETENTIOUS this week which annoyed me, and that Brooke and Dredlocks are basically the same person with different hair. Also Brooke needs to stop talking back. And stop crying. And Carly and Kristy need to stop being all passive-aggressive with their "shock" when they don't get voted off. If you want to be a star you need to grow some balls already, holy cow. That said, how awesome is Dolly Parton? Even if she is reaching that age where she can't really sing anymore, she is still more awesome than any of those Idols will ever be.
So who do you think will sing "Memory" for Andrew Lloyd Webber week? Will Dredlocks be savvy enough to find the Laurie Beechman guitar-cover of "Love Changes Everything"? And which song from Superstar will David sing? (please let him find the Australian cast album - or maybe ""High Flying Adored") Wouldn't it be awesome if Brooke sang "Another Suitcase, Another Hall"? Yeah, right. But I could go with a little "Tell Me On A Sunday". I bet Syeshia goes for "Music of the Night" or something ridiculous, given her recent track record.
After the gym I took another two mile-ish hike over to the Newseum. The Newseum is a brand new museum here in DC dedicated, obviously, to the news. It wasn't that I was dying to immerse myself in, er, news, but today was opening day, which meant that admission was free. After today admission is $20 a person. In a city of free, completely awesome museums, I'm not exactly sure who they think is going to pay $20, but hey, that is their problem not mine.
So I get there, and as expected there is a pretty long line. But it is moving fast, and like I said it was beautiful out, so I didn't really mind. I started looking through the brochure, and I'm not really seeing anything that is really catching my eye (no, I really don't want to pretend I am a reporter or editor on the interactive floor, thank you, and I got quite enough 9/11 imagery living in NY to last me for forever.) But on the first floor is a collection of Pulitzer Prize winning photographs, which is the one thing I'm actually really intrigued by. I finally get in, and just as I've looked at about five photos, the fire alarm goes off. ::sigh:: Like most everyone else, I ignored it for as long as I could, and made it through most of that exhibit. A very meak, confused employee was trying to make people leave, but everyone was mostly ignoring him. Then someone else came through and said it was a false alarm. Then another person came through and said, no, we had to leave. So I did. Outside, the line was still moving, which meant that the employees at the front door were still letting people in, and I could see people inside climbing staircases to the upper floors. So I guess it was just the ten people where I was that had to leave. YOU ARE DEAD TO ME NEWSEUM!
I suppose I could have waited in line again, but the fire alarm was still going off, so after another five minutes of waiting I gave up and came home. I saw what I wanted at least. I'm really baffled at who their audience will be. It does seem that you get a nice view from the upper level anyway, but that is about the only question I'm left with.
After I got home for a while, I left again to walk over to David's school and walk him home. About half-way there I realized that I'm getting an awful lot of sun today, and I wonder if I'm going to be a little on the pink side tomorrow. I don't care, today was what every day should strive to be.
I'm working all weekend. Getting excited for our company next week!
Oh, so Idol is curiously boring this season. Which is weird, because I still think it is their most talented bunch ever. But we've had like two weeks in a row of fairly boring performances. I can't even get that upset over Michael Johns leaving. I mean, he left too early, but it wasn't like he was going to win, he was only good covering Queen songs, and how long could that last? I still think Archletta is the most adoptable, Carly is the best singer but the worst dresser, that David is growing on me but Simon was right and he was SUPER PRETENTIOUS this week which annoyed me, and that Brooke and Dredlocks are basically the same person with different hair. Also Brooke needs to stop talking back. And stop crying. And Carly and Kristy need to stop being all passive-aggressive with their "shock" when they don't get voted off. If you want to be a star you need to grow some balls already, holy cow. That said, how awesome is Dolly Parton? Even if she is reaching that age where she can't really sing anymore, she is still more awesome than any of those Idols will ever be.
So who do you think will sing "Memory" for Andrew Lloyd Webber week? Will Dredlocks be savvy enough to find the Laurie Beechman guitar-cover of "Love Changes Everything"? And which song from Superstar will David sing? (please let him find the Australian cast album - or maybe ""High Flying Adored") Wouldn't it be awesome if Brooke sang "Another Suitcase, Another Hall"? Yeah, right. But I could go with a little "Tell Me On A Sunday". I bet Syeshia goes for "Music of the Night" or something ridiculous, given her recent track record.
Survivor, or how Eliza proves her worth to the season
Let's break it down, shall we? While I remain concerned over the large number of quality players we've already lost, I have yet to be disappointed by a single episode this season. Let's hope those editors can keep the excitement and intrigue coming!
We merge. Eric calls himself a monkey to Ozzy's zookeeper. Is Eric gay, or is Ozzy just a one-time exception? The audience wants to know!! It's like Ozzy is Obi-Wan and Eric is Luke. Except that Luke is now in love with Mr. Kenobi.
James eats bats. While I'm all about trying new foods when I get the chance, I don't know that I would be licking my fingers. But, point to him.
Then things start to get a bit crazy, and when picking a tribe name Erik suggests the micronesian word for "good" or some nonsense. Which, whatever, they always pick some dumb thing like that, so who cares. Then in his video diary, he says he just totally made that up. What??? My eyes light up. After the monkey comment, I'm being forced to admit that so far Eric has somehow become my favorite person, at least of this episode. I mean, he gets no points in the game for coming up with the tribe name, he just did it, well, because it amused him I guess. I likey. :)
Trouble in Amanda's universe. One of the invisible girls has suddenly become visible and is totally making the moves on Ozzy. WHO IS TOTALLY FALLING FOR IT! First of all, having a girlfriend on Survivor is 1. stupid and 2. totally gross in a sick, exhibitionist way. But, dude, seriously, you are going to dump Amanda and move on to fresher meat on national tv? Amanda, of course, is not happy about this. She is even less happy about Parvati's alliance with the homewrecker. What to do, what to do. But suddenly the power of the power alliance seems pretty shaky. Is James about to get blindsided again as the foursome collapses? I mean, he is the only one we've not heard talk strategy since, like, episode two. (My prediction: yes.)
Throughout this all we have a little delicious drama with Eliza and Jason and the fake idol. Sadly from the previews we know Eliza isn't falling for it once she sees it. This makes it a tad less fun, and I'm a bit annoyed with the pr department for showing that little gem of a clip last week. But still, the moment when Eliza exasperatedly shrieks "It's just a stick!" is still one of the most delicious meals Survivor has ever dished up. I even feel a little sorry for Jason. lol
The challenge is interesting. Well, I mean, the challenge itself is kind of weird, let's see who can get the closest to drowning themselves for money. However I am very impressed with all three of the boys at the end. I especially didn't expect James to last so long, considering his apparent aversion to the water. But, like him or not, you have to hand it to Jason. He came up as the winner hooting and hollering, while Ozzy looked like a drowned rat. Impressive. I just wish I liked him enough to ever again root for him. (I don't.) Back at camp he starts congratulating himself, which, I know, have your moment dude. If Ozzy is Obi-Wan, and Erik is Luke, then Jason is Vader, impressed by Ozzy's skill but only wanting to conquer him. But proving to the team that you can beat Ozzy at something doesn't exactly erase that target on your back, does it?
While the editors do their best to give us hope that the invisible slut girl might be in danger, it is pretty clear all along that Eliza is the target. She plays the idol, knowing it is probably fake but what can she do? She has some delicious revenge in calling Ozzy out for having the real idol. Ozzy actually handles it pretty well, but this only spells trouble for him. The strategy behind planting the fake idol was that it might prove strategically valuable. Instead, all it did was out him as having the real one. Of course, it also provided me with a few weeks of amusement, so I'm glad that he did it, but I wonder if he isn't going to soon regret his cleverness.
At the end of the day, we are down yet another good player. Interesting too, because at tribal they all talk about bringing someone no one likes to the end, but who, exactly, is left that no one likes? The invisible girls I guess. I mean, no one likes Jason, but beating Ozzy at the challenge gives him too much credentials.
The good news is that at this point I really have no idea how this is going to play out. I still think Ozzy and James have to become huge targets very, very soon. At least I still have Cirie, who for me is the best outwit player left. Look how often she tells people to do things, and then they do it. Her talk with Amanda was the only reason I even briefly had hope that Eliza might be staying last night. Parvati seems to be all over the place, but at least she is playing. So far Amanda has been a bit of a disappointment this season, but perhaps her jealousy will get her motivated to mix things up again. Since my own Ozzy-love is fading fast, I'm glad Eric is there to hold the mantle and keep me entertained.
Oh, and maybe I missed it, but I don't remember Jeff saying that Eliza was on the jury. If she isn't, that means we are back to the final two format, which often is less entertaining. I like seeing two strong players battle it out, and that usually only happens if we have a final three. Hmmmm.
We merge. Eric calls himself a monkey to Ozzy's zookeeper. Is Eric gay, or is Ozzy just a one-time exception? The audience wants to know!! It's like Ozzy is Obi-Wan and Eric is Luke. Except that Luke is now in love with Mr. Kenobi.
James eats bats. While I'm all about trying new foods when I get the chance, I don't know that I would be licking my fingers. But, point to him.
Then things start to get a bit crazy, and when picking a tribe name Erik suggests the micronesian word for "good" or some nonsense. Which, whatever, they always pick some dumb thing like that, so who cares. Then in his video diary, he says he just totally made that up. What??? My eyes light up. After the monkey comment, I'm being forced to admit that so far Eric has somehow become my favorite person, at least of this episode. I mean, he gets no points in the game for coming up with the tribe name, he just did it, well, because it amused him I guess. I likey. :)
Trouble in Amanda's universe. One of the invisible girls has suddenly become visible and is totally making the moves on Ozzy. WHO IS TOTALLY FALLING FOR IT! First of all, having a girlfriend on Survivor is 1. stupid and 2. totally gross in a sick, exhibitionist way. But, dude, seriously, you are going to dump Amanda and move on to fresher meat on national tv? Amanda, of course, is not happy about this. She is even less happy about Parvati's alliance with the homewrecker. What to do, what to do. But suddenly the power of the power alliance seems pretty shaky. Is James about to get blindsided again as the foursome collapses? I mean, he is the only one we've not heard talk strategy since, like, episode two. (My prediction: yes.)
Throughout this all we have a little delicious drama with Eliza and Jason and the fake idol. Sadly from the previews we know Eliza isn't falling for it once she sees it. This makes it a tad less fun, and I'm a bit annoyed with the pr department for showing that little gem of a clip last week. But still, the moment when Eliza exasperatedly shrieks "It's just a stick!" is still one of the most delicious meals Survivor has ever dished up. I even feel a little sorry for Jason. lol
The challenge is interesting. Well, I mean, the challenge itself is kind of weird, let's see who can get the closest to drowning themselves for money. However I am very impressed with all three of the boys at the end. I especially didn't expect James to last so long, considering his apparent aversion to the water. But, like him or not, you have to hand it to Jason. He came up as the winner hooting and hollering, while Ozzy looked like a drowned rat. Impressive. I just wish I liked him enough to ever again root for him. (I don't.) Back at camp he starts congratulating himself, which, I know, have your moment dude. If Ozzy is Obi-Wan, and Erik is Luke, then Jason is Vader, impressed by Ozzy's skill but only wanting to conquer him. But proving to the team that you can beat Ozzy at something doesn't exactly erase that target on your back, does it?
While the editors do their best to give us hope that the invisible slut girl might be in danger, it is pretty clear all along that Eliza is the target. She plays the idol, knowing it is probably fake but what can she do? She has some delicious revenge in calling Ozzy out for having the real idol. Ozzy actually handles it pretty well, but this only spells trouble for him. The strategy behind planting the fake idol was that it might prove strategically valuable. Instead, all it did was out him as having the real one. Of course, it also provided me with a few weeks of amusement, so I'm glad that he did it, but I wonder if he isn't going to soon regret his cleverness.
At the end of the day, we are down yet another good player. Interesting too, because at tribal they all talk about bringing someone no one likes to the end, but who, exactly, is left that no one likes? The invisible girls I guess. I mean, no one likes Jason, but beating Ozzy at the challenge gives him too much credentials.
The good news is that at this point I really have no idea how this is going to play out. I still think Ozzy and James have to become huge targets very, very soon. At least I still have Cirie, who for me is the best outwit player left. Look how often she tells people to do things, and then they do it. Her talk with Amanda was the only reason I even briefly had hope that Eliza might be staying last night. Parvati seems to be all over the place, but at least she is playing. So far Amanda has been a bit of a disappointment this season, but perhaps her jealousy will get her motivated to mix things up again. Since my own Ozzy-love is fading fast, I'm glad Eric is there to hold the mantle and keep me entertained.
Oh, and maybe I missed it, but I don't remember Jeff saying that Eliza was on the jury. If she isn't, that means we are back to the final two format, which often is less entertaining. I like seeing two strong players battle it out, and that usually only happens if we have a final three. Hmmmm.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
80 degrees is on the near horizon...I hope
Spring is imminent, and I couldn't be happier about it. Technically, spring is well on its way, trees and flowers are blooming and David has started taking his allergy medicine again. There is one of those great trees behind our house that has all the tiny purple flowers, a Japanese something-or-other I think, and it is gorgeous. The cherry blossoms are starting to fade already. But for me spring means warm weather, and we are still having a few chilly and damp days, but these are becoming fewer. We took a four mile walk yesterday over to the Bed Bath & Beyond to look for a new mixing bowl yesterday (I cracked my favorite orange bowl making cookies a while back), and it was great until about the last mile home when a cool wind picked up. We didn't actually get a new bowl, but we did get a pepper grinder, so David was happy.
Taking walks with David are probably my most favorite thing to do. I don't even care where we go. As long as it is warm out, we are great at just walking randomly and always seem to find interesting things along the way, cool architecture or plants or people or something. Last night we walked by this lady listening to an iPod, and her favorite song must have come on because all of the sudden she started shaking her formidable booty right in the middle of the sidewalk. If she hadn't been big enough to beat me up I might have laughed out loud in enjoyment. I wish more people were brave enough to dance in public. Well, she also seemed crazy, I have to admit. But still, props to her.
In a related thought, one of my other most favorite things happens at the gym. Almost everyone, myself included, works out with their iPod blaring. Every once in a while, someone on the treadmill will forget themselves for a second and sing along with music only they can hear. It never lasts more than a phrase or two, but my feelings towards singing are well documented on this blog and it always makes me happy. I don't think I've ever done it at the gym (though there was that incident as a boy scout camping in the wilderness listening to "The Wind Beneath My Wings" on my walkman...)
I just found out that we are getting five new grads this summer from the "new grad" day I helped host. That should be fun. My hospital is currently playing chicken with our travel nurses, trying to make them join the in-house agency. Dunno what is going to happen, but we might be losing a handful of extremely experienced nurses. I understand the hospitals reluctance to allow travel nurses to work indefinitely (while earning so much more than the rest of us), but at the same time losing five experienced nurses, just to replace them with five new travel nurses, seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Jeffrey and Rick are coming a week from today! Hooray!
Taking walks with David are probably my most favorite thing to do. I don't even care where we go. As long as it is warm out, we are great at just walking randomly and always seem to find interesting things along the way, cool architecture or plants or people or something. Last night we walked by this lady listening to an iPod, and her favorite song must have come on because all of the sudden she started shaking her formidable booty right in the middle of the sidewalk. If she hadn't been big enough to beat me up I might have laughed out loud in enjoyment. I wish more people were brave enough to dance in public. Well, she also seemed crazy, I have to admit. But still, props to her.
In a related thought, one of my other most favorite things happens at the gym. Almost everyone, myself included, works out with their iPod blaring. Every once in a while, someone on the treadmill will forget themselves for a second and sing along with music only they can hear. It never lasts more than a phrase or two, but my feelings towards singing are well documented on this blog and it always makes me happy. I don't think I've ever done it at the gym (though there was that incident as a boy scout camping in the wilderness listening to "The Wind Beneath My Wings" on my walkman...)
I just found out that we are getting five new grads this summer from the "new grad" day I helped host. That should be fun. My hospital is currently playing chicken with our travel nurses, trying to make them join the in-house agency. Dunno what is going to happen, but we might be losing a handful of extremely experienced nurses. I understand the hospitals reluctance to allow travel nurses to work indefinitely (while earning so much more than the rest of us), but at the same time losing five experienced nurses, just to replace them with five new travel nurses, seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Jeffrey and Rick are coming a week from today! Hooray!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Vacation. Is. Awesome.
This is pretty belated, because it is sort of hard to summarize a 13-day vacation. But we had a great time, I visited three new states, had the best Lobster Bisque you can imagine, and let lose my inner child on some fun roller coasters. Anyway, some highlights:
We drove down to Orlando the long way, stopping the first night in North Carolina just outside of Myrtle Beach. The thing about Myrtle Beach, for you gentle readers who have never been there, is the mini golf. As we approach we pass this huge mini golf place that is decked out as a giant erupting volcano, complete with red food coloring in the water, er, magma-fall. We laughed and kept driving, but two blocks away was another mini golf place, this time with pirates. Then another one with old airplanes. Then another one with dinosaurs. Then a Hawaiian one. Then a Tahitian one. We counted ten huge mini golf places, all within maybe five miles of each other, and this was just on one road through town. Do that many beach-tourists really play mini golf? I'll admit though, by the end I was thinking maybe I'd like to play a round for the kitsch value.
We stopped in some back-woods Cider stand to get Peach Cider, simply because it was delicious.
We spent five days in Orlando at the Disney parks. My poor brother, who is spending the semester working at the park, had the lucky task of chaperoning us around so we could get free parking. I can only guess how many times he has been through the parks, but he never complained and came with us anytime he wasn't working, as did his lovely girlfriend Liz. She had her own family visiting, so we didn't get to see enough of her, but we still had fun dragging her through Epcot looking for dinner. We stopped at the fancy Mexican restaurant, this was a tuesday night, and were told "We are booked until Friday". At a theme park? We originally thought five days would be too long, especially after we sped through the Magic Kingdom AND Hollywood Studios in the first day alone (thanks mostly to Liz, who TOTALLY hooked us up). But as we wore down from all the excitement and junk food we started going to bed earlier and earlier and getting up later and later. There is something to be said, after all, about relaxing a little while you are on vacation.
We especially enjoyed the "Beauty And The Beast" show, mostly because during the big battle at the castle one of the townsfolk took a club to Chip the Cup and was seriously beating on him for at least a full minute while his buddy went after Mrs. Potts. Hope none of the kiddies in the audience were paying attention to the back of the stage, but we found it hilarious.
None of the rides that are also at Disneyland were as good. Too many changes that remove all my childhood memories, which are a big part of why I love Disneyland so much. I mean, Space Mountain without the music? My favorite ride was the Aerosmith ride at Hollywood Studios. 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds, does life get better than that? Also awesome was the new mission to Mars ride, which I think is the ride people have died on. Good to know I don't have a defective heart, cause I rode it twice.
One entertainment was watching people flirt with a usually clueless Kyle. We were in the single rider line at the Aerosmith ride and this cute girl comes up behind us, and is all "Ohmygosh I am so scared to ride this ride, does it loop upside down, I am totally going to scream, I should totally ride it with you so I'm safe!" And Kyle is all deadpan business: "Uh, this is the single rider line, so you can't ride with me." Then we are at a restaurant, and after she takes our order our waitress comes over and mischievously asks Kyle "Are you gay?" And he is like, "Uh, no." and the waitress is all "oh, cause my friend wanted to know" and she points to another waiter who is trying really hard to pretend he can't see us in his peripheral vision. Anyway, I don't think Liz has anything to worry about, but it was pretty funny for me.
We came out of this bizarre ride where Ellen DeGeneres takes you through a dinosaur diorama (don't ask), and this little girl looks up and screams "Look! Gee-Zoo!" Up in the air a skywriter had just written out "Jesu" - I know she was just eight, but can't you kind of guess what it is going to say? Gee-Zoo! I figured it was going to say something cute like "Jesus Loves You" or something, but in the end it said "Jesus Forgives You". A bit heavy handed I guess, but ok. Thanks for the reminder anonymous plane guy!
We stopped in Wal-Mart for some snacks, and ahead of us in line is this blonde guy, clean cut but, you know, straight-looking. When we get to the counter, he puts down his stuff - chips, dip, Pepsi, and a DVD of...Enchanted. Only in Orlando. (Or Anaheim)
On the way home we spent a night in Savannah, a city you hear a lot about but neither of us had ever been. After about a half hour of walking around we decided to stop, get some dinner, and save the rest for another time. What a beautiful city, we will definitely go back for a long weekend sometime. In our hotel was a bar called "Doubles". But the sign was in cursive so it looked like it said "Doables". Indeed.
David, who is sitting across from me filling out a job application to work at the zoo (seriously), just lifted his head and asked "Did you talk about the Spanish Moss? I love moss." So yeah, we saw spanish moss. And we loved it. He was pretty bummed though, that despite our best efforts we did not see a wild alligator. We did see a whole bunch throughout the parks, but most of them were in cartoon or animatronic form, which did not satisfy him. You wouldn't know it, but David can be quite particular. :) The animal reserve we stopped at did have an oyster reef and snapping shrimp though, so it wasn't a total loss.
Anyway, we had a great time. I'm glad not only that we finally got to go, so I can scratch if off my list of things I need to do before I die, but I'm especially glad that we were able to hang out with my brother. For a kid who grew up as spoiled as he was, well, he has turned out to be actually fun to hang out with, and with a good head on his shoulders to boot. I thought my mom was crazy for letting him go like three years eating nothing but chicken, bananas and twinkies, but apparently it is the diet of champions. I'm predicting great things from him, especially considering his good taste in finding a great girl like Liz. Now if I can just convince him to name his second daughter Rose...
We drove down to Orlando the long way, stopping the first night in North Carolina just outside of Myrtle Beach. The thing about Myrtle Beach, for you gentle readers who have never been there, is the mini golf. As we approach we pass this huge mini golf place that is decked out as a giant erupting volcano, complete with red food coloring in the water, er, magma-fall. We laughed and kept driving, but two blocks away was another mini golf place, this time with pirates. Then another one with old airplanes. Then another one with dinosaurs. Then a Hawaiian one. Then a Tahitian one. We counted ten huge mini golf places, all within maybe five miles of each other, and this was just on one road through town. Do that many beach-tourists really play mini golf? I'll admit though, by the end I was thinking maybe I'd like to play a round for the kitsch value.
We stopped in some back-woods Cider stand to get Peach Cider, simply because it was delicious. We spent five days in Orlando at the Disney parks. My poor brother, who is spending the semester working at the park, had the lucky task of chaperoning us around so we could get free parking. I can only guess how many times he has been through the parks, but he never complained and came with us anytime he wasn't working, as did his lovely girlfriend Liz. She had her own family visiting, so we didn't get to see enough of her, but we still had fun dragging her through Epcot looking for dinner. We stopped at the fancy Mexican restaurant, this was a tuesday night, and were told "We are booked until Friday". At a theme park? We originally thought five days would be too long, especially after we sped through the Magic Kingdom AND Hollywood Studios in the first day alone (thanks mostly to Liz, who TOTALLY hooked us up). But as we wore down from all the excitement and junk food we started going to bed earlier and earlier and getting up later and later. There is something to be said, after all, about relaxing a little while you are on vacation.
We especially enjoyed the "Beauty And The Beast" show, mostly because during the big battle at the castle one of the townsfolk took a club to Chip the Cup and was seriously beating on him for at least a full minute while his buddy went after Mrs. Potts. Hope none of the kiddies in the audience were paying attention to the back of the stage, but we found it hilarious.
None of the rides that are also at Disneyland were as good. Too many changes that remove all my childhood memories, which are a big part of why I love Disneyland so much. I mean, Space Mountain without the music? My favorite ride was the Aerosmith ride at Hollywood Studios. 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds, does life get better than that? Also awesome was the new mission to Mars ride, which I think is the ride people have died on. Good to know I don't have a defective heart, cause I rode it twice. One entertainment was watching people flirt with a usually clueless Kyle. We were in the single rider line at the Aerosmith ride and this cute girl comes up behind us, and is all "Ohmygosh I am so scared to ride this ride, does it loop upside down, I am totally going to scream, I should totally ride it with you so I'm safe!" And Kyle is all deadpan business: "Uh, this is the single rider line, so you can't ride with me." Then we are at a restaurant, and after she takes our order our waitress comes over and mischievously asks Kyle "Are you gay?" And he is like, "Uh, no." and the waitress is all "oh, cause my friend wanted to know" and she points to another waiter who is trying really hard to pretend he can't see us in his peripheral vision. Anyway, I don't think Liz has anything to worry about, but it was pretty funny for me.
We came out of this bizarre ride where Ellen DeGeneres takes you through a dinosaur diorama (don't ask), and this little girl looks up and screams "Look! Gee-Zoo!" Up in the air a skywriter had just written out "Jesu" - I know she was just eight, but can't you kind of guess what it is going to say? Gee-Zoo! I figured it was going to say something cute like "Jesus Loves You" or something, but in the end it said "Jesus Forgives You". A bit heavy handed I guess, but ok. Thanks for the reminder anonymous plane guy!
We stopped in Wal-Mart for some snacks, and ahead of us in line is this blonde guy, clean cut but, you know, straight-looking. When we get to the counter, he puts down his stuff - chips, dip, Pepsi, and a DVD of...Enchanted. Only in Orlando. (Or Anaheim)
On the way home we spent a night in Savannah, a city you hear a lot about but neither of us had ever been. After about a half hour of walking around we decided to stop, get some dinner, and save the rest for another time. What a beautiful city, we will definitely go back for a long weekend sometime. In our hotel was a bar called "Doubles". But the sign was in cursive so it looked like it said "Doables". Indeed.
David, who is sitting across from me filling out a job application to work at the zoo (seriously), just lifted his head and asked "Did you talk about the Spanish Moss? I love moss." So yeah, we saw spanish moss. And we loved it. He was pretty bummed though, that despite our best efforts we did not see a wild alligator. We did see a whole bunch throughout the parks, but most of them were in cartoon or animatronic form, which did not satisfy him. You wouldn't know it, but David can be quite particular. :) The animal reserve we stopped at did have an oyster reef and snapping shrimp though, so it wasn't a total loss.
Anyway, we had a great time. I'm glad not only that we finally got to go, so I can scratch if off my list of things I need to do before I die, but I'm especially glad that we were able to hang out with my brother. For a kid who grew up as spoiled as he was, well, he has turned out to be actually fun to hang out with, and with a good head on his shoulders to boot. I thought my mom was crazy for letting him go like three years eating nothing but chicken, bananas and twinkies, but apparently it is the diet of champions. I'm predicting great things from him, especially considering his good taste in finding a great girl like Liz. Now if I can just convince him to name his second daughter Rose...
Survivor, or the Rise and Fall of the House of Ami
This episode was sort of messed up for me. Not that it was a bad episode, but it is definitely an outlier on what has been an extremely satisfying season so far.
First off we have Ozzy complaining about being labeled the leader. Dude, really? Yeah, he admits, everything he thinks and everything he does is better than everyone else, but Stop. Labeling. Me. If he were simply downplaying things to his teammates, but then to the camera was like, yeah, I'm in charge but don't want the emphasize that, I'd be totally down with that. But he actually gets upset at it. Suddenly I'm remembering how mad he seemed when he lost his season and how much it bothered me. Or how lame he was that he threw a challenge just to get rid of someone he didn't like. Ozzy, your ego is overwhelming me through the TV, and it seriously bugs.
Apparently the producers are happy to weed down their cast as quickly as possible, so instead of giving the cast a few days to develop their storylines, we skip the reward challenge and go right to immunity again. The idea of getting to pick someone from the other tribe not to compete is, I guess, sort of an interesting twist, but it isn't an especially interesting one. And why bother giving them immunity? One team picks Ozzy, the obvious choice. The other team picks one of the invisible girls. I realize most of them, like the audience, are not huge Eliza fans. But have they been watching the last few challenges? She is a fierce competitor. You never know what invisible girl might have done, but I credit Eliza for her team's win. The two boys were pretty evenly matched, but Amanda was no match for Eliza. (I can't believe I just said that.)
Back on Team Loser, Erik makes his play and outs Ami. Now, normally I wouldn't have a problem with this, but Erik is so wearily earnest about everything. His backstabbing isn't enjoyable, it feels more like tattling. Ami, on the other hand, is a mature adult and even when she is scrambling I just enjoy her more. Anyway, she gets her finger in the bucket and things look to be fine. She has a creepy moment thanking Eric for outing her, but looking back I think she was actually being totally genuine.
But the Ozz-man returneth, and Erik makes another move. Which, again, he has to do, I don't blame him for a second. But again, instead of having fun with what he needs to do, he seems embarrassed about it. But he sends Ozzy spiraling into full paranoia mode. ::sigh:: This just isn't fun. Anyway, we get to tribal, and Ami gives one of the most honest defenses I think tribal has ever seen. At first I was loving her acting skills, but I soon realized she was being totally sincere. (If she wasn't, give the girl her Oscar now.) Basically she called Ozzy out on his lame paranoia, and it seemed like she had convinced them, but I guess that was just a trick of the editing. So Ami is gone. I've always had a soft spot for Ami, I just LIKE her. I can deal with her not winning, I mean she was dealt a bad hand in the beginning and I never really expected her to last forever. And maybe I'm just a total sucker for girl tears. But I am ticked off at Ozzy now, who is revealing himself to be a fickle, whiny leader with little natural inclination to be even the slightest bit gentlemanly.
Anyhoo. Most of the good news from this episode came from the other tribe. First, Parvati does what I've suspected she was going to do all along - sell out James and Ozzy. Good for her. I do wish, however, that she hadn't picked the two invisible girls as her co-conspirators. Somehow I suspect her final four plan isn't going to work as planned, or we would know those girls at least a little bit by now.
But the best, and I do mean BEST, moment came from the previews for next week, where apparently Jason shows Eliza his "immunity" idol.
"That can't be the idol!" She says.
"Why can't it be?" he says, wounded.
"Because it is just a stick!" she exclaims.
This line reading is, I suspect, the funniest and best thing I have ever heard on Survivor, and is probably the best thing I will ever hear on Survivor. I was crying with laughter. And the best part is that I get to hear it again next week. While I may be bummed that Jason will be warned against using it, which is always entertaining, I'm more than happy to enjoy his exposure as tool by none other than Eliza no less. This is definitely a topsy-turvy season, because dare I say I'm starting to fall for her charms.
First off we have Ozzy complaining about being labeled the leader. Dude, really? Yeah, he admits, everything he thinks and everything he does is better than everyone else, but Stop. Labeling. Me. If he were simply downplaying things to his teammates, but then to the camera was like, yeah, I'm in charge but don't want the emphasize that, I'd be totally down with that. But he actually gets upset at it. Suddenly I'm remembering how mad he seemed when he lost his season and how much it bothered me. Or how lame he was that he threw a challenge just to get rid of someone he didn't like. Ozzy, your ego is overwhelming me through the TV, and it seriously bugs.
Apparently the producers are happy to weed down their cast as quickly as possible, so instead of giving the cast a few days to develop their storylines, we skip the reward challenge and go right to immunity again. The idea of getting to pick someone from the other tribe not to compete is, I guess, sort of an interesting twist, but it isn't an especially interesting one. And why bother giving them immunity? One team picks Ozzy, the obvious choice. The other team picks one of the invisible girls. I realize most of them, like the audience, are not huge Eliza fans. But have they been watching the last few challenges? She is a fierce competitor. You never know what invisible girl might have done, but I credit Eliza for her team's win. The two boys were pretty evenly matched, but Amanda was no match for Eliza. (I can't believe I just said that.)
Back on Team Loser, Erik makes his play and outs Ami. Now, normally I wouldn't have a problem with this, but Erik is so wearily earnest about everything. His backstabbing isn't enjoyable, it feels more like tattling. Ami, on the other hand, is a mature adult and even when she is scrambling I just enjoy her more. Anyway, she gets her finger in the bucket and things look to be fine. She has a creepy moment thanking Eric for outing her, but looking back I think she was actually being totally genuine.
But the Ozz-man returneth, and Erik makes another move. Which, again, he has to do, I don't blame him for a second. But again, instead of having fun with what he needs to do, he seems embarrassed about it. But he sends Ozzy spiraling into full paranoia mode. ::sigh:: This just isn't fun. Anyway, we get to tribal, and Ami gives one of the most honest defenses I think tribal has ever seen. At first I was loving her acting skills, but I soon realized she was being totally sincere. (If she wasn't, give the girl her Oscar now.) Basically she called Ozzy out on his lame paranoia, and it seemed like she had convinced them, but I guess that was just a trick of the editing. So Ami is gone. I've always had a soft spot for Ami, I just LIKE her. I can deal with her not winning, I mean she was dealt a bad hand in the beginning and I never really expected her to last forever. And maybe I'm just a total sucker for girl tears. But I am ticked off at Ozzy now, who is revealing himself to be a fickle, whiny leader with little natural inclination to be even the slightest bit gentlemanly.
Anyhoo. Most of the good news from this episode came from the other tribe. First, Parvati does what I've suspected she was going to do all along - sell out James and Ozzy. Good for her. I do wish, however, that she hadn't picked the two invisible girls as her co-conspirators. Somehow I suspect her final four plan isn't going to work as planned, or we would know those girls at least a little bit by now.
But the best, and I do mean BEST, moment came from the previews for next week, where apparently Jason shows Eliza his "immunity" idol.
"That can't be the idol!" She says.
"Why can't it be?" he says, wounded.
"Because it is just a stick!" she exclaims.
This line reading is, I suspect, the funniest and best thing I have ever heard on Survivor, and is probably the best thing I will ever hear on Survivor. I was crying with laughter. And the best part is that I get to hear it again next week. While I may be bummed that Jason will be warned against using it, which is always entertaining, I'm more than happy to enjoy his exposure as tool by none other than Eliza no less. This is definitely a topsy-turvy season, because dare I say I'm starting to fall for her charms.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
A few thoughts
A strange thought came over me last night as I toiled through my second night shift in a row since coming back: April Fools Day passed without a single fool. Now, I for one hate tricks (shut up David, I'm talking here!), so I guess it just shows to go you how sleep addled I can get with multiple night shifts that I actually had a moment of sadness over the quiet passing of a super weird holiday. (When I was a kid my mom used to put green food coloring in the milk, which I always assumed meant I had to dump extra sugar into my cereal to balance it out. The thought of green milk still makes me shudder.)
Other passing thoughts:
1. Southland Tales is a WEIRD movie. We Netflixed it I think only because Fletch of Blog Cabins said it was weird, although now I can't find his review on his site anymore. But while I still have very little idea what the movie was, er, about, I love the movies where the casting director was allowed to, say, populate half his cast with Saturday Night Live alum. I don't know how well it helps the movie, but it can be fun when every other face you see, you are like "Hey, it's THAT guy!". And of course it is always a coup to have the smarts to hire Zelda Rubenstein. My only wish is that the Rock could act, because he actually makes some very interesting choices when he chooses his roles, and like the American Pie guy, he is just so darn likable. But I guess everyone can't be another Beth Grant.
2. As for Idol last week, I'm getting a little tired of rocker David making me like him with awesome performances, when it is clear that I can't like anyone with hair that ugly. On the other hair hand, Brooke finally straightened out that 70's mess on her head and I thought she looked fabulous. But neither of them are making me question my inclination to adopt Archuleta. Yet. However Syesha totally rocked it out, and though I never saw her winning, color me surprised that Ramiele is lasting so long. As for the country chick who never seems to live up to her potential, I mean, what can you say when someone is so calculating that they sing the unimpeachable "Proud To Be An American"? You say, "Well-played, and welcome back next week!" If this were Survivor she would now be my favorite. Heh.
3. In nursing school you hear a lot about "nursing intuition", those times when nothing is obviously wrong with a patient, but you just have a feeling something is wrong. I had that patient the Monday night. He was very lethargic, and would only answer focused direct questions. He respiratory rate at one point climbed to 40 until we lifted the head of his bed to about 55 degrees (he was a very big guy who refused his BiPap). But all his other vitals were in range and the questions he did answer indicated he was oriented and aware. I had the docs come and look at him, and we fiddled a bit but there just wasn't anything concrete to go on. Anyway, last night I came back and they had just finished sending him to the ICU. I didn't get the whole story, but they had finally done an ABG and his pH was 7.25, so I think he is intubated now.
4. I still have a post coming about our vacation, which was awesome. I'll get to it tomorrow, unless Survivor is on tonight again.
Other passing thoughts:
1. Southland Tales is a WEIRD movie. We Netflixed it I think only because Fletch of Blog Cabins said it was weird, although now I can't find his review on his site anymore. But while I still have very little idea what the movie was, er, about, I love the movies where the casting director was allowed to, say, populate half his cast with Saturday Night Live alum. I don't know how well it helps the movie, but it can be fun when every other face you see, you are like "Hey, it's THAT guy!". And of course it is always a coup to have the smarts to hire Zelda Rubenstein. My only wish is that the Rock could act, because he actually makes some very interesting choices when he chooses his roles, and like the American Pie guy, he is just so darn likable. But I guess everyone can't be another Beth Grant.
2. As for Idol last week, I'm getting a little tired of rocker David making me like him with awesome performances, when it is clear that I can't like anyone with hair that ugly. On the other hair hand, Brooke finally straightened out that 70's mess on her head and I thought she looked fabulous. But neither of them are making me question my inclination to adopt Archuleta. Yet. However Syesha totally rocked it out, and though I never saw her winning, color me surprised that Ramiele is lasting so long. As for the country chick who never seems to live up to her potential, I mean, what can you say when someone is so calculating that they sing the unimpeachable "Proud To Be An American"? You say, "Well-played, and welcome back next week!" If this were Survivor she would now be my favorite. Heh.
3. In nursing school you hear a lot about "nursing intuition", those times when nothing is obviously wrong with a patient, but you just have a feeling something is wrong. I had that patient the Monday night. He was very lethargic, and would only answer focused direct questions. He respiratory rate at one point climbed to 40 until we lifted the head of his bed to about 55 degrees (he was a very big guy who refused his BiPap). But all his other vitals were in range and the questions he did answer indicated he was oriented and aware. I had the docs come and look at him, and we fiddled a bit but there just wasn't anything concrete to go on. Anyway, last night I came back and they had just finished sending him to the ICU. I didn't get the whole story, but they had finally done an ABG and his pH was 7.25, so I think he is intubated now.
4. I still have a post coming about our vacation, which was awesome. I'll get to it tomorrow, unless Survivor is on tonight again.
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