thankful

i think yesterday had to be my most favorite thanksgiving memory. ever. i laughed and ate and rested and ate and laughed and indulged and laughed and ate and felt loved. how can you go wrong with that? day of decadence 2008 began at about 10:30 am and ended around 9:00 pm. we started with champagne and coffee. when i arrived di was preparing fresh (never frozen) alaskan king crab legs and dipping sauces. sharon and i, of course, couldn't wait for the rest of the guests and got in there immediately. we were able to hold out on the entire platter until the final guests arrived after noon. michael and tim almost missed the fresh (never frozen) alaskan king crab legs. we wii'd and chatted and drank and indulged and laughed. then johna and jenn prepared their food. jenn made the most amazing stuffed mushrooms, which people were falling all over themselves to eat (me included), and johna's crab and chili sauce was stellar. she was going to do black bean and garlic sauce but she was feeling, well, saucy! in the middle of all of this we had my rice crispy treats, tim's AMAZING cringle, jana's granny's famous rum cake and tim's chocolate pecan pie and pumpkin pie. oh, and michael's artichoke spinach dip. then a walk was had. however, i wore my slippers and it was raining so me and a few other's stayed in. when the main course came, i didn't think we'd have any room but lo and behold, we did! diane seriously outdid herself. all the usual suspects; turkey, masher's, THE BEST STUFFING EVER, gravy, brussel sprouts, yams, cranberries and spinach salad. jenn also made homemade kahlua - so johna busted out a mexican coke and kahlua with a splash of cream. no? yes! we finally came to fully understand the day of decadence, i think. it's all in the pacing and the mixing of the sweet and the savory. michael got sucked in by sharon and di's couch for a few minutes and me and jana spent only a few minutes groaning and clutching our stomach's. it didn't stop us, however, from the final indulgence of desserts with diane's hand-whipped fresh whipping cream.
it's a little cliche, but i am so grateful for sharon and diane, jenn and johna, michael and tim, and helen and jana. it was the best day i had all week. thanks girls (oh, and tim and michael but close enough!). only 365 more days until day of decadence 2009!
peace, for now, as i prepare my leftover plate for breakfast...

theTALLsocks: newsflash!

this week in fantasy basketball news: theTALLsocks are taking on the BigEasyBrickLayers. theTALLsocks crawled out of almost last place last week with a 7-2 win over The Shadow; but this week will be two steps back. theTALLsocks should experience quite a slaughter this week as tTs front court looks like this: Beno Udrih, Rip Hamilton, Delonte West, TJ Ford and Nate Robinson. This pathetic line-up goes against Dereck Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Kevin Durant and Mike Bibby. If that wasn't bad enough, tTs are rockin' Rudy Gay, Lamar Odom, an injured Josh Smith and the one shining light in the front court, Chris Bosh go up against BEBL's Tyrus Thomas, Vince Carter, Udonis Haslem, Luis Scola and Stephen Jackson. In the center the BEBL are kickin' it with probably one of the best centers in the game, Dwight Howard and Al Harrington going against Al Horford and Elton Brand man tTs center. theTALLsocks manager claims to be bracing for the worst. We'll keep you updated as we are.
Moving on...

...you know i'm a dreamer...

well, i've returned from my visit to the magic kingdom. we had so much fun again. i felt a little like a buzz kill what with the shingles and all. i ended up with a little cold on top of all that. honestly, i couldn't catch a break. i was able to make most of the days comfortably. thursday was the worst for me. friday the best. wednesday was great at disneyland as there were absolutely no people there. we didn't have to wait for any of the rides we wanted to go on and it was so great to just go around without people just everywhere. it felt like it was all just for us. we have never seen it so empty. we were glad we chose friday to be the day where we did all the things the kids wanted to do again, shopping, princesses, fireworks, snow, et al. [great fireworks display by the way.] along with my sister's 40th birthday celebration my parents were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. 40 years ago, they went to disneyland for their honeymoon. i know it seems silly, but it's our family tradition. all of my aunts and uncles went as well.
it always feels so amazing to be home. catching up with sharon and di was great and i can't wait for breakfast with johna and jenn tomorrow. oh, flying on anti-anxiety meds is the only way to go. you will not see me flying without it ever again. i never escalated when the flight got bumpy and the time leading up to the flight was spent listening to my iPod and reading a magazine front to back. good times.
scully really missed me but her way of showing it is trying to lay on my lap and growl every time i move. it's really annoying. i've finally got her to just chill next to me.
the blazers are killing me tonight. the suns aren't playing that great and they could totally be killing them! nate must be losing his mind right now because my very last nerve is shot! there is a lid on that basket tonight! come on blazers!

equality for all

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnHyy8gkNEE

the video above is the most amazing thing i've heard about gay marriage. as keith says, it's not about gay marriage, it's about EQUALITY for everybody.

everybody.

i know you wanna...

you wanna see my shingles? don't watch this movie then. i know you want to though. yeah, you do!

true that tj

"All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the
majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be
reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression."

- Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, the principal
author of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the most influential
Founding Fathers

really?

can we talk reality tv for a minute? mainly, the biggest loser. for the first time in loser history, someone is playing the game soley for the cash. vicky is a total bitch. i still can't understand her and heba's hatred of phillip. i thought phillip and amy were two of the nicest people on the show. i think they are just jealous that a kicked off amy and phillip have lost the most weight of anyone still in the game. i bet one of those two wins the second prize. for vicky to say that phillip was the only person not worthy of coming back in the game was just ugly and rude. i praise phillip for standing up for himself and amy, who chose to stay in her room and not engage which i thought was big and smart of her, and just point blank ask vicky why she was so mean. she, of course, couldn't really say. big ol heba just got in there and started saying he was a terrible person yada, yada, yada. both of these women have no real proof that phillip is a horrible person. seeing brady voted off this week was sweet justice. amy c made the right decision. first, since brady, vicky, ed and heba are all playing more or less for the cash they are 4 strong and amy was just a vote for them to get to the end. they would have cut her faster than you could shake a stick. second, vicky is gonna lose her shit. not counting that brady was a threat to win the competition so you can't blame amy c for chosing brady. amy can't be intimidated by the evil vicky - she was looking out for amy and did the right thing. i look forward to the demise of the rest of them. michelle, colleen, renee and amy c would be a great final 4. i would like to see the mother daughter team and colleen in the final. amy c is pretty much screwed with either alliance. she must stay above the yellow line. the evil gang will be shooting for her until the end. poor thing. she's made the rest of the game a hell for herself but it should make for fascinating television. i know the other women will support her and jillian would train her again in a heartbeat. oh, by the way, i adore jillian. hot, hot, hot. and hot. i think i could turn her...maybe.

a story of shingles - act I

[interior doctor's office. caryn is standing in the middle of the room reading a paper. she is wearing a hospital gown, open in the back. doctor enters stage left.]
doctor: are you decent?
caryn: yes.
doctor: what is the cause of your visit today?
[caryn turns around]
doctor: oh, girl, you got shingles!
caryn: damn, i knew it! that sucks.
doctor: indeed.
caryn: is this contagious? i'm going on vacation in three days and i don't want to pass it to my family or the entire population of disneyland.
doctor: well, they would have to touch your rash directly. and i must tell you, it's going to be very uncomfortable. sorry.
caryn: well, ok. shall i keep it covered?
doctor: well, it would be hard to keep it covered but you can gauze it if you'd like. it might be hard for you given it's in the middle of your back. most women with shingles on their back tend to just not wear a bra during this time.
caryn: HA! are you kidding? these might hurt someone.
doctor: HA! ok, how about a sports bra.
caryn: yeah, i could do that. however, getting in on and off might be a challenge and very painful.
doctor: is there any way you could be pregnant?
caryn: uh, ha...no.
doctor: ok, because the baby inside could be affected. would you like me to pop one of the blisters to take a culture? [caryn's bug eyes and shiver prompt him to say..] most say it doesn't hurt because it's above the nerve endings. they are going to pop open and ooze puss eventually.
caryn: uh, is this absolutely necessary right now? you hollered shingles the second i turned around.
doctor: well, not really. some really like to have proof of their illnesses. however, it seemed as if you knew what you had right away.
caryn: yeah, i'm gonna pass on that blister popping thing.
doctor: okee dokee. let's talk drugs. percocet for the pain, acyclovir and a steriod for the inflammation. ok?
caryn: um, ok. thank you.
[lights down]

shingles?

uh-oh. a rash has appeared on my back and i called mom and googled shingles and sadly, i've got all the symptoms. urgent care tomorrow. i'll keep you posted.

brrrrrrrr

well, it's not even really that cold yet, but my apartment is like an ice box. i am freezing in here. my room is the warmest place in the apartment only if i turn on the wall heater. the heater in the living space is behind a bookcase. even scully won't leave me alone. she is sleeping next to me, on me and around me. not just in bed either. her newest is directly next to me on the couch or on my lap. it's sort of annoying. however, she is warm and i can appreciate that. it's just that scully is a tad unpredictable. she gets very upset over moving or touching. i have to keep an eye out for my digits.
palin won't leave is alone. can't she just go back to alaska? she claims to want the media to leave her alone - perhaps she should stop calling the media to her office and stop saying stupid shit. the worst part about ted stevens - convicted felon! - is that we could very well have senator sarah palin. excuse me, i just threw up in my mouth. palin can not be the new face of the republican party. it would be suicide for them. we'll see.
[my girlfriend, rachel maddow, was just on tv in her pj bottoms. hot.]
warning: pms alert! my pms has gotten so bad over the last few months. many new symptoms. nausea, headache, no appetite, all over body aches and my personal favorite, pins and needles in my back. what? i don't even want to have a shirt on. it's the weirdest thing. it is extremely uncomfortable and i will be making an appointment for the doctor tomorrow. i've had these symptoms now for 3 days and it's just not right. i had very similar symptoms last month and i have to assume that it will probably happen again next month. you know, if men had pms there would have been a "cure" centuries ago. PMS SUCKS!
hey, we elected barack obama the 44th president of the united stated. good job! i'm still over the moon about it. i hope you are too. peace. hope. change.

civil rights part deaux

check out this article from the los angeles times. people are taking to the streets regarding prop 8. i love it. this is what i'm talking about people! this is america! we are proud to be american again! this proposition is unconstitutional and you know it. all of you hate mongers out there - you know it's unconstitutional. if you want to protect america you will help repeal this proposition. we ("the gays") are getting tired of being treated like second-class citizens and after taking such a huge step electing BARACK OBAMA PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, letting 8 pass just doesn't make sense. like president-elect BARACK OBAMA said, "it's our time."
be part of the revolution.

sad day

dear california,
i'm disappointed and disheartened at the too large a margin pass of proposition 8. 52.2% in favor, 47.3% opposed. it totally killed my obama buzz today as every time i got too excited, i remembered that you voted for discrimination, hate, and un-equality for everyone. we just went out in droves to elect the first african-american president, who 200 years ago would have been kept as a slave, and you can't let the homos have their little weddings? i paraphrase, mrs. ellen degeneres when i say that saying gay people can't be married is the very same as saying "you, sit in the back of the bus," "you,, can only use this bathroom," "you can go here but you can't go there." it's wrong. DISCRIMINATION IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL! the constitutional amendment sadly also takes away rights that had already been won. i'm hoping for a repeal on this ridiculous ban. kudos to all who were married prior to the election, as their marriages will remain legal and valid. to those opposed, guess what we are still gay. we are still going to commit to one another. that won't change. so take that california!
all my love, california,
caryn

election night

holllaaaa! we did it. as john mccain said, "the american people have spoken"! what an amazing few days. i am speechless (for once). the people came out in masses. they waited in lines for hours - losing pay - to vote. we have elected the first african-american president and our lives and the lives of our children, will be different. my neice and nephews will grow up in a world with racial barriers broken. not even just racial - it's for all of us. for all the minorities, blacks, asians, latinas, gay, trans, women - i could go on. but THIS is what MY america is all about. i'm overwhelmed by emotion. i just keep bursting into tears - i can't seem to control it. as 8:00 pm came and keith olberman called barack obama the next president of the united states, i ran outside and there was my neighbor jillian and her friends celebrating. i was so overwhelmed with excitement that i embraced and cried with perfect strangers. it was unbelievable. then i called my parents, of course! they knew it was me. i've been crying with joy and excitement and hope - i did it again this morning seeing the front page of the oregonian ... OBAMA's Time is what it says. but like he said last night, it's OUR time. we can't let this excitement wane and president elect obama can't do it alone. this is a revolution and i for one plan to be a part of it.

i'm having a slight problem with the closeness (still) of proposition 8 in california. i can't believe the residents of california can support that kind of hate and discrimination. not all the votes have been counted but it's 88% of precincts in and it's 48%-52%. this reminds me of oregon's "one man/one woman" of 4 years ago. constitutional measures like this are dangerous. it's been proven that the same sex marriages that have been celebrated over the summer have no effect on anyone except the people who love them.

however, i'm not going to let them get me down today.

the countdown begins ... 1/20/09

YES WE CAN!

CHANGE! HOPE!
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!!!

barack o.

thank you ohio.
thank you new mexico.
come on virginia.
come on florida.
GO OBAMA!

vote

vote
vote
vote
vote
vote
vote
...please

2 more days [survivor spoiler below]

well kiddies, we've got two more days in this crazy campaign and it's time to make your voice heard. i know i've been super obnoxious about reminding you to vote and all, but complacency is what frightens me. some say obama has it in the bag, but i'm not so sure. i have my faith, of course, where i wake up every morning and be grateful that barack obama is the next president of the united states. i have my faith in the american people that they have felt betrayed by the current administration and will do anything for something different. all i'm saying is that just because you think everyone else is voting doesn't mean you shouldn't. i have stopped watching anything but rachel maddow and stopped reading the polls. i feel like the media has the power to sway people and i think this is the time to stop listening to fox news and air america and listen to your gut. your gut cannot allow more of the same. do you want more oppression and lies?
so, here's my final push - please vote for change, whatever you think that may be. don't forget to vote on your communities measures. change starts at home. california, vote NO on prop 8, please. protect marriage by voting NO. arizona and florida - please don't pass your constitutional measures either on same sex marriages. i would like to take a moment to thank my mother for telling the canvasser that came to her door that it was no business of his who is marrying who and that her and my father would be voting NO on 8. thanks mom. it warmed my core. we have the opportunity to change the course of our country. don't forget to be a part of it.
on the same topic, i saw w. last week and felt cheated by oliver stone. i felt like he wanted me to sympathize with w. because of his "daddy issues." really? daddy issues? wah, wha, wha. daddy never approved! he loved jeb more than me! even though i committed treason - and should go to jail - to finish what you started, you still don't love me?! come on, oliver. you can do better than that. i think this film exposed cheney as more the bad guy and w. just an idiot head of the biggest fraternity in the world. forget about all the lying, stealing and treason going on. not addressed with any gusto. it's basically glossed over while w. and cheney eat sandwiches and talk about figuring out a way to manipulate all of us (including his own cabinet) into thinking there was weapons of mass destruction. this is huge and it's brought up while w. has pastrami hanging out of his mouth. however, as much as i hated w. i must say that josh brolin was a-mazing. he had w. down to a tee. an oscar nomination is possible. thandi newton's condoleezza rice was absolutely hideous. it was a cross between and 80 year old katherine hepburn and a marionette. god. i was embarrassed for her.
can we talk survivor for a minute? i must give props to sugar for finally starting to play this game. i think she would have stayed with ace had he not asked for the immunity idol to have in his pocket for tribal council. oh, and on a sidebar, i hate when they make both teams go to tribal council. i think that's bullshit. anyway, back to ace. sugar made the right move at the right time. having said that, i don't think sugar ever planned on voting ace out. i don't think she's a strategic player. however, she has spent plenty of time out at the "sugar shack" and what else to do but strategize? oh, and eat fruit and sleep. the only foreseeable problem is that everyone must know she has it because she's the only one who's been out there. so once the merge comes (if she makes it and fang hasn't tried to flush it out), she will have quite a target on her back. she'd have to be blindsided and i don't think that will be as easy as everyone thinks. especially when koto sees that she voted out ace. what about ken? our gamer? he's the one who planted the seed with sugar about ace and what's going on around camp when she's out vacationing at the sugar shack. it's only fair that she know - and ken really didn't say anything that wasn't true about ace. ace's big mistake was - well, besides the fake accent he couldn't keep going the entire time - assuming that sugar would just let him "borrow" the idol for tribal council. if you wanted immunity you should have won it for yourself. well, i'm fine with ace going. actually, there isn't anyone i really like this season. i find myself siding with sugar because she doesn't really have any allies. she's spent so much time away from camp that it's hard to connect with anyone. randy actually makes me laugh. this guy is so freaking miserable it's comical. at first i hated randy, but now i just have to laugh. he's one of those guys that get off on being a tool. who else? marcus the magnificent (as twop so affectionately call him). jeez this guy is like too perfect, huh? charlie couldn't agree more either. jacquie, i miss you and all that you brought to survivor: gabon.