Oscar the cat, harbinger of death

Apparently there is a cat that can predict death.

I don't know about you, but I'd hate to be living in this nursing home. "Get away from me Oscar!!!"
I mean, it doesn't surprise me as animals are the best things in the world and dogs and cats have more in tune senses and are generally more away when weather is coming or something doesn't seem right to them. HOWEVER, I would not want an angel of death cat wandering around as I lay dying. I'd prefer a dog. Cause you know that about an hour after your dead that cat will be all up on you trying to eat your face.

This cat didn't even WAIT til this woman was dead!

Thank You Recording Academy

Sweet deal!!!
One of the offices where I work is down the hall from the Recording Academy, and lemme tell yah - good for us today!!!
They are getting ready to move into a new office, and while I was over in the area for a meeting someone told me they were giving away all their leftover cd's! WHOA!
So excited, and not one to EVER EVER turn down free music, I hopped on over to see if I could find some good stuff - boy did I!
I got about 20 cd's - which at first I felt a little bad about but there were boxes and boxes and they WANT us to take it, so screw that, FREE MUSIC! I got a bunch of rock, some jazz and world music, some blues, a couple country, and a few classicals - SO EXCITED. While I don't normally listen to CD's anymore - thank you iPod - I do still listen in my car and have many in my fam that DO listen to CD's (again, mainly in car, but still!!!) and so I was able to get some presents for people too! SUH-WEEEEET.

In other news I am exhausted, despite getting a fair amount of sleep lately. Just don't want to get up in the morning, which really is nothing new, but it's been EXTRA hard lately. Full time job and this touring children's show is proving to be quite the committment - not that I'm complaing mind you, but it is taking up a lot of my time (obvi). I just feel stretched thin a little - falling behind in other aspects. I'm trying to be supportive of my entrepreneurial boyfriend (who is doing quite well, I just wish I could be there to help him out a little more with the pup and other things). I did take the pup to the vet on Monday morning instead of coming into work - he has a cough!!! No kennel cough thankfully, but a little respiratory infection, so had to get him some antibiotics and keep him quiet this week (no doggie daycare til Friday!!!) which is a task that is nearly IMPOSSIBLE.

Once again I feel like I haven't been very social at all with my roomie, but she is busy too, so no worries there I guess. I'm headed out of town (AGAIN) this weekend to spend some time with my mom one on one while my lil sis is in Cali. We are going to New Hope, PA and Lambertville, NJ for some antiquing, shopping, good dinners and a stay at a B and B. Things both my mom and I enjoy, while my sister prefers a much more ACTIVE type of mini-vaca, which she is getting right now out in Cali at my Aunt and Uncle's house/farm - riding horses, mucking stalls, helping with various animals, and hopefully utilizing their beautifully re-landscaped pool area - all while trying to rehab her left knee from her ACL tear. =( Poor kid, I can't imagine...
Anyway, should be a nice weekend. Where oh where did summer go?!?!?!

Started HP but haven't read past the 7th chapter- DON'T ANYONE TELL ME A DAMN THING OR I WILL CUT YOU - and am very anxious to finish that but am awaiting my copy (I started my dad's copy in Pittsburgh last weekend) from my mom - AH! Also trying to avoid the internet so I don't hear any spoilers.

La Lohan was arrested AGAIN. Oh Lindsay, my love for you continues to head in a downward spiral - WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO DRIVE YOURSELF?!!? You are rich enough to hire a DRIVER. ALL THE TIME. This is what I don't get about celebrities and drunk driving - YOU HAVE THE MEANS TO TAKE A CAB ALL THE TIME. Hell, you have the means to have a private car and driver - USE IT! Jesus.

Ok well this is random and all over the place, I have to pee and I'm getting hungry for lunch.

ICKY THUMP

is a great great great great album. The acting partner I've referred to in earlier posts pulled a fast one on me and was kind and gave me the album after I exclaimed how much I liked it after listening to it in his car.
I gotta say though, wow. I've never been a HUGE White Stripes fan. I didn't really care for them when they first blew up, and it's only been in the last few years while Jack White has been doing other things like country music and creating some of the most beautiful music EVER on the Cold Mountain Soundtrack and being excellent in the same movie, that I really started to listen. So I was intrigued when Icky Thump came out and now that I have it and have listened to it about 10 times - wow. It's great. I highly recommend going out and buying it RIGHT NOW.
Thank you, that is all.

WE HAVE STEVE JOBS

So this weekend was a great one for sure.
Friday night I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and of course, I have nothing bad to say about it at all. Well, I do, but not much. I know it's a ginormous (spell check just told me to fix the spelling because that isn't a real word - HA! jokes on you auto-correct because it is now) book and there is no way you can include everything. I realize that. HOWEVER, there were some things that were in the movie that they didn't really expand upon that needed some explanation. Nothing major - just a few lines of text or something could have helped. I mean, if you read the books then you are fine, but if you don't then you don't know that when Fred and George do their big "TA-DA" at the school that they are actually LEAVING school, dropping out and starting their own shop. You just see them flying into the air. Anyway. Just a couple of minor things like that. All in all though - excellent and exciting, and dark. It gave me some reminders as to what is going on etc. and I loved all the "new" characters. Umbridge was great, as was Luna. And I really like Ginny (well, I always do, but she's always so kick ass). My friend, K and I discussed the book/movie at length and he was reminding me of stuff that happened that they left out - one thing being how Ron joins the Quittage team and actually wins! Things of that nature... I had forgotten that. Ok, enough about HP - the book comes out this weekend and I can't concentrate on anything else and can't read anything else until it comes out and I finish it. GAH it will be so bittersweet. Ok I need to stop, I get myself so worked up.
Anyway, Saturday I went up to NY to rehearse a show with The Gossip Factory and I had a lovely time. Our hosts K. and L. put out a lovely spread of h'or deurves, snacks, and nosh. Throw in some wine and rehearsal got underway with a couple of new people that are going to be an AMAZING addition to our show. I'm very glad for that as I was a wee bit nervous at first. Turns out? No need at all - they fit in with us very very well. It shall be grand. We got some work done and caught up and I think we now have a good direction to head in. After awhile we decided to head to the beer garden (in Astoria) and what a fabulous place indeed! After living in NY for a year I can't tell you how many times I was told I NEEDED to go to the beer garden (my partner at work lived in Astoria and would tell me all the time) and I never ever got there. Until now. And boy am I glad. So great. I, for one, love drinking outside, so this was perfect. Beer gardens are the greatest places in the world - I am now convinced these are my favorite places to drink - that or breweries. In Brooklyn there is a brewery - The Brooklyn Brewery, duh - and on Friday nights you can go and pay like $20.00 for a bunch of tokens and then when you enter you are essentially in a giant warehouse with picnic tables and one small make shift bar set up with taps of all the beers they brew and you give them some tokens in exchange for beer and it doesn't feel like you are paying because you are using tokens, and you are set to go battle your way to a picnic table. They don't serve food or have anything else going on so a lot of people order food to be brought in and get pizza delivered and a lot of people bring games and set up playing with like, massive amounts of people. So basically the beer garden is the same idea except it's outside, the bathrooms are cleaner, and a lot of people play beer pong, flip cup and other such games that no one plays in the brewery. And they serve traditional German food. aka Horse penis with 'kraut and mustard. YUMM.
Things quickly got underway and before long we found ourselves playing our own game of "We have ____." Fill in the blank. So basically this consisted of the people on my side of the table saying, "yah? Well, we're better because we have _____." fill in the blank. This basically came down to a quick fire of "we have THIS" and "we have THAT" back and forth that made absolutely no sense even if you happened to be there. Essentially one team took technology/modern/republican side whilst the other side took "nature's" side. It was funny at the times though. And I think my side of the table trumped all when we shouted, "WE HAVE APPLE! AND STEVE JOBS." and no one could come up with anything better. We declared ourselves the winner and set about getting a game of flip cup started.
The other fun game was singing the cell phone ring that the old man on Family Guy sings when he is trying to get away from Chris because he has a new paper boy. Yah, that didn't get annoying to those around us AT ALL, but we enjoyed it, esp. when accompanied with a circular hip dance.
We all had a sleepover together complete with a stuffed animal given to all of us by our host. Which, of course, once we awoke next to our respective stuffed animal we all made have stuffed animal sex and have a conversation about who gave who herpes (the animals, not us). Ohhhh the fun that ensues when a bunch of theatre kids get together.
So while I'm sure only about 1/2 of this blog makes sense to about 1/2 of you that read it. Just know I had a great time in Astoria with great friends. And that I love Harry Potter.

Obsession Thy Name is Harry

Wow. I mean, every time I think my obsession for Harry Potter begins to calm something douses gasoline on the flame and it rears it's magical head once more.
Oh Harry Potter how I love thee, let me count the ways:
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosophers) Stone
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
AND SOON - EXACTLY ONE WEEK AND ONE DAY FROM TODAY-
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

siiiiigh, what WILL I do with myself after the end of the series? I do love the movies and will enjoy that they still have 2 more to go (I'm going to see the Order of the Phoenix tonight!!! YAY!!!) but am sure I will feel so bittersweet whilst reading the last of Harry's adventures.

I thought I had calmed down a little bit, but then I just read synopses of all the books once more just to jog my memory a little bit before reading the last book, and I realized that this WHOLE time while waiting for the final book I could have been reading the other 6 books again! I had been on the bandwagon (of my own creation) that I would only read them once - after all, there are sooooo many books out there and soooooooo many that are on my list to read, why should I re-read Harry Potter of all things?!?! OH YOU FOOL!! What were you thinking?!
And now with just one week it is impossible (for me anyway, I'm a terribly slow reader, well, not THAT slow, but a week for all 6 books?!?!) to read them ALL before the 7th.
It's not like I can wait to read the 7th one, because you KNOW some yo-yo out there will most certainly spoil it for me and I will be forced to murder them ("AVADA KEDAVRA!" - shut up.), though I'm fairly certain my motive would stand up in a court of law. I'm sure JK Rowling would approve.
Potter-mania, why must you hold my heart in your deathly tight grasp??

Calamari anyone?

Squids weird me out.
Here is one that washed up on the coast of Australia recently.
While I like to eat them, this just looks prehistoric and strange and is basically the weirdest creature ever.

Ginormous Step for Mankind

Wow. So this morning I open yahoo as I do every morning to get my minor dose of news that doesn't entirely center on the way in Iraq. (don't get me started, don't EVEN get me started.) Generally I like yahoo's variety in "news" because a lot of time they have some interesting random articles.
The first article that pops up is about the new Merriam-Webster Dictionary edition that will be coming out this fall. But what REALLY caught my eye was the word they chose to highlight in one of many additions - GINORMOUS. That's right folks, "ginormous" is now an official word according to Merriam-Webster. Now some might scoff at this saying it's just a combo of gigantic and enormous, and technically it is, however, it's so much more than that. Being a strong proponent of this word, I was elated to discover it's inclusion in the new edition of the dictionary. And most especially (and I'm sure this might be the same for many of you) because I love the movie Elf so very much. This movie is most likely the first place many heard the word in use. Buddy the elf says it while examining the toilets, "Have you seen these toilets? They're GINORMOUS!" and my love for the word was born. I incorporated it into my every day use. So I'm thrilled that I am actually "correct" now. However, apparently the word has roots in World War II and first appeared sometime in the late 1940's - wow!
This really struck me though because a few weeks ago I was talking to my family and my younger sister said, "wow that is ginormous!" in reference to something. My mom waited until she was out of earshot and whispered to me, "Do you think she knows that isn't a real word?? And that it's a combination of two other words?" To which I replied, "hmmm, I don't know, she's got to know, but then, maybe she doesn't. I'll tell her later." And I did, I asked my sister if she knew it was a made up word and she laughed and said of course she did, but when I asked her if she knew which two words it was made up of she had a little more trouble coming up with an answer. Though eventually I think she did... anyway this is why I had "ginormous" on the brain, and I'm just all around excited that words like "ginormous" "crunk" and the all important "smackdown" are now in the English language as official words.

Beach Bum at Heart

Growing up near the beach instills in your a quality you can't really explain to people who didn't grow up on the coast. I'm not quite sure what the 'je ne sais quoi' is. Which is the whole point of 'je ne sais quoi,' but my point being - it's great. When I visit home and head on down to the beach I start to relax. Any tensions from the day/week/month begin to melt away and I feel like I'm really "coming home" - I am the most comfortable in an area where there is sand and water. And yesterday I got to enjoy just that. MY beach (yes it belongs to everyone, but part of that feeling is a sense of ownership) was grand yesterday. I got up at 8 (if I'm beach bound you better believe I'm up with the sun. And for a normal bed/sleep junkie like myself, that's really saying something.) after only 4 hours of sleep and a night of debauchery, roused my roomate, and strolled out to the sand. (And yes I use spf 30 and I reapply) I plunked down a towel and didn't move until about 11am when my friend J. joined us. We even got in the water (the Atlantic is normally tres cold) because it was so hot out. Felt GREAT. That plunge of being freezing first and then the numbing of your toes until the temperature is comfortable. Lovely. After our dip and a dry in the sun, we headed up to the Starboard for Bloody Marys and some lunch. After that, straight back to the sand for a glorious afternoon of sun bathing, swimming, talking, and laughing. It felt so great.
Joy of joys. I am also currently working on getting a real tan this summer - not because I think it looks good (though it certainly does) and not for any vain reasons, but mainly because I will spending a month on St. John's in the Caribbean, and being a girl with fair skin, I've GOT to have color on my skin before I head down there. It's not even a choice but a necessity, though I supposed I can embrace this "chore" if I must. Otherwise I will literally burn to a crisp down there. I've been down to El Caribe many many times, but never for this long. I get to live in basically a tree house! I'm so stoked. It hasn't hit me yet (probably because I haven't made my flight reservation, that's this week though!) and when it does -watch out, I will be in full on dynamite mode. Granted I have to finish my show I'm in right now for the summer, quit work, and perform another round of '4f' with the Gossip Factory, but I am island bound and I couldn't be happier. It has been a goal/dream of mine to live in the Caribbean (hey! a month counts! after all, I may not come home!!!) for as long as I can remember and I'm going to get to live it out. I want to learn to sail, and maybe if I can find someone to teach me, to surf. I'll be working in exchange for my stay there and I will probably be cleaning toilets, BUT I'll be cleaning toilets in paradise!
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I can't wait! This will be me in about 3 months!!!

Pugs Galore

Someone recently sent me this article from The Onion about a massive recall of Pugs. A joke obviously. If you don't know The Onion - well, you should, I'm not going to explain it, you have the power to google/wikipedia.
Anyway. This struck me as pretty funny because, well, I used really really dislike Pugs. I actually hated them as a dog breed - and I don't really hate any dog breed because I love all dogs (except poodles. Absolutely under no circumstances are poodles EVER ok. They are the work of Satan. With the exception of 2 large black standard poodles that were special to me as a young girl - friends of the family owned them, Cozy and Elmo. Yes, as I was saying, with the exception of those two, Poodles should stop being bred immediately, thank you.) but the Pug was just weird to me. Not quite ugly enough to be cute like the Boston Terrier. However, slowly as the years passed my opinions began to change, and then, despite their various health issues, the little smoosh faced bug eyed puppies began to grow on me, and now, I rather like pugs. HOWEVER, what really changed my mind was my search for the perfect dog for me. I love bigger dogs, but know I will be in no position to own one until I have a house with a yard (don't get me started on large dogs in small spaces, don't even get me started...) and thus began looking (I spend many days searching Petfinder.com - it's my secret addiction - I don't feel the need to discuss it thank you.) for a dog that was smaller, but RESEMBLED a larger breed. Having grown up with Cocker Spaniels, Old English Sheepdogs, and various other sundry creatures, I had really come to love hounds. The problem is most hounds are at least 50-60lbs to start. I know I know, not all of them, but the kinds I liked. I basically wanted a Mastiff/Vizla/Weimaraner/Bloodhound etc. only smaller. Well, such a dog did not exist. I searched and searched. I looked at every dog breed known to man. I looked at mutt after mutt, and nothing, no dog looked like a little mini (and I say that NOT meaning toy, tiny, rat dog - I don't have a lot of use for dogs that look like their legs could break if you really wanted to snap them) hound - you might say, "hey! A beagle is a hound." And I would say yes, but I didn't like their coloring or their howling. I had a Cocker Spaniel that had the most ridiculous howl that always sounds like he was being scalped alive if you left him alone in a room, no thank you. And then, oh and then! I came across what people were calling a "Puggle" - and my heart surged with joy! Oh dog of dogs, you are my canine soul mate - you are the perfect breed for me! Deep tan colors with black points, solid little body, the perfect hound shape, a wrinkled forehead, with big deep set human like eyes, a hound snout, and a perky tail to wag - all in a 15lb-20lb package- could it be any better?! Could there be a better fit?!?! NO! And then to read about their temperament - they love to run and play, but tire quickly and then are ready to snuggle on your lap, or next to you in bed. SHOOT AN ARROW THROUGH MY HEART I AM IN LOVE. And my love for the Puggle was born. And finding out they were a cross between a Pug and a Beagle blew my mind - how could 2 dog breeds I do not particularly care for produce such a little glory beast!? So I now have a wonderful little Puggle in my life (see photo) named George (my favorite name in all other languages) and I couldn't be more in love with him. He is a little wonder dog.
Ok so basically what I was getting at is that I have a new appreciation for Pugs considering by dog is half Pug and found this story really funny. Esp. when you click on the slideshow - it's a must!

*I feel I must give a disclaimer that every dog I've ever had has been known as "the best dog in the world" and I mean no disrespect or lack of love to my other dogs Polo (an Old English) Lucy (a Yellow Lab) and most especially my little monster girl, Cori (a Cocker Spaniel) - who is known as the "eternal puppy" because even at age 13 (soon to be 14) she is still the spunky, sweet chow hound she has always been. She is a special dog, and belongs to me and me only (sorry Mom- even though I don't live there anymore she's still mine) and I love her more than anything.

Death by Poop Gas

I cannot IMAGINE something like this happening. These poor people. It's an awfully tragic story, happened just down the road from where I went to college. Death by methane. AKA the cows pooped too much, it rained, and gas concentrated in a single area. Being a silent killer, the methane awaited as the farmer and his ENTIRE family came down to check something out, eventually killing all 5 of them. I mean, I know there are dangers of working on a farm, but this is just particularly sad. I hope there were no surviving family members, I really hate when I hear a story of a tragic death and it's just the dad and daughter who have died or just the mother and one of the babies kind of deal- I always feel SO bad for the ones living. That really sucks. At least in this case everyone died so no one has to be left back to mourn.

Bearded Ladies

So, I have seen 2 bearded ladies in the past week. 2! I don't think I've ever seen a bearded lady in the wild before, and here they were sportin' it as if it were the latest trend in fashion. Granted one of them was definitely homeless and there was probably not much she could do to fix said beard. She sort of had a long goatee and was also sporting a hot moustache. The other one I saw was seemingly a normal pedestrian/tourist woman. Her's was more of a full on kind of beard, dark, but no stache. What the f?! Where was she going in that thing? (I might also point out that she was wearing a fanny pack. GLORIOUS!) The carnival I'm sure...

Anyway, I just had to share because damn.

Love Affair

Things I am totally loving right now:
-Water. I love to drink it, be near it, be on it, be in it, be touching it etc.
-1/2 and 1/2s (half lemonade, half iced tea)
-The Office. Tuna (my roomate) and I were in tears last night. How can a comedy be so good? How can a comedy make you feel for the characters so much? I swear my heart stopped beating while watching the show last night (first time I had watched Jim tells Pam he loves her episode) which ties into the fact that I wish far too hard that life was really like tv/movies. I mean, who doesn't right? But I seriously need to NOT let myself think that stuff like that happens in real life... sigh... if only. I'm a dreamer, what can I say, def. not a realist here. I guess I just miss that whole feeling of, he likes me, doesn't he? No, he can't. The not knowing, and the "up in the airness" so much that it actually hurts because you have a crush on someone and the possibility of him liking you back etc. The whole high school feelings... I mean, I'm happy with life now, don't get me wrong, but part of me really enjoyed all of the uncertainty- it was fun, and exciting. The not knowing, the guessing, the hoping, the roller coaster of feelings. I love that.

-Strawberries and fruit in general
-Olives
-Summer
-1/2 days at work
-Getting some sun on my otherwise pale body!
-Preparing to spend a month in St. John's!!! Got to get that tan now so I don't burn to a crisp down in El Caribe!
-Wine
-My puppy, my little lovebug George.