My friend Adrian and Rinna put action figures on their wedding cake. They put Princess Lea (Rinna) and Hans Solo (Adrian) as the bride and groom. My friends and I added the extra ones later on, Darth Vader as Adrian's Father-in-Law. And Jabba the Hut as the Mother in Law... oooohhhh. When the inlaws saw it.. they wondered who those caracters were suppose to be. Well it was all in good fun.



Speaking of Steak, Last week was Restaurant Week in New York City. Dot and I went to Smith and Woolensky with her cousin Kim and Kathy. For 30 dollars you can order from the Prix Fixe Menu; appetizer-soup or salad; main course- Fillet Mignon; then dessert- Cheese Cake or Chocolate Mousse Cake. Fillet Mignon is Medium Rare of course but for the 30 dollar price it was worth it!!! Normally, a Steak dinner will cost around 60 dollars and up on average at Smith and Wollensky. It will cost extra for the appetizer plus again for the dessert. I think I spent about 200 dollars the last time I went at Smith's two years ago.

Glee, were you on a vegan or lacto-vegetarian diet?



Net


PS My brother Joe is running on the NYC Marathon this weekend. Volunteer water boys welcome...=)

Reiki FAQ page

Hi, everyone! I'm back! I wanted to see if I could eat a vegetarian diet for 21 days. That quickly ended when I saw my father cooking up a steak yesterday. After a week of eating whole grains, pinto and/or black beans, baby green salads, hummus etc. I got so sick eating the steak. I should've started eating eggs, fish, poultry and then moved up the food chain.


I did not have the Reiki attunement. I already had my Reiki I attunement last year so it would be redundant to do it again. I was only taking this workshop as a refresher course--learn new hand positions and try to grasp what I could not understand the first time around. Reiki is "universal life energy." Many cultures talk about this energy: the Chinese call it "Qi" or "Chi, " the Japanese call it "Ki," and it has also been called "prana." Everyone has this energy, but it in order to be a clearer channel of this Reiki, one gets initiated by a Reiki Master (Teacher) through what's commonly called an "attunement." Reiki balances the energy in one's self and aids a person in his or her own healing process. A person who has an attunement can do self-treatments or do treatments for others.


I don't normally dress up for Halloween. My friend Amy said she was thinking of dressing as Anne Sexton (the confessional poet who committed suicide by gassing herself in the car garage). I said I would be willing to be Sylvia Plath if she would go through with it. (Sylvia Plath did herself in by sticking her head in a gas oven.) Amy has a habit of dressing in "obscure" historical figures. She's gonna end up dressing up as a Bolshevik or a French whore (I can't remember which historical period). Amy said I could dress as a pastry tray, but I said I'm too afraid of being attacked by birds.


Ching, I think Gladys (my sister) and her husband JP would be pleased to be starting a new trend in cake toppers. It sure beats paying 500 dollars for a candy version of yourself.


My mother is willing to get rid of the 70s orange flower-printed couch and matching loveseat. She is also willing to get rid of the oriental rug. Unfortunately, Salvation Army is not co-operating. They keep delaying their pick-up times. Grrrrr. I swear the house I grew up in looked like a Filipino-version stage setting for the Brady Bunch.


Have a Happy Halloween!

i caNt beLieve dat i 4got dat haLLowEEn is comiNg.
ouR one year oLd house was supposed to be decorated and ready to weLcome dem trick-or-treatiN boogers. i feeL suxh a faiLure. i wanted to make a giaNt spider and buy dat eLectronic one that comes down....wiTh the sensor.


im suxh a scaredy cat. i saw "13 ghosts" and i did not sLeep. i cRied because my LiL bratty bRos made noises and kept on sayiNg da ghosts's names. i was in a feTaL posxn on mah bed...waiTiN for the sun to come up.



da movie wasNt even scary.

sooooo paTheTic!!!

Sorry I've been out of commish for a while.  Things have been somewhat hectic over here.  I have not seen Caligula.  Brian, who is very opinionated when it comes to movies, has seen it -- but he has no desire to see it again.  I guess I am out of luck.



I saw A Clockwork Orange a while back.  I think I wrote a paper on several years ago.  I own it on video and and I have the book which has the crucial final chapter that was conveniently omitted from the movie version.  It's one of my all-time favorites.



Speaking of movies, Final Fantasy is now available on DVD.  Brian and I bought it today at Sam's Club.  We had to call his parents to bail us out because we needed to buy food for our barbecue this afternoon and both our Sam's Club cards were expired.  And Sam's was the only place we could get 40 hamburger patties for less than 10 bucks!



The action figure cake toppers gave Brian and I a wonderful idea.  We're going to be copy cats and use action figures as our cake toppers, too!  Brian loved the idea because he is an avid action figure collector.  When I first read your message, Glee, I got very excited..  "I know exactly which action figure I want to represent me!" I told Brian.  He thought I was going to pick Xiaoyu from the video game Tekken (because I kick ass at the game when I play her -- I am totally invincible, except when Brian selects Eddie Gordo, his strongest character, to play against me).  He was completely surprised when I told him that I choose Elektra (from Marvel Comics).  "Then I'll be Logan," he says.  "Wolverine?  Why?" I asked.  Brian explains that Elektra and Logan had some sort of relationship 8 years ago.  Of course, only a handful of people will know the significance of the characters we selected.  I'm so excited already.  My mom will literally flip out!

21 days!!! thats too long. Holloween is coming try to look then. Any interesting ideas for costumes anyone? Beuler? Beuler?



I wonder what Kubrick would have said, if he was still alive, about his 2001 movie. Where's HAL?


Will HAL appear in the XP release of Microsoft? or does Steve Jobs have something up his sleeve?
"Open the bomb bay doors HAL". Say hello to Bin Laden!!




okay back to reality.



Net

Hi Glee,

I don't like the gory stuff either. Didn't mind Clockwork Orange, though, mostly intelligent, a lot of the violence was implied rather than on-camera. Next to 2001, it may be Kubrick's best work.

What's a Reiki attunement? Or should I go look it up 'cos you'll be gone for 21 days? < g >

Daf

P.S. to APRiL: Oh, perhaps you were referring to my brother-in-law's interior decorating with the black, grey, and silver motif and the disco balls?

Reply to APRiL: Were you referring to my friend Amy or the weddding?


I think Caligula would mess up my sensitive disposition, so I'll pass on that one. The sex wouldn't bother me, the gore would. Because Clockwork Orange is one of those movies that is contstantly being alluded in media and in conversation, I thought maybe I would watch it to see what the commotion was about. Is it the kind of movie that would give me nightmares?


I saw the latest David Lynch film Mulholland Drive. If you like David Lynch's work, then you would probably like it. I don't really care for Lynch's movies. Then again, I don't enjoy being disturbed for entertaintment. My own life disturbs me enough.


Well, I'm going to disappear again. I'm finally getting my business license. So, I'm off to build my own business as an independent contractor. Also, I'm going to go through a Reiki attunement so I will be resting for about 21 days starting Sunday.

There were a bunch of versions of Caligula. I'm pretty sure the "R" version skipped the orgy scene.

IMDB has a bunch of info on it. Also, the DVD had a "making of..." segment that included interviews with Guccione, McDowell, the director, Gore Vidal (the author), and some of the extras. The orgy scene was directed and produced by the Gooch himself, and did not involve any of the stars. A lot of Penthouse Pets, enough guys to keep it interesting, and at least one "little person".

As for the violence, Clockwork Orange seemed more beatings than killings. Not so with Caligula, which had that decapitation machine (sort of a street sweeper with blades), several bloody murders - one including castration, and a "fantasy" scene early on where McDowell imagines all kinds of naked people dying horrible deaths - an early glimpse into his psyche.

I'd like to see Spiderman, but Monsters is the one we're waiting for. And Lord of the Rings. And Harry Potter. Can you say "arrested development"? < g >

Daf

When is Spiderman going to be shown in theatres?
Havent Blogged in weeks... Got sick, dont worry its not Anthrax, just the usual sore throat due to the change in weather.
Caligula can be compared to Clockwork Orange as far as violence is concerned. That orgy scene was just plain porn. How did that ever get an R rating I dont understand.
"Has anybody seen my stapler?"

glee, two words: MARTHA STEWART!

Reply to Ching's post: No, she doesn't pop microwaveable popcorn. She has to get fresh popcorn kernels from the Solono County's crops. My friend Amy has an opinion about everything. She doesn't settle for less, if she doesn't have to, when she knows "the best" is readily available. Weird, huh?



My sister's wedding and reception were both a fabulous success. The food was wonderful, the reception location was romantic with a huge window view of the city and the bay at night, and the entertainment was spectacular: the groom serenaded the bride singing a punk rock cover of the punk rock band's cover of the 80s song "Glory of Love." We, both bridesmaids and groomsmen, were all surprised he had it in him. Turns out it was his dream to sing in a rock band. The wedding cake was a simple round two-tier angel food with strawberries in the middle. It was decorated with red rose petals and the bride/groom topper was two anime acting-figure characters. I said an impromptu speech about the bride and groom in front of 300 guests. We had guests fly in from Canada, L.A., and the East Coast.

The newlyweds honeymooned in a bed-n-breakfast in the Napa Valley.

They opened their wedding presents yesterday. For some reason the couple has more knife sets than would be considered practical. They also have two disco balls--yes, that was on their wedding registry. Still, it's one too many. I noticed their bathroom and kitchen stuff were either black or silver or grey. I have a strange feeling my brother-in-law has taken charge of the interior decorating. *sigh* Well, my sister and her husband are living in the house my sister and I grew up in as children. (My mother, father, aunt, and I live in the carehome, the place of my mom and aunt's work.)

CooL FeeLiNGs



WHEN you get gas,
thinking $1.22/gallon for a premium
is a good baRgain,

THEN the next day,
when you pass the same gasoLine staXn,
and the premium gas weNt down to $1.11

...that's a cooL FeeLinG!



WHEN iTs da oPPosite......that's a cooL FeeLinG!



WHEN you caNt do a ThiNG cauSe you have a fuLL gas taNk...

NOW, ...THAT's a cooL FeeLinG!

More movies:

Cider House Rules - excellent character development, real tear-jerky, Charlize Theron is hot hot hot (!!!), and the male lead (forgot his name?) reminds me a whole bunch of a friend of mine. Pro-abortion stance might be disturbing to some, as well as an incest subplot, but very well done. Best role Michael Caine's had in years!

Caligula - always wondered what was up with this one - what happens when a star-studded cast (Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole, Sir John Gielgud) works a movie produced by Bob Guccione? Boy, did we ever find out! I knew it'd be graphic, but the violence was downright evil! And though I expected sex, I didn't expect stroker porn - but there it was - big 15 minute (?) orgy scene near the end, played like any other porn movie, except slightly better photography, and the sound of Malcolm McDowell hollering in the background instead of a fuzak soundtrack. Kim hated it, I thought O'Toole and McDowell were very good, though McDowell was uneven. And I did rewatch the orgy once more, but felt appropriately dirty and ashamed afterwards.

The Players Club - Tawdry drama set in a black strip club. Far enough outside my cultural experience that I question my judgment on it, but didn't really ring true. Female lead was pretty good, and Jamie Foxx was likeable, but the criminal element was really two-dimensional.

Daf

Bought Office Space last night. Wotta riot! They captured my life so well...

Daf

yay for daf!!!


"hard ball" made me cry...."training day" surprised me!


and why is iron monkey coming out in theatres? its at blockbuster's!!!

Congratulations, Daf!  That is very cool!  I am so excited for you..



Regarding Glee's post: you mean she doesn't pop microwave popcorn like regular people?



I guess she won't be answering that for a while, huh, seeing how she's on a "leave of absence" --

Finally got the first proof back from my publisher! Yay!

Minor fixes only - left my lyrics intact. We'll duke it out over chord changes for a while - I'm right < grin >, but I'll give in if I gotta.

Won't ever get me much money, but it's kinda cool to know that people I never met will be singing my stuff (sorta true already - British music director used a song of mine last year, but I only wrote the lyrics).

Daf

I loved reading the book Grendel. My friend Albert recommended it to me. I heard the author was a resident of Chico (I attended CSU, Chico), and he died in a motorcycle accident. I loved the part in the book when this ram had this tenacity to climb this mountain and Grendel would try to knock it down. The ram reminds me of my more determined friends. Grendel, the character himself, reminds me of my friend Albert.



My friend Amy rented Holy Smoke on VHS. (She still has no desire to buy a DVD player.) Strange flick. Harvey Keitel in drag is just a weird image. Keitel plays P.J. an exit counselor who tries to deprogram Kate Winslet who believes she found love and enlightenment from Bubba, an East Indian guru. Amy made the best buttered popcorn--this side of Solano County.



I'm gonna take a leave of absence in the blogging for a while. This is the last week to get ready for my sis' big day, and I have to supplement my income to pay off my student loan and the mound of bills. Grrrrrr. [hums] Job hunting I will go..job hunting I will go...hi ho...merry-oh...job hunting I will go.

I can't believe they're that cheap!  I liked O, Brother Where Art Thou? also..  "Man of Constant Sorrow" has got a nice hook.



Sorry I haven't blogged much lately..  Been taking care of the dog in the morning before work.  That, and our water heater busted..  That was very expensive.  Now, we have carpenter ants.  That's not cheap either.  Welcome to home-ownership, right?

Hey April!

Like the Mike Reiss. Wonder what he thought of Grendel. One of my faves.

Also like Tom Hanks. I'm so middle-class!

Speaking of (Middle class) - DVD players are under $100 now, so we bought one, and a few rewatchables we didn't already have: Caddyshack, Music Man, North by Northwest, Round Midnight, My Fair Lady, Raging Bull.

Rented a couple DVDs too - LOVED(!!!) O Brother Where Art Thou? Great Ulysses references - sirens, Cyclops, the wife who's going to remarry. I always liked the Coen Bros., but this was even better than I hoped. Helps I'm a bluegrass fan too.

And The Mexican. Pretty cool plot twists, and some pretty dark humor. More blood than I like (I like NONE, Raging Bull notwithstanding). Julia Roberts was a little over-the-top with her psychobabble, but I'm sure there are girls out there just like her.

Daf

MiKE REiSS: poet laurete

selections from one of my faves



JE NE SAiS QUi

She cannot act,

She cannot sing.

She cannot do

Most anything.

But when her bLouse

is open way LOW.

i am a bigg fan

of J. Lo. (",)



BEOWuLF

Flagons, mead.

Dragons bleed.

This is one

slow-draggin' read.

And don't expect to see a wolf

Anywhere in Beowulf.

***i Like BeowuLf; iTs the first wRiTing mah bros and i read/discussed in detaiL. iMM proud that at grades 5/6, they understood and enjoyed it as muxh as HamLet.***



WHERE i DiFFER WiTH THE AMERiCAN PUBLiC

Tom Hanks?

No thanx!


***...i can deaL with Forrest Gump...but dats iT!!***