Week 64

My completion list this post is really long. Yeah!!

#3 Wrote thank you notes to K and P, and B and K for covering our trip to West Virginia earlier this year. For the record, we did not expect it, but we took the generosity and said thank you. Sometimes you have to do that.

#8 Read Twisted. This was a compilation book that contained interesting facts and tidbits about unusual things in history. It was OK. It was a little manic for me.

#11 Hosted poker teach night at the house. B and S came over and we taught them Hold-em poker. Made some yummy apps and served drinks. Rousing success.

#29 Had a great lunch with S at Pom's. Is there any place else to have lunch with a good friend? I think not!

#35 Gave Mark two love notes. First one was the first phone call made and received on our new, shiny phones. Just a quick RAWR (dinosaur for I Love You) and I hung up. The second one was made in my latest issue of Budget Travel Magazine. I picked three pages and drew an illustration of "I" filled with all of the things that he and I do together. The "Love" was a big heart filled with various synonyms for love. The "You" was actually a ewe that looked a little like a fat poodle. Hey, I never said I was an artist, but I do really well at Pictionary.

#40 Watched Raging Bull. I always like seeing Pesci and DeNiro together in a movie and this was no exception. The dialog was realistic and did not sound written. It was like watching two guys hanging out and a camera happened to be there. DeNiro is a boxer. Pesci is his brother/ringman. As a boxer, DeNiro has ups and downs. He battles opponents both in the ring and out. Personal demons in the form of drinking, paranoia and jealousy overpower him and he eventually succumbs to life's TKO. He loses his title, brother, wife, kids, post-ring bar business, and his freedom. Eventually, he comes out the other end. He becomes a stand-up comedian. Great flick. Definite rewatch!

#58 Made a new 101 List. It will be tweaked here and there, but the core is done and ready to implement next year.

#61 Fixed the issue in the hallway. Okay, I'll say it. We had a mold issue. Not sure if it was the deadly black mold, but it sure looked bad. I went down to HD and bought some mold killer that is supposed to take out the mold and make sure it does not come back. I thought it was going to be a huge hassle of spraying, scrubbing, coughing, and back-bending. Actually, all I did was spray and do a quick wipedown. It took 10 minutes. Who knew? If I knew it could be this simple, I would have done this a long time ago.

#74 Listened to a lot of CD's this time:

Labrador--Rantings of a Lunatic. The title of the album says it all. This album sounded like it was written by a lunatic. It went from rock to jazz to reggae to salsa. Not to mention, it was badly produced. Icky.

David Gilmour--About Face. Very good. I liked that this album did not scream Pink Floyd.

John Fogerty--Premonition. Didn't expect it to be so pop-y. But, it did not suck!

Incubus--Morning View. I was expecting a little more rock. It was more soft then what I remember.

Guns N Roses--Appetite for Destruction. Not my favorite band, but this is one of my favorite albums. For me, this album turned rock on its ears and said F%$# You. Great music. Unfortunately, the rest of GNR's albums were subpar in comparison.

Guns N Roses--Use your Illusion I & II. See last line in above comment

Guns N Roses--GNR Lies. Not as bad as UYI I&II, but not Appetite for Destruction either.

Green Jello--Cereal Killer Soundtrack. I dug this album for the creativity. Little Pig is the song that people will recognize, but the whole album was very good.

Gin Blossoms--New Miserable Experience. Never been a big GB fan.

Flow--All of a Sudden. I can't talk about this one. Mark thinks this CD is from a band that wanted him to play with them in Austin. Thank God he didn't.

Dream Theater--A Change of Season. Great album. The only original song is a 23 minute opus filled with stirring lyrics and face-melting guitar solos. The rest of the album are covers of Elton John, Led Zepplin, Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs, Pink Floyd, Kansas, Journey, and Queen. What else do you need?

#81 Ding dong Bright House is gone! Which old House? Crap Bright House.
I cannot begin to tell you how glad I am to be out from under the Bright House Cable thumb. They suck. I can't get into it here, because I am trying to release and move on. I will say if you have U-Verse in your area, get it immediately. They are cheaper, have BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE, and you get more for your buck.

Week 61

OMG! I am on time this week. I got a lot done so I feel very motivated to write it down.

#40--I watched three movies this week.

The first was The Apartment. Great flick. The movie showcases Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine as co-workers in an insurance firm. She is the elevator attendant and he works on the 19th floor. They casually flirt and make small talk, but it never goes anywhere until Fred MacMillian starts to complicate things. The movie also stars the apartment that Jack lives in. Normally, I would not call an inanimate object a star, but the pad plays a huge role. Jack wants to move up in the firm, so he allows the execs to "spend an evening" with their mistresses in his apartment. Things are copacetic until Fred brings Shirley to the place. Drama ensues involving some sleeping pills, a nosy neighbor and a rummy game. In the end Jack gets the girl, loses his job, moves to a new place and finishes the rummy game.

Mark and I watched The Graduate. So, I had no idea what to expect from this flick. I kept singing "Here's to you Mrs. Robinson" in anticipation of watching it. I was not disappointed. This movie was slightly manic so the best way to describe it is as follows: Boy graduates. Boy gets seduced by his older neighbor. Boy is nervous, but eventually "graduates". Affair continues. Boy meets seductress' daughter. Boys falls for daughter. Seductress gets uber, crazy jealous. Girl almost marries a dolt. Boy stops the wedding. Seductress screams that it is too late, but we know it is not. Boy and girl make a mad dash out of the chapel and ride the public bus off into the sunset. Whew! So that scene in Wayne's World 2 makes way more sense now.

I watched American Graffiti. Great insight into the 60's. There was great music, sexy cars, sock hops, car hops, drag racing, girl chasing, car stealing, water balloon throwing, and Wolfman Jack. What else do you need?

#47 With the advice from my cousin, I went vegetarian last week. It wasn't as bad as I thought. I had some great dinners and, everyone hold on to something, Mark ate the veggie dishes I made. He only relented one night when he had chicken soup. I made vegetarian chili with corn masa stacks, spicy veggie wraps with chickpeas and spinach, and enchiladas made with tofu. Mark and I could be persuaded to eat like this more often. Of course, I do like my steak and pork, but a veggie night every so often is good too.

#74 Listened to the following cd's.

Extreme--3 Sides to Every Story. Sucked. I am concerned that Mark has this.

Genghis Angus--12 Days. Sucked. Christian Rock. This was a local band that asked Mark to play with them. He said no, but we still have the CD.

Gathering Field--Lost in America. See above description of Genghis Angus.

KISS--Revenge. This was the album they took their makeup off for. It was weird and not KISS. It was way over-produced and clean for them. KISS, take my advice. Keep the Starchild!

The Dead Weather. This is Jack White's newest incarnation. This was the only saving grace of music yesterday. This band is great. They get very organic and juicy with their music. If you have not heard them, you need to put down what you are doing, get off the computer, and immediately get a cd. It will change you. At least go to ITunes. We saw them live at Jazz Fest in New Orleans this year. Great show!

#73 I learned to shuffle poker chips. I am up to 12 chips total. It only took me 2 months and a couple of hand cramps, but now I will be feared at the poker table. The power is in my hands!!
I will distract my opponents with the quickness and accuracy of my shuffle. The rhythmic sound will put any player into a trance, after which I will take all their chips. Fear me! Muwahahahaha muhahahaha muwahahaha! Sorry, I got carried away. I am sure my ability to shuffle chips will have no affect on the tables. Or will it......?