Saturday’s Theortical Question

I need some help here with a theoretical question.

It seems as though everyone around me wants some cake.   I wouldn’t mind cake, because I generally like it but I know from past experience that it can be hard on my digestive system.   Yet, still I do like cake and there are days I miss eating it.

Right now I know of at least 8 people who would do almost anything for a really good piece of cake.   They are losing sleep over how badly they want that cake.

Someone has recently offered me a piece of cake  that looks like it could be my favourite flavour.  It has everything you could ever want from a good dessert.  Moist cake, gooey filling, sweet icing.    But I suspect–can’t prove it, but strongly suspect–that the cake has been baked by someone who had the flu at the time and if I eat a piece I’ll get the flu too.

So, do I risk eating the cake or pass on it?

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Get Mail

This day is killing me.

It reminds me of being a teenager and hoping my ne’er do well boyfriend would call me.

I’ve got several correspondences outstanding.  I think I’ve hit the ‘Get Mail’ button about twelve thousand times.

On a related note, the people at Prevention dot com and Amazon dot com can bite me.

They clearly have no idea how horrible it is to hear the incoming-mail ding, only to receive their loveless dictates on what I should be eating and reading.

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Tort Reform: Kill All The Lawyers

except my dad, my brother and Roger Abramson.

I’m prattling on about tort reform over at Mack’s place.

And no word about how my position on TR directly contradicts my libertarianism. I know that it does. And I’m duly ashamed.

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Dobson, Thompson & God

I had a long post all simmering on the back burner that went into much detail about Evangelicals and conservative politics with a dash of Church of Christ thrown in. But it’s Friday and I have no desire to go there right now. Maybe later in the day. Maybe Monday when all the political wonks are done misunderstanding the Christian Church and I can get my thoughts out there untainted.

For now, though, I’m going to do a Friday Random Ten because it’s FRIDAY. And you’re supposed to do a Random Ten if you blog, I guess. I do try so very hard to follow the blogging trends. It is only out of mercy for you, the kind person reading this blog that I don’t engage in Half-Naked Thursday. I really don’t want to blamed for “Kill Me Now Friday”.

So without further ado, I give you my Friday Random Ten.

1. Blackbird           Artist: Sarah McLachlan  I Am Sam Soundtrack
2. Burning Love    Artist: Elvis Presley  Elvis: 30 #1 Hits
3. Box Set      Artist: Barenaked Ladies  Gordon
4. Missisissippi Half Step/Uptown Toodeloo       Artist: Grateful Dead  Without A Net
5. Typical Male        Artist: Tina Turner  Tina Turner’s Greatest Hits
6. Shreveport Stomp       Artist: Jelly Roll Morton   The Greatest Ragtime of the Century
7. Bard Dance       Artist: Enya  The Celts
8. If I Had Words       Artist: Nigel Westlake Babe Motion Picture Soundtrack
9. Luck In My Eyes       Artist: k.d. lang   Absolute Torch And Twang
10. The King Of The Golden Hall       Artist: Howard Shore   Lord of the Rings: Two Towers

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Basking In The Reflected Glory Of Others

If I were a candy I’d be that bland, flavourless white gunk in the middle of the Bullseye, while my family and friends were the rich, gooey caramel surrounding me. There’s so much chewy goodness right now with the other people in my life.

• My sister has been named ‘Teacher Of The Year’ at her school. I’m so proud of her for that. I think it takes real guts and a good heart to go into teaching. She has made it her life, and a lot of kids are blessed by it. She brings both dedication and innovation to her job. I’m so glad she’s received recognition for all she does.

• My husband started a downtown cycling group which meets at our church every Monday and Thursday to ride the bike lanes downtown. He has a philosophy that faith needs to be balanced with taking care of your physical self. He also believes that cycling is one of the things that can save the environment and combat the negative effects of sedentary lifestyles. Today (Friday) a story about his group is going to be in the Tennessean.

I’m so proud of these two and their accomplishments, and I just had to brag a little.

Update I’ve added the link to the Tennessean article, which also features another blogger, our buddy Dan Hensley.

Doesn’t my husband look serious in his bike gear?!?

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Well, That Was Something I Didn’t Expect…

I have a second interview scheduled for Friday, April 6th.

This is for the company that gave me a first interview back in mid-October.

I guess I just figured they’d either filled the position by now or decided not to create it after all.

I’ll try not to read too much symbolism in the interview being scheduled on Good Friday. Nor will I make any punny jokes about it resurrecting my career.

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Watchtower Update For BSG Fans

I’ve gotten a lot of folks coming here for the information on the actual song featured in the show.

All of the details are available here, at the song-arranger’s site.

The portion of the show with the full song can be seen & heard here.

According to Bear McCreary, they will be releasing a Galactica soundtrack album in August to coincide with the Direct-to-DVD movie. That soundtrack will feature their version of the Bob Dylan song ‘All Along The Watchtower’.

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Men, Do NOT Cry On TV

So yesterday they revealed the Harry Potter cover art on one of those morning shows where people sit around with coffee cups and are far too cheery for anything happening before elevenses.

As part of the Big Reveal, they spoke to Arthur A. Levine who is the editor or publisher or something like that–excuse me for not going to Google right now to get my facts straight. (I always thought he was the publisher but I guess now he’s the editor with his own imprint. Go him.)

Anyway, Arthur A. Levine broke down and cried on the show,** and not because he was up far too early for mere mortals. He apparently cried because Harry Potter And The Everybody Dies At The End was an emotional and heart-wrenching read. I’ve now got much email in my in-box from people who are absolutely certain without a doubt that Levine’s tears are for the dead Harry, Hermione and Ron. It’s as though we’re all fresh off a viewing of Reservoir Dogs and have to assume that every story ends in all the characters splayed dead in a warehouse.

I think people are rattled because they seldom see men weeping openly about fictional characters on early morning television.

Regardless, I’ve still got my money on Hagrid biting it this time out and I’m not too sad about that. He can take his intermittent Scottish brogue beyond the veil and hopefully carry his insanely retarded giant brother with him. But if we lose Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna or Ginny I’m going to plotz.

**Apparently rumours of Levine’s nationwide weeping were greatly exaggerated as he didn’t cry on the show but rather talked on the show about having cried.    This makes me even happier I missed it, as I didn’t even have the novelty of seeing a grown non-preaching man cry on television.

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Priorities

Look, everyone. I know you think it’s stupid that I’m moving heaven and earth to celebrate the release of a hardback book. I know you’ve got parties and events going on next July that you’d really like to have me attend. Summers are shorter now, and each weekend of July is crammed with experiences we want to live out before school starts again.

To you this is “just another book” or “one of those silly children’s books”. I don’t know how firmly I can express to you ALL that this is my Rachel. I have waited seven years for this day.

I read my first Harry Potter books in July of 2000. Back then there were only four of them, but they were the only bright spot in what proved to be an outright hideous time of my life. When you have a job that literally drives you to the brink of a nervous breakdown and a boss who literally locks you in your office after work hours to verbally AND physically abuse you for more than 45 minutes it is necessary to take joy in simple pleasures. Like the Harry Potter books.

We all knew that there would only be seven written. And we’ve all talked endlessly about that seventh book. We knew once upon a time that the last word of all the stories was going to be “scar”. Long hours of discussion have been had about that one word alone. What does it mean? Does Harry die? Lose his powers? Have his memory wiped and removed from the magical world?

I’ve stood in line for hours on two occasions as I waited for books 5 and 6. I’ve had my face painted and taken quizzes and made a magic wand out of pipecleaners. All of this appealed greatly to my inner nine-year-old. I still have a flat black rock in the shadow boxes in my dining room wall. It was a prize that was meant to be a “sorcerer’s stone” a la the first book. It’s never spewed Elixer of Life, but every time I walk by it I get a bit cheerier. No, I don’t live longer but I live better.

So yeah. My very first priority on July 20, 2007 is going to be standing in line at a bookstore for my copy. My very first priority on July 21, 2007 is going to be reading that book.

It may seem silly to you, but it’s a VERY BIG DEAL to me. Perhaps the biggest deal. It’s every Superbowl ever played, every election ever held. You all will just have to be understanding.

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Lost: Can You Dig It?

It’s only fair for as much as I’ve demanded from Lost that I acknowledge when the show’s creators actually pull one over on me.

I’ve been griping for some time that the writers and producers don’t know where they’re going. Tonight’s episode surprised me on several levels, and it proved me wrong twice.

When I heard a few weeks ago that we were in for a ‘Nikki and Paolo’ episode I just cringed. Who cares about Nikki and Paolo? The few times they’d shown them this season I felt as though the writers were foisting more unnecessary detractions from the mysteries on us. My how wrong I was.

Tonight’s episode showed that indeed everything they had the annoying Barbie & Ken couple do had a payoff in this episode. Even Paolo’s extended trip to the head in the Pearl station had deeper relevance than most of us could have guessed.

I may be overreaching on the coincidences, but given that this is the Lost universe, I’m betting not. A few episodes ago we were introduced to a Russian character, and tonight’s plot hinged around diamonds hidden within a Matryoshka doll; a popular Russian toy. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see a flashback tracing the diamonds’ journey from our cow-herding Russian to the poor dead Aaron Spellingesque character.

That’s how you write for television. I hope the writers can continue to tighten up their stories so they give us more gems like this.

Of course, I don’t know if I can type up my Lost thoughts without throwing in a little bit of snark. See, writers, how much fun we had watching this episode? I can’t help but think the near-total absence of Angsty Jack and Petulant Kate had a lot to do with the show being fun. I haven’t quite decided if the problem lies more with the writing staff or with Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly. But it’s become quite clear there’s a weakness to the show whenever one of these two is on screen. So if you can keep them to a minimum, writers, that’d be great. Thanks!

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