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So, unfortunately, I'm back from Hawaii, and right now, my sister and I are planning on an Alaskan cruise. Tara says that I should bring two bags, but I really only want to bring the usual one, particularly since all the airlines are charging $$ for checked luggage. The most I'd consider adding would be one of those wheelie ones that people carry-on, but 1) I saw the trouble people were having finding space for those on the planes and 2) I don't know if there'll be room for anything BUT our luggage in our room.
But, yeah... it should be fun. Is it summer yet? Once I see if I'm docked for taking off the Friday before spring break (which, incidentally, was a day OFF when I booked my trip), I'm going to have to re-calculate my budget and book my other summer trips.
Does anyone out there have some cruise line experiences they'd like to share? We'll be going on Royal Carribbean. |
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Howdy all - it's been a long time since I last posted, but I just wanted to post an aloha from Hawaii. I visited the Volcano today, and to sum it up, I must come back some day and do all the trails... you know, when the poisonous gas levels are a little bit lower :-)
Anyway, I'm definitely NOT looking forward to going back home. This place is awesome!
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Well, not right now, but it's been a couple of years since I've been back there. As much as I want to check out some new places this summer, I might just have to take a road trip. The last couple of times that I visited my aunt in West Virginia (with my mom), we took a road trip there, but I don't think my mom will go back there for awhile, so there goes that. So, solo trip it is. I need to check if my friend from there, Diana, is on facebook. Hmmm...
Oh, and the real reason I've been thinking about Pittsburgh? I've been watching old episodes of "The Guardian," and it took place there.Current Music/Movie: One More Beer - Original Cast (Zorro) |
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I've watched most of my Alan Arkin (must update webpage!) and Anthony Michael Hall stuff, so the last few days, I've been running low on the obsession front. Sure, I had quite a few DLs to watch, but I have to be in the right mood for them. Last week, while in the midst of a Dead Zone phase, I acquired a few episodes of "The Mentalist," and I enjoyed them, but I had to get finished with my DZ/AMH thing first. Then, Thursday and Friday night, I watched most of the rest of the first 12 episodes of "The Mentalist," and you know what? It's a really good show.
Now, when Simon Baker was on "The Guardian," I remember taping a few episodes (I really liked it), so I started looking through my tape collection to see if I could locate an episode or two. I didn't have any luck on my tapes that were labeled, so I started checking through some of the unlabeled tapes. Man, I didn't realize how many of those were sitting around here! I ended up just throwing most of them away, but while I was looking for "The Guardian," I found a few episodes (3) of another show from the same time period, "Blind Justice," as well as "Touching Evil" (US version). So many good shows, so little time.
So, now, not only am I on a Simon Baker kick, but I've also gotten on a bit of a cleaning kick. Well, actually, by cleaning, I mean going through some crap and taking a bunch of stuff to Goodwill. But, my place looks tons better (thank you Starbucks coffee). Go me. Now, to get my butt in gear and to the work out place!Current Mood:  chipper |
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Saturday morning, I woke up a little after 8am, and left for E'ville a little after 9am. Once I made it to town, I called Mom to get a grocery list, and went to Schnucks while I was waiting for Tara to get into town. By about 2:20pm or so, Tara and I made it up to the 6th floor of Gateway to visit Dad. It wasn't really a bad visit, though he was in obvious pain. My brother, Jeff, and his girlfriend, Lori, came in to visit soon after, so it was the whole family. We chatted a bit (the females in the room, anyway), and Jeff & Lori left a little after 4pm. Not too much longer after that, my Dad gave a big long speech which was his way of saying, "I'm in tons of pain here, and I really can't deal with company anymore," so Tara and I left.
Anyway, they aren't 100% sure what type of cancer it is, but the top candidates are multi-myeloma and plastocytoma. MM isn't the worst diagnosis possible, but according to the health site I'm looking at (http://www.bcm.edu/oto/grand/32896.html), the average survival period is <3 years, versus plastocytoma, which is closer to 10 years. The internet can be a scary tool... |
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Well, my dad had the surgery this morning. They weren't able to remove all of the tumor, and it is malignant. Still, he is apparently in pretty good spirits (or at least high on pain meds). From talking to my mom, it seems like my parents are great with the "in sickness" part of their marriage vows. It's just the "in health" part they struggle with. It also seems to be allowing my mom to get things a bit into perspective. There is a couple (as in husband/wife) that works at my dad's store, and my mom doesn't really get along with them at all. When I was a teen, I worked a couple of weeks with the man, Jim, and I didn't have a problem with him, but he and my mom have just never gotten along. The wife, I have only met in passing, but she annoys my mom.
Anyway, those two stayed with my mom at the hospital, to help her get through the nervous (four) hours of surgery. They might be many things, but at the very least, they were there for her. I'm really glad of that.
So, my dad's going to be recovering at the hospital the next few days, and in light of the results of the biopsy, I've decided to make a day trip to E'ville to see them. I was just going to watch movies and work out anyway, so I'd say that it's a fair trade. Besides, my mom's been really stressed the last few days, so maybe I can lighten the mood a bit.
Jan. 9th, 2009 @ 11:16 pm
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| » Down with the Sickness... |
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So, my dad is going into the hospital tomorrow. He's had some pain in his shoulder and numbness in his hands for about a month now, and at first they thought it might be a pinched nerve (or something along those lines), but after the MRI yesterday, they discovered that he has a tumor on his shoulder. Remember, this is coming third hand, but my mom says that it's on the back part of his shoulder, on what they called a t-junction or something like that. So, tomorrow, they're going to have a biopsy done to see if it's malignant, and I'm assuming that they're going to remove it at the same time.
Anyway, I was actually surprised at how upset my mom was about it. I mean, I honestly feel that they should have gotten divorced about twenty-plus years ago, and she's always b*tching about him, but still, she was too nervous to eat this morning (before a doctor's appointment).
Sometimes, I just don't get my parents...
Jan. 8th, 2009 @ 04:01 pm
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| » Producers need a best by date.... |
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So, the last few days, I've been watching a bunch of Dead Zone episodes. I skipped around quite a bit, but I did a best-of type marathon for the first three seasons, and then I watched most of the last three. The reason for the marathon? Jennifer bought me my missing season, so it seemed the sensible thing to do. You know, it's quite a bit quieter than playing the drums on Rock Band.
Anyway, the main thing that came out at me is this: as much as I enjoyed that show, they probably should have canceled it after the third season... or, at the very least, they should NOT have done that sixth season. When the new sheriff chick is about my age, that's definitely not a good thing. In fact, even the guest casting was basically crap that season. I don't know if that was because of the budget, the casting director, or being in Montreal (not as big of a tv city as Vancouver), but the non-names simply weren't as good as before. Then again, the stories were fairly poor as well, so better actors probably wouldn't have saved that season.
Oh, and while I'm nit-picking things, does anyone in the television sector of the entertainment industry have a grasp of what's actually in a small town? In the beginning of series like Dead Zone or Smallville (which I stopped watching a couple seasons ago), the writers/etc. are mindful of this, keeping it more like a town of <5000. But then, they keep making the town bigger and bigger, so as to allow more options. In fact, at one point in Smallville, there was a sign stating the population as 70k+. Sorry, but that's not a small town!
I seriously need to limit to televisions marathons... Well, after I watch some episodes of the Mentalist, finish Merlin, and watch some Netflix movies.
Jan. 4th, 2009 @ 02:52 pm
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| » Hawaiian Trip = Booked! |
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For me, I've been procrastinating a bit on booking my Hawaiian Trip... just because. Anyway, I finally booked it, and here's what it looks like
March 20th - STL to Oahu
March 20th-22nd - Check out Pearl Harbor, Beaches, Shopping Areas
March 23rd - Oaho to The Big Island
March 23rd-26th - See the Volcano, more beaches, etc.
March 27th - back to St. Louis
I originally priced the trip in November, and by procrastinating, I have saved myself about $250! Cool!
Jan. 1st, 2009 @ 07:52 pm
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| » Don't forget your live screening! |
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So, I just finished watching "Deadly Business," and I popped open my computer. Since my background is the Joker, I always have to do my (horrible impression of) "Why so Serious." When I finished saying that, I suddenly realized that tonight's Chris Nolan's "Dark Knight" screening thingy. Anyway, it starts in 7 minutes! Woohoo!
"And here we GO!"
Dec. 18th, 2008 @ 07:47 pm
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| » Unintentionally funny! |
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Is it bad that every time the local news talks about the Blagojevich situation, or even has a promo about it, I laugh? Oh well.
Dec. 17th, 2008 @ 09:58 pm
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| » Snow day & I rock! |
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No school today because of ice! Initially, I didn't want our schedule screwed up for this week, but once we got the precip, I REALLY didn't want to have to try to get out of my complex. It'll probably be a couple hours before the area is treated. That being said, I heard the maintenance people (I'm guessing it was them) walking around to check how icy the walkways were.
Oh, and why do I rock? There's a CD out there that is just about impossible to find. It's been out of print for 8 or so years. None of the usual sources (auction/resale sites) had it (which is amazing in and of itself), and the closest library with a copy was in Chicago (I looked it up on WorldCat). Even the MP3 sites (for streaming or purchase) only had a record of it - no tunes. However, I found a copy of it in freakin' Australia. I emailed customer service to make sure it was the correct CD, and it was!
Dec. 15th, 2008 @ 05:56 am
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| » (No Subject) |
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Anyone want to join a new comm?
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) alan_arkin_fans
I just started it up, so it's a lonely comm.
Dec. 13th, 2008 @ 10:58 pm
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| » Potential future trip... |
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There's an interesting article on yahoo:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/3122301
Short version: Apparently, Obama wants to loosen some of the restrictions on the retarded embargo against Cuba. I don't know if y'all realize this, but Americans aren't officially allowed to travel there. Sure, there are sneaky ways to get around it, but even Cuban Americans can only legally visit once every three years (according to the article), and you aren't allowed to spend American dollars there.
My cynical side believes that, at best, Obama will simply return the restrictions to pre-Bush levels, but I really would like them to go away for good. I couldn't possibly care less what happened 40 years ago. Let's move on - I'd like to be able to check that place out some day.
Dec. 12th, 2008 @ 06:53 pm
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| » Nick Nolte is officially the worst commentator for DVDs on this planet. |
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So, I just finished watching the DVD of "Mother Night" (based on the Kurt Vonnegut novel). The movie was was pretty good, even if my prey was in it minimally. On the DVD, there are two commentaries: the Director/Writer on one, Nick Nolte on the other. The first commentary was rather dry, so I skipped ahead to Arkin's first scene on the Nolte commentary, assuming that I'd get the obligatory co-star story. Instead, Nolte is talking about dopamine, addiction, and stem cell research. Really? Some actors should really stay away from the commentary tracks.
I wish it was Thursday :-(
Dec. 10th, 2008 @ 08:39 pm
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| » I'm cool... no, really! |
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Since my 4 yr old (ish) cell phone's battery has been crapping out on me lately, I decided to get a new phone tonight - the LG Chocolate. Yes, I am cool now... though I just spent several hours getting it like I want it... mostly. Sometime over break, I'll have to get a good animated screensaver.
But, yeah. I'm pleased with my purchase :-)
Oh, and for the record, once I get my rebate back, the phone will have been free. Yay for deals.
Dec. 8th, 2008 @ 10:52 pm
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| » Back from Thanksgiving... |
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Well, I'm back from Evansville, and I SO don't want to go back to work tomorrow! I've been doing just about nothing today, and I would like to continue to do so!
Oh, and the Alan Arkin kick has continued (Hey, he was pretty cute in the 60's!). I downloaded music from his old ('57) band, and I've been listening to my burned CD for the last few days. Speaking of kick, I could kick myself for the VHS I discarded about 4 years ago.
In my defense, the videotape of "Simon" had been sitting on one of the tubs in my sister's old room at the old (now nonexistent) house for a few years. I'd probably been going through the tubs for one movie or another, and I just left it there. I believe that my reasoning at the time was that the case was probably moldy or bug-infested. Oh, and I hadn't watched the movie all the way through since I'd bought it (probably from Book Broker). Tara once said "If you don't use something for a year, you should throw it away." Oh, how untrue that is for me! Anyway, I was hoping that I had decided to keep the videotape, but upon my search Wednesday night, I discovered that I was an idiot.
Now, had I not gotten into an Alan Arkin kick, this would've been fine, as he was the only notable actor in the film (which used to be on cable all the time). But, my lust apparently knows no bounds. On a random note, my dad got into the 'when are you going to find someone' conversation while I was home, and he suggested that I marry a Jewish guy, because "they usually make a lot of money," even though "they're usually bald." I hadn't mentioned the Alan Arkin thing to him yet, so it was pretty funny to me ;-)
Yes, I am insane... but y'all already knew that.
One thing that is interesting about this little obsession: he's been a lot more difficult to track down online than just about every actor under the age of 40, so I've had to exercise my mad stalker skills ;-) Bwahahahahahahahahahaahahaaaaaa!
Nov. 30th, 2008 @ 07:53 pm
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| » Stolen from Heather |
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Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
Turn to page 56.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post that sentence along with these instructions on your LJ.
Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
"Yossarian was the best man in the group at evasive action, but had no idea why."
Admittedly, I waited until I had a fiction book nearby, since my teacher books are usually the most convenient. Can you guess what I'm reading now?
Nov. 22nd, 2008 @ 07:54 pm
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| » Where's the straitjacket? |
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It looks like it is time for a rather random post!
First off, I'm on another actor kick... but, hey, at least this guy is alive, even if he's older than my father. I rented "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" from Netflix (because it's about a deaf-mute), and not too surprisingly, I really enjoyed it, so I put a bunch more of Alan Arkin's movies on my queue. You know, the ones I haven't already seen (and actually some that I have). I'd watched "Catch-22" many years ago (on my Martin Sheen and Anthony Perkins kicks) and didn't really enjoy it, but watching it again, it was a really good movie. I think the reason I didn't like it before was that I was multi-tasking... and you kind of need to pay attention to it. Oh, and another movie I'll recommend is "The Russians are Coming..." I can't believe they managed to make that movie in the 60's. Oh, and I still think that his line about the swordfish was one of the funniest in "Get Smart."
On Sunday, I went on a 6-7 mile hike with our venturing crew, and despite the chilly weather and rough terrain, it was actually quite fun, though exhausting. I'm still suffering from a major rest-deficit. Then, on Tuesday, my Zorro soundtrack made it here (the London musical, not the movie), and on Wednesday, I received notice that my Blues plates are in. I decided to wait until Saturday to pick them up, because I'm disappointed that my first two choices were unavailable (Tardis and Vortex), and my 3rd choice probably should have been my 5th or 6th choice (TMBG). Oh well. At least I have Blues plates (or will soon).
Last night, I had a fairly demented (to me at that time) dream, which woke me up at 4:30. I dreamed that someone had a premonition about my mom choking/dying on a tuna sandwich on a certain day, and I was hanging around her just in case. I don't know what brought it on, but... it was slightly unsettling.
Anyway, I better get offline soon. I really wish it was Friday, so that I could sleep in! ARGH! :-(
Nov. 20th, 2008 @ 09:16 pm
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| » Zzzzzzzzz........ |
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Argh for the bad scheduling... sorta. So, today, I'm attending the school's production of Romeo & Juliet at 4pm. However, here's the annoying thing: I have almost nothing to work on, because four of my classes have just been reviewing for the week.
I think I need a nap... and dinner. Yup, food would be good. The one negative against resuming my workout routine is a killer appetite! :-(
Nov. 13th, 2008 @ 03:25 pm
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