This Thanksgiving Weekend, I'm reflecting on all of the things I'm thankful for. There are many, many things I'm thankful for. I could go on and on talking about my amazing family and friends, a job I love that allows me to play as hard as I work, and so much more.
I'm especially thankful for the future. There's so much to look forward to in my life. Ashley and Lily will be here soon, my friend Michael Kelley will have an amazing year as a Disney Ambassador, and so much more. But let's just bring it down a notch and get real. Today, I'm thankful that technology allows me to hear Jeff Buckley say the word "penis."
And I'm very thankful for the next video I found on youtube.com. I've never seen it, and yet the clips are familiar because of Merri Cyr's photography and her book A Wished-For Song, which should be in all Jeff Buckley fans' libraries. Thanks, youtube, for these moments.
11.25.2006
11.21.2006
martika & fergie
Step by step, heart to heart, left right left, we all fall down like london bridge.
11.20.2006
back to my europe series ...
After the Netherlands, Kim and I were looking forward to having two full days in London completely free. We got in late Friday night, and I had so much bottled-up excitement about being in London that I seriously thought I was going to burst. We checked in to Le Meridien on Picadilly, a posh hotel right in the middle of everything.
The coolest thing in my hotel room was a speaker in the bathroom that played whatever you had on the television. Simple pleasures! Flipping through the channels was like being at a UN meeting – channels in German, French, Dutch, Spanish, even a channel for Al-Jazeera. I loved watching the BBC in the mornings – the biggest news stories were Mark Foley and Bush’s passing of a law that pretty much outlawed online gambling for Americans. (Back in the states, no one had even heard about the online gambling rule – interesting…)
On our first morning, Kim and I walked down Regal Street to Oxford and hit two fun stores – Top Shop and H&M. I hit the hosiery department. I know it sounds lame, but I love funky socks, and with the sucky exchange rate of the British pound, it was about all I could afford. I wound up with a few pairs of socks, tights, a couple of skirts and pair of striped gloves.
a sign on Oxford Street
That afternoon, we had awesome seats for Wicked, and we were lucky enough to catch Idina Menzel reprising her Tony Award-winning role of Elphaba. I never thought I’d see her perform live. She was amazing – producing a series of chills up and down my arm throughout the show – and even a few tears during “Defying Gravity.” What can I say? I am a sucker for an underdog story.
Oh, and the guy who played Piper Perabo’s boyfriend in Coyote Ugly played Fiero. He was pretty impressive, and not just because he was hot and had a British accent.
ummm ... technobarf?
By the end of the show, we were overwhelmed by the drama of West End excitement and decided to walk over to the theater where Billy Elliott was playing to see if they had any tickets available. We heard nothing but rave reviews about the show from anyone we talked to, including Jason, who saw it just a week or two before we arrived in London.
Kim and I were lucky enough to get tickets for Monday night, so we were thrilled and suddenly slightly concerned that we’d get out of work in time to actually make it to the theater. We did, and we really enjoyed the show. The accents were sometimes difficult to understand – think Trainspotting and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels -- but it was a really fun show. The dancing was amazing, especially the 11-year-old boys who had more talent in their big toe than I do in my whole being.
intellectual political statements abound in london
What else? We shopped, we walked all over our “neighborhood” one night – there was a Virgin Megastore on our block! – and on our last free day, we did some sightseeing, too. Kim and I had both visited London before, so we were content to wander around a bit. We went to Tower Bridge and then did something amazing – we hopped on the London Eye for a bird’s-eye view of the city. It was a really cool experience. You move so slowly, it’s almost imperceptible, and it took nearly 20 minutes to go around completely.
So, what did I learn about our friends across the pond?
The Brits call Tony Blair “George Bush’s poodle.”
The cabs are roomier than my college dorm.
Every building is beautiful.
I loved watching their nerdy grammar game shows.
I want go back.
The coolest thing in my hotel room was a speaker in the bathroom that played whatever you had on the television. Simple pleasures! Flipping through the channels was like being at a UN meeting – channels in German, French, Dutch, Spanish, even a channel for Al-Jazeera. I loved watching the BBC in the mornings – the biggest news stories were Mark Foley and Bush’s passing of a law that pretty much outlawed online gambling for Americans. (Back in the states, no one had even heard about the online gambling rule – interesting…)
On our first morning, Kim and I walked down Regal Street to Oxford and hit two fun stores – Top Shop and H&M. I hit the hosiery department. I know it sounds lame, but I love funky socks, and with the sucky exchange rate of the British pound, it was about all I could afford. I wound up with a few pairs of socks, tights, a couple of skirts and pair of striped gloves.
That afternoon, we had awesome seats for Wicked, and we were lucky enough to catch Idina Menzel reprising her Tony Award-winning role of Elphaba. I never thought I’d see her perform live. She was amazing – producing a series of chills up and down my arm throughout the show – and even a few tears during “Defying Gravity.” What can I say? I am a sucker for an underdog story.
Oh, and the guy who played Piper Perabo’s boyfriend in Coyote Ugly played Fiero. He was pretty impressive, and not just because he was hot and had a British accent.
By the end of the show, we were overwhelmed by the drama of West End excitement and decided to walk over to the theater where Billy Elliott was playing to see if they had any tickets available. We heard nothing but rave reviews about the show from anyone we talked to, including Jason, who saw it just a week or two before we arrived in London.
Kim and I were lucky enough to get tickets for Monday night, so we were thrilled and suddenly slightly concerned that we’d get out of work in time to actually make it to the theater. We did, and we really enjoyed the show. The accents were sometimes difficult to understand – think Trainspotting and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels -- but it was a really fun show. The dancing was amazing, especially the 11-year-old boys who had more talent in their big toe than I do in my whole being.
What else? We shopped, we walked all over our “neighborhood” one night – there was a Virgin Megastore on our block! – and on our last free day, we did some sightseeing, too. Kim and I had both visited London before, so we were content to wander around a bit. We went to Tower Bridge and then did something amazing – we hopped on the London Eye for a bird’s-eye view of the city. It was a really cool experience. You move so slowly, it’s almost imperceptible, and it took nearly 20 minutes to go around completely.
The Brits call Tony Blair “George Bush’s poodle.”
The cabs are roomier than my college dorm.
Every building is beautiful.
I loved watching their nerdy grammar game shows.
I want go back.
11.14.2006
there is a light
When my grandmother was a young woman, she fell deeply in love with a guy named Joey. They married, and just a few days later, Joey left for the war and never returned. My grandma told me that she awoke one night, and her bedroom was dark except for Joey’s picture, which was illuminated on her dresser. She later learned that evening was the same night Joey died.
Years later, she was at a parade with her family and noticed a bright flash of light in the sky. When they returned home, my grandma learned that her brother died. Whenever my Grandma saw a light flashing that wasn’t supposed to be, she got a bad feeling, and I guess it passed on to the rest of the family.
When I was in college, the key ring my Grandma gave me broke in two. I had never taken it off because I felt it was some way connected to her. I was upset that it broke, and when my mom called and told me she thought something was wrong with Grandma, I responded, “I know.”
She was in Chicago visiting family, and she didn’t feel well, so she decided to come back to town early. I saw my grandma that weekend, and my mom even told her about the key ring, which I had fixed. Within a week, my key ring broke again, this time, for good. My mom called later and said that Grandma was in the hospital. She died a few days later.
To this day, when I see a light flickering out, I think of my Grandma. It used to really upset me – like it was a sign that someone I loved was dying. One day, I thought, what if it’s my grandma’s way of contacting me and letting me know that everything is OK? I immediately felt better – the power of the mind.
Last Monday, I took Thor to the vet because he seemed to be getting worse. He had taken nearly all of his antibiotics, and the mass on his neck -- what the vet diagnosed as a severe bacterial infection -- seemed even larger. Dr. Chesnick said the mass had spread to his mouth, and there was nothing they could do to make it better. I didn’t need to wait for the biopsy results; Dr. Chesnick recommended Thor be put to sleep within a day or two so they could leave the catheter in his paw and he wouldn’t have to go through that pain again.
That night was rough. I gave Thor peanut butter on a bagel – a favorite of his. I would have given him anything he wanted because we had only a few hours left together. My dad drove us to the vet the next morning, and we stayed with Thor through the procedure. It was heartbreaking, but I’m glad I was there. Right before he lost consciousness, Thor licked my nose. He knew I needed that.
A few days later, Dr. Chesnick called and said the biopsy results showed that Thor had a highly evasive something carcinoma. It was cancer, and he was really sick. I'm grateful that I was able to spend his last few hours with him.
By the way, the staff at the Kirkman Road Veterinary Clinic has been wonderful. Dr. Chesnick is a sweetheart, and I highly recommend the place to anyone looking for a kind, understanding vet practice.
Years later, she was at a parade with her family and noticed a bright flash of light in the sky. When they returned home, my grandma learned that her brother died. Whenever my Grandma saw a light flashing that wasn’t supposed to be, she got a bad feeling, and I guess it passed on to the rest of the family.
When I was in college, the key ring my Grandma gave me broke in two. I had never taken it off because I felt it was some way connected to her. I was upset that it broke, and when my mom called and told me she thought something was wrong with Grandma, I responded, “I know.”
She was in Chicago visiting family, and she didn’t feel well, so she decided to come back to town early. I saw my grandma that weekend, and my mom even told her about the key ring, which I had fixed. Within a week, my key ring broke again, this time, for good. My mom called later and said that Grandma was in the hospital. She died a few days later.
To this day, when I see a light flickering out, I think of my Grandma. It used to really upset me – like it was a sign that someone I loved was dying. One day, I thought, what if it’s my grandma’s way of contacting me and letting me know that everything is OK? I immediately felt better – the power of the mind.
Last Monday, I took Thor to the vet because he seemed to be getting worse. He had taken nearly all of his antibiotics, and the mass on his neck -- what the vet diagnosed as a severe bacterial infection -- seemed even larger. Dr. Chesnick said the mass had spread to his mouth, and there was nothing they could do to make it better. I didn’t need to wait for the biopsy results; Dr. Chesnick recommended Thor be put to sleep within a day or two so they could leave the catheter in his paw and he wouldn’t have to go through that pain again.
That night was rough. I gave Thor peanut butter on a bagel – a favorite of his. I would have given him anything he wanted because we had only a few hours left together. My dad drove us to the vet the next morning, and we stayed with Thor through the procedure. It was heartbreaking, but I’m glad I was there. Right before he lost consciousness, Thor licked my nose. He knew I needed that.
A few days later, Dr. Chesnick called and said the biopsy results showed that Thor had a highly evasive something carcinoma. It was cancer, and he was really sick. I'm grateful that I was able to spend his last few hours with him.
By the way, the staff at the Kirkman Road Veterinary Clinic has been wonderful. Dr. Chesnick is a sweetheart, and I highly recommend the place to anyone looking for a kind, understanding vet practice.
11.11.2006
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