Many of you have heard me talk over the years about the RT cover model contest (all men, barely clothed, sometimes dressed as incredibly hot angels...and yes, there is something terribly wrong--and right--with that last statement).
Okay, so this year, they've gone all out. The scheduled special guest is going to be...I can't even freaking believe it...Adrian Paul. Star of The Highlander! So, just so we're clear on this...he is not only a good looking man (duh), but he is also The Highlander, immortal until he (or another of his kind) is the last remaining. At least, that was the role he played. In the show, his character, Duncan MacLeod, fell in love with a human woman (actually, more than one over time, I believe) and stayed with her even though she would age and he would not. *Sigh*
This is a double whammy as far as I'm concerned. Not just meeting someone famous (which we all know I'm horribly bad at) but someone who was in a science fiction (well, paranormal, at least) show that I LOVED.
Oh, good God, it's going to take serious strength to maintain some form of dignity and not stutter out a request for a photo at the earliest opportunity.
Friday, October 26, 2007
A moment of silence, if you please...
Our Tivo finally gave up the ghost last week. Apparently, I have very bad hard drive karma as this is the second one (hard drive, not Tivo) that has died in the last month. I guess our Thursday night viewing schedule of My Name is Earl, The Office, Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty and CSI was just too much for it to take.
What's weird, though, is how quickly you prioritize shows when you no longer have the ability to record them. I always thought I watched less television because I was only watching what I wanted rather than what was on. However, what I failed to realize was it was the equivalent of eating at a buffet. It's all stuff you like, so you eat more than you normally would. Or something like that. : )
This week, I have only made time for Cold Case, How I Met Your Mother, Aliens in America, Heroes (but only because it was Kristen Bell's debut and boy, even that can't save this sucky second season, in my opinion), Life (the best show that no one is watching) and The Office. That's probably not even half of my normal viewing schedule. And you know what? I'm getting other stuff done in the evenings. Even though Tivo was supposed to free me to do other things, knowing those shows were up there waiting for me added pressure to my already increased tendency to procrastinate.
So I'm rather enjoying my freedom. And I, one of the first and most vociferous advocates of Tivo, am actually considering not replacing it. (Also because it costs soooo much right now.)
What's weird, though, is how quickly you prioritize shows when you no longer have the ability to record them. I always thought I watched less television because I was only watching what I wanted rather than what was on. However, what I failed to realize was it was the equivalent of eating at a buffet. It's all stuff you like, so you eat more than you normally would. Or something like that. : )
This week, I have only made time for Cold Case, How I Met Your Mother, Aliens in America, Heroes (but only because it was Kristen Bell's debut and boy, even that can't save this sucky second season, in my opinion), Life (the best show that no one is watching) and The Office. That's probably not even half of my normal viewing schedule. And you know what? I'm getting other stuff done in the evenings. Even though Tivo was supposed to free me to do other things, knowing those shows were up there waiting for me added pressure to my already increased tendency to procrastinate.
So I'm rather enjoying my freedom. And I, one of the first and most vociferous advocates of Tivo, am actually considering not replacing it. (Also because it costs soooo much right now.)
Monday, October 15, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Sex and Marriage with Robots by 2050?
Okay, so am I wrong that I find this article (and idea) completely fascinating? The author has all kinds of parallels to how our society has changed in the past to accept relationships that were previously socially unacceptable, and he thinks robots are next.
I don't know. Can you truly love someone who's programmed to love you? Would it be easier or harder than the real thing? I think the love and marriage portion of it, quite frankly, would be more difficult than the sex aspect. Although, again, if you tell your significant other, robotic or otherwise, to please take out the trash, who is more likely to get the chore done? But then again, is a surprise dinner out really a surprise if you have to tell the robot you like surprises and this is your favorite restaurant? Then again, perhaps the technology will have advanced so that the robot learns about you over the years, just as a person would? But will that robot change and develop also? Would he/she have a favorite food, color, piece of music?
And if they become that developed, in terms of humanity, isn't there something wrong with buying or selling them for the purposes of marriage and sex without their consent or agreement? And can you rely on consent from one who has been programmed to serve?
I just think it's fascinating. : )
I don't know. Can you truly love someone who's programmed to love you? Would it be easier or harder than the real thing? I think the love and marriage portion of it, quite frankly, would be more difficult than the sex aspect. Although, again, if you tell your significant other, robotic or otherwise, to please take out the trash, who is more likely to get the chore done? But then again, is a surprise dinner out really a surprise if you have to tell the robot you like surprises and this is your favorite restaurant? Then again, perhaps the technology will have advanced so that the robot learns about you over the years, just as a person would? But will that robot change and develop also? Would he/she have a favorite food, color, piece of music?
And if they become that developed, in terms of humanity, isn't there something wrong with buying or selling them for the purposes of marriage and sex without their consent or agreement? And can you rely on consent from one who has been programmed to serve?
I just think it's fascinating. : )
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Homecoming/Birthday Weekend 2007
Me, at my signing table. Though, I stood next to it most of the time instead of sitting behind it!
,+Julie,+Clint.jpg)
Becky taking a rest, Julie and Heidi chatting. 
Susan and Maggie (sitting on the floor), hanging out with me at the bookstore, waiting for lunch! 
Becky, Stacey and JulieA close-up photo, just like the one we took at Ed and Deb's wedding...Eight years ago!
Becky, me and Julie...chilling at the union, waiting for the reunion event to start
Ryan and Julie chatting, Beck and Clint in the background to the left, Heather and Kathy in the background to the right.
Debbie, Me, Becky and Julie at the 10 Year Reunion Event at Buffalo Wild Wings (Saturday)The Best Weekend!
This weekend....
Friday
5:45 pm: Got to Valpo on Friday in time to hang out with Susan for a bit in her dorm. Met her friend, Tabbi (Hi Tabbi) and then went back to the hotel to meet up with Julie!
7:30: Nostalgic dinner with Julie and Susan at the Subway right across from our old (and Susan's current) dorm. Becky and I celebrated completing our first week of classes there about 14 years ago and one month. : )
8:45: Fireworks!!! And a brief tour of the campus for Julie who hadn't been back in about twelve years. Got to see the really cool book storage system in the library that involves big metal boxes and crane-type things to grab them off shelves. Didn't get to see it in action, but Susan works there now, so I've got an in for the next visit!
9:30: Swimming back at the hotel. Staying up, talking, and drinking with Julie (Susan not of age yet!)
Saturday
8:00 a.m.: Shoe emergency! I packed a black outfit for my signing and forgot the black shirt. Nothing else would go with the pants and the shoes and I had no other shoes except for tennis shoes. So, Julie and I left at 9:15 and stopped by Kohl's for a quick shoe shopping excursion. I got very adorable Skechers slip-ons, but they did cause blisters later in the day.
9:45: Setting up at the bookstore for the signing. Julie helped me get all the books counted and she was as patient as a saint, keeping me company during the whole event. Becky and Clint came by and stayed for quite awhile as did Susan. Heidi, who I haven't seen in a few years, found us as well! It was very cool to see so many people from our class. Everyone is still recognizable as themselves, but we all look soooo much older and more mature. Funny I still feel the same on the inside!
One of my professors stopped by to say hello, too, which was really nice. I wish we would have had a chance to chat more, but things were quite busy. I sold 14 books in just over two hours--pretty darn good!
1:00 p.m.: Lunch at Panera, by Susan's request, with almost everyone. Greg was off with his fraternity brothers preparing for their annual alumni vs. active touch-football game.
2:30: Met up with Greg and Ed, Deb and the kids and Heather and Rob at the football field. Game was already over! Alumni won. : ) Hung out with Becky, Clint, and Julie at the union until it was time for our 10 year reunion event.
3:30: Buffalo Wild Wings for free food, cash bar and a class picture! We met up with everyone there, including Ryan and his wife. Julie, Becky and I were all friends with Ryan our freshman year and we hadn't talked with him in years! It was so much fun hanging out and chatting with him and his wife, Kathy.
6:00: Picked up Susan, Tabbi, Maggie and Tim(my) at the dorms and took them to dinner with all of us at Chili's. Um, yeah, party of twelve on homecoming weekend? Ha! It took them a bit, but we got in! I had possibly one too many Cosmos and handed over the car keys to Susan. : ) After dinner, we made a quick trip to Target so the kids could get whatever was too heavy or cumbersome for them to buy and carry back while walking. Target is pretty far for them to walk very easily.
10:00: Back at my old dorm and Susan's current one, we headed to the cafeteria, the only room with air conditioning, for my cake! The VU Guild makes cakes for parents to send to students and my mom paid for an extra one to be sent to my sister's room for my birthday! Chocolate with chocolate icing--so good.
10:45: Down for a quick trip to Greg's fraternity house to see the place for old times' sake. Then, Julie and I, never the big partiers of the bunch, headed back to hang out with Susan and Tim(my) in Susan's dorm before going back to our hotel for some girl talk and more wine coolers. : )
3:00 a.m.: To bed, finally!!!
Sunday
9:30 a.m.: Dragged self out of bed. Cried that it was my last day with my friends at Valpo, even though it was my birthday. : (
10:45: Got packed up and checked out of the hotel. Said bye to Greg, who drove separately. Went with Julie to Target to get bandaids caused by my new shoes (see above) and we hung out and talked at the Barnes and Noble with our coffee/hot chocolate. None of these stores even existed when we went to school there!
12:00 pm: Stopped by Susan's dorm to say goodbye. : ( It was so much fun spending time with her. The cool part is that because of the age gap between us, she knows many of my friends already and has hung out with them over the years repeatedly. She's included as one no different than us, despite the years between us, and I loved having her with us this weekend. She's my sister and my friend, and I count myself incredibly lucky in that! : )
1:00: To Chesterton for Becky's baby shower at the cutest little restaurant with the most awesome french fries I've ever had! I've eaten more calories this weekend than probably in the entire week. Heather, Julie and I entertained ourselves, chatting and being silly while we watched Becky open her gifts. I'm so excited for Becky and Clint about BG (their nickname for the baby to be born in Jan/Feb of 2008) and it was really neat to see all the lovely things they received to welcome their baby.
3:30: This was the hard part. I was tearing up before I left the restaurant, leaving Beck and Clint behind. Then Julie and I left separately in the parking lot...by the time I reached the first ticket booth on the toll road, I was a big sloppy, red-eyed, crying mess. I miss my friends, but more I just miss that life with them. Being together with them just makes me feel more...whole somehow. Like I'm a small part of this big, warm comfortable group, and I miss feeling that connected.
We've all grown up now and moved on, but it doesn't feel all that long ago that we were making group excursions to Burger King to eat together or braving the trip across the highway to get to Walmart for supplies for our rooms or a party. And I just miss all of it...even the crappy tiny little dorm rooms. Okay, well, maybe not that part! : )
Pictures to follow...
Friday
5:45 pm: Got to Valpo on Friday in time to hang out with Susan for a bit in her dorm. Met her friend, Tabbi (Hi Tabbi) and then went back to the hotel to meet up with Julie!
7:30: Nostalgic dinner with Julie and Susan at the Subway right across from our old (and Susan's current) dorm. Becky and I celebrated completing our first week of classes there about 14 years ago and one month. : )
8:45: Fireworks!!! And a brief tour of the campus for Julie who hadn't been back in about twelve years. Got to see the really cool book storage system in the library that involves big metal boxes and crane-type things to grab them off shelves. Didn't get to see it in action, but Susan works there now, so I've got an in for the next visit!
9:30: Swimming back at the hotel. Staying up, talking, and drinking with Julie (Susan not of age yet!)
Saturday
8:00 a.m.: Shoe emergency! I packed a black outfit for my signing and forgot the black shirt. Nothing else would go with the pants and the shoes and I had no other shoes except for tennis shoes. So, Julie and I left at 9:15 and stopped by Kohl's for a quick shoe shopping excursion. I got very adorable Skechers slip-ons, but they did cause blisters later in the day.
9:45: Setting up at the bookstore for the signing. Julie helped me get all the books counted and she was as patient as a saint, keeping me company during the whole event. Becky and Clint came by and stayed for quite awhile as did Susan. Heidi, who I haven't seen in a few years, found us as well! It was very cool to see so many people from our class. Everyone is still recognizable as themselves, but we all look soooo much older and more mature. Funny I still feel the same on the inside!
One of my professors stopped by to say hello, too, which was really nice. I wish we would have had a chance to chat more, but things were quite busy. I sold 14 books in just over two hours--pretty darn good!
1:00 p.m.: Lunch at Panera, by Susan's request, with almost everyone. Greg was off with his fraternity brothers preparing for their annual alumni vs. active touch-football game.
2:30: Met up with Greg and Ed, Deb and the kids and Heather and Rob at the football field. Game was already over! Alumni won. : ) Hung out with Becky, Clint, and Julie at the union until it was time for our 10 year reunion event.
3:30: Buffalo Wild Wings for free food, cash bar and a class picture! We met up with everyone there, including Ryan and his wife. Julie, Becky and I were all friends with Ryan our freshman year and we hadn't talked with him in years! It was so much fun hanging out and chatting with him and his wife, Kathy.
6:00: Picked up Susan, Tabbi, Maggie and Tim(my) at the dorms and took them to dinner with all of us at Chili's. Um, yeah, party of twelve on homecoming weekend? Ha! It took them a bit, but we got in! I had possibly one too many Cosmos and handed over the car keys to Susan. : ) After dinner, we made a quick trip to Target so the kids could get whatever was too heavy or cumbersome for them to buy and carry back while walking. Target is pretty far for them to walk very easily.
10:00: Back at my old dorm and Susan's current one, we headed to the cafeteria, the only room with air conditioning, for my cake! The VU Guild makes cakes for parents to send to students and my mom paid for an extra one to be sent to my sister's room for my birthday! Chocolate with chocolate icing--so good.
10:45: Down for a quick trip to Greg's fraternity house to see the place for old times' sake. Then, Julie and I, never the big partiers of the bunch, headed back to hang out with Susan and Tim(my) in Susan's dorm before going back to our hotel for some girl talk and more wine coolers. : )
3:00 a.m.: To bed, finally!!!
Sunday
9:30 a.m.: Dragged self out of bed. Cried that it was my last day with my friends at Valpo, even though it was my birthday. : (
10:45: Got packed up and checked out of the hotel. Said bye to Greg, who drove separately. Went with Julie to Target to get bandaids caused by my new shoes (see above) and we hung out and talked at the Barnes and Noble with our coffee/hot chocolate. None of these stores even existed when we went to school there!
12:00 pm: Stopped by Susan's dorm to say goodbye. : ( It was so much fun spending time with her. The cool part is that because of the age gap between us, she knows many of my friends already and has hung out with them over the years repeatedly. She's included as one no different than us, despite the years between us, and I loved having her with us this weekend. She's my sister and my friend, and I count myself incredibly lucky in that! : )
1:00: To Chesterton for Becky's baby shower at the cutest little restaurant with the most awesome french fries I've ever had! I've eaten more calories this weekend than probably in the entire week. Heather, Julie and I entertained ourselves, chatting and being silly while we watched Becky open her gifts. I'm so excited for Becky and Clint about BG (their nickname for the baby to be born in Jan/Feb of 2008) and it was really neat to see all the lovely things they received to welcome their baby.
3:30: This was the hard part. I was tearing up before I left the restaurant, leaving Beck and Clint behind. Then Julie and I left separately in the parking lot...by the time I reached the first ticket booth on the toll road, I was a big sloppy, red-eyed, crying mess. I miss my friends, but more I just miss that life with them. Being together with them just makes me feel more...whole somehow. Like I'm a small part of this big, warm comfortable group, and I miss feeling that connected.
We've all grown up now and moved on, but it doesn't feel all that long ago that we were making group excursions to Burger King to eat together or braving the trip across the highway to get to Walmart for supplies for our rooms or a party. And I just miss all of it...even the crappy tiny little dorm rooms. Okay, well, maybe not that part! : )
Pictures to follow...
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Extras/Television Update/Early Birthday presents!
At the Great Lakes Booksellers convention this last weekend, I was lucky enough to score ARCs (Advance Review Copies) on several books I've been wanting, none more than Extras, the fourth book in Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series. It's what I would classify as YA sci-fi, and I've loved all the books. I think it's some spectacular world-building, not to mention some really cool (and creepy) ideas.
In this world, everyone is ranked based on fame. Your life is better the more famous you are. However, everyone is competing for that fame so getting it is a bit tricky. Aya, our heroine, wants nothing more than to be someone. Because in this world, you're no one if you're not famous. And she's not. But what is she willing to do to be famous? How far is she willing to go?
I liked the reflection back on our culture and our obsession with fame, not to mention our obsession with people who are famous for being famous (Paris Hilton, as one example). It's always interesting to see ourselves in something else, just a little removed.
Because I got quite a few books for free this weekend, watch here for additional info and reviews. It's my little way of trying to pay it forward. The publishers were kind enough to give me the books, the least I can do is tell people about them if I like them!
_____________________
Second random thing...
First casualty of the fall season at my house? Journeyman. Watched the first episode last week, but couldn't summon enough interest to even hit the record button this week.
First season pass awarded? Aliens in America. Traditional midwestern family (the actress who plays the mom does a kickass Wisconsin/Minnesota accent) signs up for an exchange student to help their nerdy son have a friend at school. But instead of getting a young, confident European blonde guy, they end up with Raja, a sweet boy from Pakistan. I can't even describe how funny it is and yet it has really sweet moments, and somehow manages to balance both deftly. It's on Monday nights at 7:30 p.m.
_______________________
And finally, with my birthday coming up this weekend, among other things (you all are coming to see me at the Valpo Book Center on Saturday right? ), Stacy G. and I met for lunch. And she has such a knack for finding cool gifts. This year, I got a mug with one of those older photos (from the fifites or sixties) with a woman all done up, her hair pulled back and big smile on her face and it says "'High Maintenance' doesn't begin to cover it." And I also got two AWESOME t-shirts form her. The first is red and it says in big white letters across the front, "Please remain calm." And then under that in smaller letters, it says, "It's no use both of us being hysterical at the same time." I laughed so loud and hard at this when I opened it, I think I scared the hell out of people at the restaurant.
Second shirt is black and in old timey letters, it says, "Lead me not into temptation..." And beneath that it says, "especially bookstores."
How freaking perfect is that? I'm planning to wear them this weekend and will try to take pictures!
Thanks, Stacy G.!
In this world, everyone is ranked based on fame. Your life is better the more famous you are. However, everyone is competing for that fame so getting it is a bit tricky. Aya, our heroine, wants nothing more than to be someone. Because in this world, you're no one if you're not famous. And she's not. But what is she willing to do to be famous? How far is she willing to go?
I liked the reflection back on our culture and our obsession with fame, not to mention our obsession with people who are famous for being famous (Paris Hilton, as one example). It's always interesting to see ourselves in something else, just a little removed.
Because I got quite a few books for free this weekend, watch here for additional info and reviews. It's my little way of trying to pay it forward. The publishers were kind enough to give me the books, the least I can do is tell people about them if I like them!
_____________________
Second random thing...
First casualty of the fall season at my house? Journeyman. Watched the first episode last week, but couldn't summon enough interest to even hit the record button this week.
First season pass awarded? Aliens in America. Traditional midwestern family (the actress who plays the mom does a kickass Wisconsin/Minnesota accent) signs up for an exchange student to help their nerdy son have a friend at school. But instead of getting a young, confident European blonde guy, they end up with Raja, a sweet boy from Pakistan. I can't even describe how funny it is and yet it has really sweet moments, and somehow manages to balance both deftly. It's on Monday nights at 7:30 p.m.
_______________________
And finally, with my birthday coming up this weekend, among other things (you all are coming to see me at the Valpo Book Center on Saturday right? ), Stacy G. and I met for lunch. And she has such a knack for finding cool gifts. This year, I got a mug with one of those older photos (from the fifites or sixties) with a woman all done up, her hair pulled back and big smile on her face and it says "'High Maintenance' doesn't begin to cover it." And I also got two AWESOME t-shirts form her. The first is red and it says in big white letters across the front, "Please remain calm." And then under that in smaller letters, it says, "It's no use both of us being hysterical at the same time." I laughed so loud and hard at this when I opened it, I think I scared the hell out of people at the restaurant.
Second shirt is black and in old timey letters, it says, "Lead me not into temptation..." And beneath that it says, "especially bookstores."
How freaking perfect is that? I'm planning to wear them this weekend and will try to take pictures!
Thanks, Stacy G.!
Snostorm
Don't know what my problem is, but I've really been missing my baby quite a lot lately. I think about her everyday, of course, but for some reason, the last couple of days have been a little harder.
I dreamed about her last night, that somebody found her somewhere and brought her back to us. Her leg, the one we had to amputate because of the cancer, had somehow grown back, though not completely. Her fur had that weird ripply coarseness that it did after it was shaved off her for her surgery. I woke up this morning still vividly remembering the feel of it under my fingers, like I'd just touched her.
It'll be four months tomorrow. God, this still sucks. I also just recently realized that I lost a lot of my pictures of her because I had them on this computer and not anywhere else. I do have prints of them--thank goodness--but that's it.
I just still miss her. I thought it was getting easier, but not so much. : (
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
