Better Luck Next Year

Can't. Talk. Mavs. Lost. Heart. Hurt. So. Bad.

Quote of the Day

In conversation with a good friends husband:

"Wait. She's quoting scripture to me again. She likes to do that. Sometimes it can get really awkward; especially during sex."

Cyst

I think I have cystic acne-itis. It hasn't been diagnosed by a doctor but it's been diagnosed by ME! Never heard of it? That's because I just made it up. After sharing with my friends my battle stories with teenage acne a revelation occured. Each one of my friends who has turned 30 admitted that their skin went psycho, out of control, payback for the blue eyeshadow we made it go through in 7th grade. This is such a comfort!

I think I would rather have a bullet wound to the knee cap than reverberating pain of trying to pop a zit that doesn't want to be popped.

Have you ever looked up the word cyst? Well I just did. This is what's all over my face:

Pathology. An abnormal membranous sac containing a gaseous, liquid, or semisolid substance.
Anatomy. A sac or vesicle in the body.
Biology. A small capsulelike sac that encloses certain organisms in their dormant or larval stage.
Botany. A thick-walled resting spore, as in certain algae or fungi.

So basically I have an enormous, membranous, larval, resting spore on my face. And it's mad hot, hot mad!

History of Rebirth

I must post this poster created by Jason's friend, Liz, of our Rebirth cast. It's just too funny. We wondered why he wanted all these pictures of our faces. Ah ha! Bravo! Bravo!





















I will not be bleaching these brunette locks anytime soon.

Katy's Inconvenient Truth

I've heard great things about Al Gore's new movie, An Inconvenient Truth. I saw the previews for the movie and I can tell you that I probably won't see it. I'm sure that as a resident of this earth it's my duty to go see a movie that discusses the destruction of this planet because of the way we live, but the previews scare me. I'm afraid I'll walk away frightened that the earth will collapse at any moment. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by difficult situations or tragedies and I freeze. I adopt the "all or nothing" mentality. Sadly I sometimes think that if I can't save everything then I won't try and save anything. I think I just talked myself into going to see this movie. I'd rather see Nacho Libre.
















There's something about a man in tattered long johns. Now if we could get Al Gore in tattered long johns, that would be a movie!

I have an inconvenient truth for the people in my office. You know that can of aerosol spray that you keep in the bathroom? The one that's placed on the lone bathroom's sink? The one bathroom that's placed near the kitchen and provides an air path to our cubicals? It's depleting the ozone layer. And it's slowly killing me! I can't stand spray. FOR THE LOVE! Light a match! Or may I recommend using the building bathroom down the hall? That spray is toxic and it makes me unable to breathe. It closes off my windpipe and then brings thoughts of poisonous air. I hate smells. Never ask me to smell anything other than nature's flowers or fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. If you ask you'll just get a tight lipped shake of the head.

My roommates and I are trying to do our part for the eco-system. We're using the blue bag recycling system here in Chicago. I keep forgetting what we can recycle and which bag is for which material. We taped a list on top of our trash can so I'll remember. So far it's not helping. I'm visual. I need pictures. Maybe I'll print up pictures of what we recycle.

Pictures from The Phoenician

My room! All to myself! And this is only half of it.















I could have spent a week in this bathroom pampering myself. I have to applaude the water pressure. My apartment shower is more like being spit upon.















A room with a view!

You know the place is pretty incredible when you take pictures within the first 5 seconds of arriving. THANK YOU PHOENICIAN! I'm sensing a spa retreat weekend with the ladies!

The Phoenician

After checking into the hotel on Sunday night I took my key and looked at the envelope that came with it. There's a line where it says the name of the person staying in the room. Erin, who I travelled with, rolled her eyes as she mentioned that they called her "Miss." I had the upper hand on that story. They called me "Mr."

Sometimes I don't get what I deserve and then there are times when I get more than I deserve. After complaining for two months that I HAD to attend a work conference, in Phoenix, in the summer, my mouth finally shut...or maybe it would be more appropriate to say that it fell open to the floor. We pulled up to The Phoenician and my complaining stopped immediately. How did I not know we were staying at such a fantastic place and why did I not come here earlier in the weekend to enjoy everything?

Somehow at check-in I was upgraded to a suite. My room was bigger than my apartment and my balcony could host a 50 person cocktail party. I'll post views of the room and from the balcony soon. It was jaw dropping gorgeous. AND my bathroom was an enormous marble dream. THAT's what I call a work conference. I'll have to visit when my trip doesn't include 8-5 meetings.

Dallas Mav's

I want to give a shout out to my home team, The Dallas Mavericks! The fact that they are going to the NBA finals is unbelievable! It looks like Mark Cuban brought more to Dallas and the NBA than just his eccentricities. Kudos to you Mark! Your fanatical spirit caught on in a city that thought basketball had died.

Mavericks, you've come a long way since the days of Roy Tarpley. I wonder what ever happened to Roy Tarpley. I just looked him up and it says that he's now with the Michigan Mayhem in some Continental Basketball Association.

















Roy, you're remembered more for your drug habit than your basketball skills in Dallas.

I have to brag for a second. Well, it's not really bragging as much as it is name dropping. Rolando Blackman and Mark Aguirre (not McGuire) lived in my neighborhood. Once, Mark came over to my parents house and played a game of pick up basketball with Patrick and his friends. It's like so cool, I know. What? You don't remember Rolando Blackman and Mark Aguirre? They were drafted in 1980/81? Am I going to have to hunt down pictures so you'll remember them?








This tiny head is now the Assistant coach to the New York Knicks





















The Jordan of Dallas

Rolando is now the Assistant coach to the Mavericks. It looks like his dreams are coming true. Miracles do happen. We need to be patient enough to seem them and remember that our timing is not always God's timing. Also, our definition of success isn't always God's either. Thank you Rolando for helping us learn that lesson.

I feel waves of jealousy that my family gets to see the game tonight. It hurts! But I'm happy for them. Go Mavs! Some day I hope to meet these guys!

Post Secret & Found Magazine

Friday night I went to a reading of PostSecret.com and Found Magazine at the Intuit Art Gallery. It was fantastic! If you've never looked at these sites or read the books, PLEASE DO! Check to see if they are coming to your city because the readings are hilarious, sad and just plain wonderful!

PostSecret.com will be in Houston on June 6th and Austin on June 7th.

Love Lost

Today all hope of love is lost.

Nearly three months ago my roommate, Janell, was given a beta fish as a gift from a bride. The bride said that this fish was a symbol of hope for love. When the bride was single and new to the city she bought a beta fish. She had an understanding with God that the beta fish would live until she met her future husband. The day she met her now husband the fish died.

We named the crimson fish Mawiage. His name was in honor of the movie, "The Princess Bride." That's the ultimate story of love against all odds. And who doesn't love a priest with a speech impediment? Mawiage graced our kitchen table and often kept me company during breakfast. He quickly became an endearing joke to us and our friends.

Sadly Mawiage died today. After a run in Lincoln Park we came home to discover him laying on the rocks in his clear bowl. We all couldn't help mourning his death but we were probably mourning the loss of our hope for great love even more.

Mawiage is now swimming in beta fish heaven, more commonly known as the Chicago sewage system. After a few prayers for hope we flushed him down the toilet. Now I have a fear that when I go to the bathroom he'll suddenly come back. I think I'll use Jessie's bathroom for a while.

Texas Summers

I am not 15 anymore. This was made clear to me the other day after riding a wave runner multiple times on a windy and rough watered lake. The entire right side of my body is aching. I thought at one point that I must have slipped a disk. That's what people over the age of 30 do, they slip disks. I remember when I used to be able to slalom for 15 minutes at a time and barely break a sweat. Now I get jarred a few times by the waves and I think I've broken something...or everything. But it was so worth it!

I am concocting a plan of how I can spend my entire summer at my parents lake house and still get paid.














Who wouldn't want to stay here all summer?

I admit that I have experienced jealousy pangs of my little brother just beginning his three months of summer. Do you remember those days of studying hard for hours and days to make good grades on your finals and then suddenly you're done? The feeling of driving around in Bunny's old red blazer with the windows down and singing at the top of our lungs to Ace of Base's "All That She Wants is Another Baby" and realizing that we're done...DONE...can hardly be beat. All the summers held for me were a month of kamp (heaven on earth), cheerleading slumber parties and driving my friends in my cherry red 1992 Toyota Celica. Ahhhhhh, Texas summer nights.

Maybe I should become a teacher. I'm not sure what I would teach. I love art history but that would mean teaching at a collegiate level. Collegiate level = summer classes. Hmmmm, maybe not.

Another thing I love about Texas summers is the feeling of walking inside and feeling the blast of cold air on a 100 degree day. Then there's the thawing out as you leave the ice box buildings and step into the heat. Fresh cut grass, cold lemonade, icy watermelon, cookouts, luke warm pools, baseball games on the radio, cicadas, cold dark movie theaters, lightening bugs, sunburned skin, no makeup, slapping of bare feet on hot cement, 9:00 p.m. sunsets, late night ice cream runs...all of these are a part of my childhood. This past weekend made us feel like kids again.

Or lab rats...

Therapy Session

I've written about a couple of my dreams in the past but I usually try to avoid it. But sometimes dreams are more honest and telling about your life and your feelings than you could ever be to yourself. Apparently I try to be anything but honest with myself and try to avoid negative feelings at all costs. Those feelings then build up and the flood gates come crashing down and you find yourself curled up on the couch trying to find a dry sleeve to wipe your tear stained face on while watching a commercial that involves puppies and little kids.

I took an aptitude test when I was a sophomore in college. After eight hours of grueling tests I was told that a) they couldn't figure me out; b) I will probably be in school for the rest of my life; and c) whatever I do I should work for myself. I'm realizing that all three of these things are true.

A) I can't figure myself out either! I have too many passions and my desire for adventure contradicts my desire to have a family.

B) I love learning and school is the best place to learn (outside of life experience). I think the reason I want to be an actress is so that I can learn and do everything. I may be master of none and mediocre of all but at least I'd get to do it all!

C) The realization that I should work for myself has never been truer than NOW! No details necessary but I would love the freedom to be able to GO! Just GO anywhere at anytime, be with anyone who needs my help or wants a companion to join them on a camping trip in Guatemala.

A couple of nights ago I had a dream that I was visiting Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com. We were hanging out with her daughter, Leta, just talking about life. I remember I finally built up the nerve to ask her how someone makes a living as a blogger. This one question has two points of significance. The first is that I would love the freedom that blogging brings. I could do it from anywhere at anytime. Awesome! Secondly, the question was barely audible when it came out of my mouth and no one heard. That's significant because I have a history of thinking that people are not interested in the things I have to say sometimes. I'll share an example: 10 people sit in a circle and catch up on the highs and lows of their year. We go in a circle and people are crying and laughing and really getting to share their struggles. I'm the last one to share and just when I begin speaking of the difficulties of the past year, a baby starts crying and everyone turns their focus to the baby and we never finish the sharing. That's just one of a billion out there. Becky says it's unbelievable how many times she's witnessed this happen to me (so it's not just me having a complex!)...and she's always quick to protect me. I also think that it shows I might be a little fearful to go after the things I really want.

I am fascinated by dreams and how they reveal the truth of life. I am also fascinated by the thought of making a living as a blogger! How does one do it?!!

Oh Wise One!

Who doesn't love learning more about oneself?

Your results:
You are Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi 74% Yoda 72% Padme 70% Princess Leia 68% R2-D2 66% Qui-Gon Jinn 65% An Ewok 61% Luke Skywalker 60% Han Solo 54% Jar Jar Binks 53%

You are civilized, calm, and have a good sense of humor, even when those around you don't. You can hold your own in a fight, but prefer it when things don't get too exciting.

(This list displays the top 10 results out of a possible 21 characters)


Click here to take the "Which Star Wars character am I?" quiz...

Thanks Kellsey for the idea! I guess you and I are one in the same! I like Obe-Wan Kenobi. He's good people. Praise the Lord Jar Jar Binks is the bottom of the barrell for me. "Meso thinks......blah blah blah." And let me just say that Luke Skywalker is a WHINER!!! Just like his dad as a young man. Oh and they also fail to mention that I have great power over people. With a wave of my hand I can have anything I want.

The Cubs

The only winning thing the Cubs have going for them these days is this guy right here:





















'Sup y'all! Sportin' the Cubbie Blue.

Check out those thighs. Those are power thighs, as in, future power pitcher thighs. If he were drafted now, I'd predict the Cubs could be World Series Champs by 2007.

You see mostly Connor's mom and dad in the face. But what you might have missed is that he also resembles his aunt, Katy (ie. ME). That little crease in the left thigh says it all. Watch out that crumbs don't get stuck in that flap of skin because that can lead to a bacterial disease.

Connor and I will be reunited this weekend over ice cream sandwiches and brats. And yes, we will eat them in that order.

Shoe Fix

Due to my downtrodden state yesterday, I decided to self-medicate. Self-medication = shoe shopping. I went to the mother of all shoe stores. No it wasn't DSW, Target or Lori's "the Sole of Chicago." I'm talking about the Nordstrom shoe department. When you work blocks away and you need a little pick me up, Nordstrom never disappoints. I made a purchase.



















Picture these shoes but in a mustard yellow. They are so ugly that they're cute. Picture them with a nice pair of dark jeans, capri pants or a white skirt. Fabuloso! They remind me of the shoes (aka. house slippers) Auntie wore back when I was growing up.

So did they make me happy? Oh, they sure did for at least a good 18 hours. I only had to apply one bandaid at my heel to stop the shoe from slicing my achilles. But they are rather comfortable and can be worn walking long distances.

Stuck

I've been a bit down this week and I can figure out if it's because I'm paying my monthly dues or if it's because I really am unsatisfied with life at the moment. Both ingredients probably factor into the whole.

While talking with Becky last night I came up with an analogy of how I am feeling. I feel like I'm running behind or I'm late for something big. I am stuck at a stop light while all the other cars seem to be able to get where they are going. I am unsure of where I'm headed and the map in my hand is unreadable and doesn't make sense.

I know where I want to be but I don't know how to get there and the path I'm taking just isn't getting me there as soon as I'd like. Waiting is the hardest part of life at the moment. I'm restless to make something happen but it's not for me to decide. How exactly does "active faith" work?

I don't like being late and waiting makes me anxious. It's the "character building" phase of life. This character better be worth it!

Conan O'Brien LIVE!

The Lord hath laid His hands upon me and blessed me! Last Friday I skipped work so I could stand under the el in 40 degree weather and spitting rain for five and a half hours. Doesn't that sound like a blessing? No? Well, maybe it will once I tell you that I stood there for five and a half hours in my winter garb huddled next to thousands of strangers so I could see CONAN O'BRIEN!

Jason's original date couldn't make it so I begged and pleaded "Take me! Take me!" We met at 10:00 am at State and Lake to wait in line to see Conan. We were one of the first 50 or enthusiastic fans to brave the inclement weather. Jason and I now know everything about each other and I know a little too much about the strangers that surrounded us. I was in people watching paradise! You know what's annoying? Twenty or so people who think they are really funny and think that everyone should get to experience the joy of their humor. One such commedian was kicked out of line right before my very eyes. I actually felt sorry for him.

Three hours into the stand-off I was losing hope. My hands were white with numbness, my legs ached from standing in one spot and I couldn't feel my feet. Just when I thought I couldn't take much more of it, I hear the crowd begin to scream. Then I see a thin long legged redhead running across the street with cameras following him. He jumps up right infront of us and yells to the crowd, "Thank you for being the best fans in the world! Thank you for waiting in this horrible weather! We have free pizza for all of you!" Next thing I know, Uno's is handing out HOT deep dish pizza to everyone. Conan rushes down the line to shake everyone's hand. My frozen hand stuck in the air waited for his touch. He shook everyone's hand around me (probably wanted to avoid the dead looking hand) and then must have seen my pleading face. He looked me in the eye and shook my hand. I wish I could have felt it.

I suddenly had rejuvenated enthusiasm that helped me wait it out the next two and a half hours. We really looked like cattle in a corral. People were shoving each other trying to get further up in the line. People become nasty in a crowd. Just when they began hurding us into the theater, I grabbed Jason's hand and prepared myself for battle. I have never been hit or shoved so many times...by WOMEN! They were the worst. At one point Jason and I looked at a girl and both said, "Just CHILL!"

We found seats right by the band and had a perfect view of Conan. It was such a great experience and worth every freezing second. Wouldn't you know it! My camera died just before Conan gave us free pizza. So you'll just have to believe me! Thank you Jason!



















Sam actually got to meet Conan. I was bitter for a second.

Season Finale Review: Grey's Anatomy

Last night was a blatant abuse of my emotions. They tried every possible avenue to make me cry...and it worked! Let's recount the story lines that touched my soul and made me cry (in chronological order):

1. The aftermath of Dr. Burke being shot. He's HOT and it's just a shame that someone that hot had to be shot. His perfect shoulder is now ruined. But I'm sure it will make for a sexy scar.

2. Izzie. She scared me and I cried out of fear for my life and the lives of all the interns. Someone put her in an institution so we can all be safe.

3. The niece who missed her prom because her cancer came back and she's going to die. How could they be so ruthless? There's only one other thing that is more ruthless than a teenage girl dying of cancer:

4. A dog dying of Cancer. I cried the hardest when they put Doc to sleep. This probably ranked a level 8 on my scale of hysterical crying. I would have rather watched the whole cast of Grey's Anatomy die than have to re-watch the death of Doc. Question: how could they so easily go to a prom after such a tragic ending to a loved one?

5. Denny's heart working. I like Denny. It's too bad that he fell in love with a psycho doctor who tried to kill him. I don't care how pretty she is or the size of her boobs.

6. George and Callie kissing. Callie resembled a line backer. George resembled a little boy who used gel on his hair for the first time. I cried because I thought Callie was going to crush George.

7. Christine. I like you so much. Why did you become heartless while watching Burke struggle? Burke, I'm better than she is and I would have been by your side the whole time! I'd go fishing with you!

8. Denny dying. I called this one early and therefore began crying 7.2 minutes before it happened. And Izzie...your dress. Ick.

9. Meredith and Derek. I don't care for you Meredith. But, I definitely don't think that McDreamy has any right to love you. I didn't cry for either one of you. In fact, you pained me. I cried because Meredith's pretty dress swallowed her alive. I think she is emaciating before our very eyes.

10. Alex. Thank you for being the one sane person on the show last night. Remember when you were Massimo? Wasn't that fun? You had a terrible fake accent, you got to wrestle on the ground with Matthew McConaughey and you were rejected by Jennifer Lopez? I love that movie.

11. Finally. Finn. You have no idea how much Meredith DOES NOT deserve you.

No Privacy

The downside of working in a cube: everyone can hear when you have to announce on the phone that you're about to start your period.

The upside of working in a cube: everyone knows to STAY OFF YOUR BACK!

Free Comic Book Day

Visit Komikazee.com to read my second article about Comic Books. I attended my first ever Free Comic Book Day!