docoflove1974

LOL it's now 1:45pm in the Land of the Golden Sun (well, it is now, as the fog just burned off), and in a short bit I'll be making with the hot toddies...a tradition around here (well, for me) at 3ish...the Asti is in the chill box for tonight. Hula hoop girl! Yep, totally me...I'll even put my hair in pigtails! Oooooh goodie...who else is game for this shindig?

"Eeeeeevery sperm is sacred....eeeeevery sperm is great. Iiiiif a sperm is waaaaaaasted, God gets quite iraaate!" Sorry, that's the first thing that popped into my head. I should keep those a secret more often.

Neph, as usual, you conjure up the most wickedly funny tales! Although I hope I don't look quite as old as the celebrant of the video... And, yes, GPM, plenty of drink to go around, but always room for more! Oooooooh dancing girls...that'll bring a few more party goers tonight. Methinks Brutus the Barbarian will be here shortly...as well as a few other characters. Ooooh I have to show everyone my latest trick! Stand back! *gets a running start* *springs in the air, performs a triple twist, lands on her feet like a cat* TA DA!!!

It's time to ring in the new year! Let's get this year started on the right note...which means I need some musicians. *clap clap* Musicians! Enter! Start playing some festive dance tunes...something kinda jazzy. Hmmmm...need some food...some drink...wait, make that lots of drink. Need some funny wreathes for people to wear at midnight! C'mon, all! Help me ring in the new year the right way! (aka don't let me drink alone!)

My 34th year is now completed. No, I don't want presents...although if you really wish to send me something, I'm sure as hell not gonna pass it up (that'd be dumb). No, I don't want a party thrown in my honor (unless Neph is conjuring up some wonders and delights!)...I'd rather host my own and let you in on the real reason why we're all here. I'm sneaky like that. This year I have been blessed, much as in years past. Oh, sure, there were bumps in the road, but what the hell...honestly, life would be dull as watching paint dry without those twists in the road. There were some great adventures this year--some great friends made in the process--and overall I'm pleased with where I'm at. I can do better in some things, and I will, but I've improved in others. After falling off the exercise wagon, I rebounded in a huge way and am back in the losing category...in a good way. I'm working more hours than ever before...making a little more money, but not heaps more. I still live in my little studio, Bella still runs around like an eejit thereby making me guffaw. I can breathe, I can eat, I can sleep, I can use all 5 of my senses fully, I can think and speak whatever damned thing I want, I can be as bloody-minded as I want to be...yep, I've got it all. My hopes for 2009? Well, I still start off for a weeks'-worth of world peace...maybe if we all tried it for a week, we might actually like it enough to work for it on a continual basis. I still hope for a full-time, tenure-track position, but as the saying goes, you can hope in one hand and shit in the other, and see which one fills up first...I have more work that I need to do on that. Mostly, I just hope that everyone I know, and pretty much everone else, too, has a very happy and healthy 2009...that we all remain positive, because things will get better. They always do

Not to mention that you're not allowed to drink in many of those areas (I didn't know Muhammed had an issue with alcohol...I mean, the word itself is derived from Arabic...). I often thought, what would happen if for one week everyone got along? I mean everyone...no wars, no conflicts, no misunderstandings, no tempers flaring...just people living side-by-side civilly. It blows my mind, really, that this can't be done. Proof positive that we're not the 'ultimate race', that humans are flawed and there's a better version to come in the future. But, hey, for now, let's get this party rockin'!

It has gotten better, yes...my favorites are the ones which show on cable. Rescue Me in particular is a favorite, and I used to watch The Shield pretty religiously, too. They're also more on the BBC model, where there are fewer episodes to a season and a fair amount of time between seasons, which leaves the actors (and presumably, the rest) to do other projects in between. Until I moved into this apartment, I never had HBO or Showtime (it's included in my rent now), so I never got into The Sopranos, and I still can't be arsed to watch like Weeds or Californication.

I've been sitting here trying to find a way to make a comment about 'Meat' that didn't come off as a little too earthy or the like. This is becoming very difficult. Mmmmmmmmm...Meat...*censored by the Good and Decency People* Dammit...

Eh, it's an almost Pollyanna mentality...and why I won't watch most any of the shows on TV. My favorite one, Boston Legal was smart, quirky, funny, and not obsessed with youth (in fact, all of the main characters were in their late 30s and older...many in their 50s/60s). That was yoinked off the air. Arrested Development is another one that I loved: quirky, smart writing, an ensemble cast which is filled with great story lines. But it didn't get a good following, so it was also pulled. The general sitcoms over here are trash, have been trash for some time, and I refuse to watch. Too sappy, too much of hot/skinny/smart ass wife with fat/lazy/dumb husband, and them berating each other. It's as bad as the 3 million reality shows on right now.

I'm the same way. I mean, as far as "angry" music is concerned, I do like a fair amount of bands--Nine Inch Nails for one, and many Foo Fighters songs are pretty heated, and these are two of my most favorite bands. It's just the way that metal seems to be as a genre; there's a a 'make up' for a typical metal song which doesn't have much to it other than screeching. Guns N Roses is a great example. I HATE Axl Rose's voice...it literally hurts my ears. But Slash as a guitarist is first rate; I was thrilled when he became part of Velvet Revolver (that, and I love Scott Weiland). I have a hard time listening to a GNR song because of Axl, but I love listening to Slash.

It's not dangerous...it's just not that great. *ducks*

I got 4 wrong, but one was my own stupid fault for not seeing the 'bogus' answer. Still, not bad for someone who knows very little about Saturnalia!

Oh, you're right about that. Sometimes the jokes on BritComs are just mildly amusing to me...sometimes they're spot on. Then again, that's true with the American ones, too. They say that sarcasm and sense of humor is the last thing one learns about a language, and I'd expand that to 'culture' as well.

Sunlight is good for you! Just grab a hat or a pair of shades...it's all good over here, babe!

Actually, when you think about it, VoD would work well in any major metropolitan area, particularly in the coastal regions of the US (where most of the population is). Think about it: a 'modern' vicar, who's hip and pretty much aware of what is going on, is now working in the boonies, where there are individuals, characters, and in general odd behavior. Anyone who has done the same thing as Geraldine Granger (me, for one) can recognize the same types of things that she went through...well, somewhat similar, as there's no way there would be both an Alice and a Jim in the same population group (or is there???). And also, many of those who have left the rural scene for the (sub)urban scene and then go back home are going to face the same types of situations (two of my best friends). Sure, the specific behaviors of the characters might have been English, but the basis for the humor is more universal. And, well, a predilection for British humor probably is required. But, as you can see, I was practically raised on the stuff!

I love it when my friends say that California doesn't have winter weather. Of course it does...it's just not as extreme as it is in most places in the world. What they don't understand are the geography, the climate and the population spread in this great Golden State o'mine. California is long...very long...with at least 3 mountain ranges running along it. In fact, it's so big and long that, according to Wikipedia, if it were a country it'd be the 59th largest country in the world (for what it's worth). Along most of the coastline is the Coastal Range, which has quite a few mountains on it. Well, we call most of them 'hills', but for many they are truly mountains. There is also plenty of flat land, which is partially why most of the population lives on the coast, from the San Francisco Bay Area down to the San Diego/Tiajuana border. The weather is quite mild usually (Mediterranean, as a Spanish friend of mine says), although the further south you go, the warmer it tends to get in the summer...and the further north you go, the wetter and colder it gets. But there are peaks around here which will get a dusting of snow in the winter, when the precipitation comes 'round and the temps get freezing cold--see for example Mt. Hamilton (from the Lick Observatory), Mt. Tamalpais, or Mt. Diablo. In the middle is (appropriately enough) the Central Valley...the fertile agricultural capital of the world, or so it seems. Also it's where our state capital, Sacramento, is. It gets very rainy there in the winter, and can get quite cool. There is an occasional freeze in the winter, but it doesn't happen often...when it does, the farmers bellyache (and rightly so). Along the eastern edge of the Great State, two mountain ranges hold their place. The Cascade Range starts in California and goes northward into Oregon and the like. Not much to say about that, except that Mt. Shasta is technically part of this range, and it's quite a site to behold. The main one, though, is the Sierra Nevada...and it's the right monicker, as the mountains in the winter are constantly covered with snow. It's the winter playground for millions--Lake Tahoe and Yosemite are both part of this range, as is Big Bear. Yes, folks, there's quite a bit of winter weather up there, which is why the 1960 Winter Olympics were held at Squaw Valley. Ok, so most of us on the coast don't have to worry about blizzards every other day, or bitter cold, or even driving rain for months on end. I get it. But, seriously, we do have winter weather here. It's just better

Well, like I said, it was on...I do miss it. On the local PBS station (and much like the other ones across the country) Sunday night is the 'Brit invasion', so to speak. When not running their fundraising programs (which seem to be dominating again, dammit), the current line up is As Time Goes By (which I do enjoy, as I'm a Dame Judi fan), Waiting For God (which is now even funnier that my parents are living in a 55+ community), Chef! (always did love that show...poor Everton...), Mulberry (not a fan of this one), and an hour of something (right now I think it's Johnathan Creek, which I never cared for). They switch these frequently, with ATGB and WFG being staples around here, along with Are You Being Served? (an all-time classic). They showed the entire repertoire of The Vicar Of Dibley a couple of times, which was wonderful, and they've now taken that off. They used to show Doc Martin, which I did enjoy, and Waking The Dead (which I've always loved), but no idea what's happened to them. When BBC America first came out, they showed Father Ted (first class) for a long time, and the PBS picked it up. But even as a kid, PBS showed the Monty Python group cavorting around, the trials and tribulations of one Mr. Basil Fawlty, the on-goings of Grace Bros., and a few others. I remember Yes, PM! being on there, and trying to watch it...but not knowing the inner workings and inter-fighting of British politics, my dad and I never became fans.

Nora Batty passed on??? Oh no! What ever will Compo do??? Last of the Summer Wine used to be a staple here on Public Broadcasting, but it hasn't been on in quite some time. The last episodes I saw had Foggy as the one who attempted to keep Compo and Clegg in line...I've yet to see the ones with Frank Thorton on there (for me he will always be Cpt. Stephen Peacock). I must hit up NetFlix to see how many they have on DVD.

Beware of them? I am one! *boing! boing!* Oh, uh, sorry. Yes, honey does wonders...it goes in my tea and in my oatmeal frequently. As for the declogging of nasal passages, saline irrigation is the best. Although I admit that I do go for the Robitussin at night, so my coughing will cease. On cue, this weekend I was stuffy and not much for going out. I felt fine, but my energy level was not at it's Tigger-like altitude. Today I sound like a frog, practically, but feel fine; most of the congestion has gone or has migrated south to the chest, so the occasional cough still spouts. Still, nothing as bad as my students or my colleagues.

dicere has more of a connotation of 'to speak, to tell'...which sounds more appropriate, I think. It's the one I'd start with, at least.

It took 14 weeks...14 weeks of students who were so stubborn and, in some cases, ignorant...who continuously come to class despite being severely under the weather. And in this case, the maladies mostly revolved around strep throat and bad colds. Yep, 14 weeks of my immune system fighting the tough battles. Of waging war against those horrific germs who were trying to invade my temple. Finally...I have become collateral damage in that war against the ill-feelings that are typical with the changes in the temperatures. Ok, that's being overly dramatic, even for me. I really don't get sick. Even my colds are relatively mild; they'll sap some of my energetic zing, leave me congested and with a bit of a sore throat, but really it's not that bad. But it's definitely annoying. Last night the sore throat started, and was in full force this morning as I woke up. Raw as can be, the pain going from my throat to my soft palate. But no fever, no real aches, and as the day went on a slight sinus headache did arise...but nothing like what I've had in the past. Advil and Riccola...that's the remedy for the day. Lots of tea. A hot Toddie at night (sheer bliss), and a shot of Robitussin before bed. Guaranteed I'll be better in the morning. Well, I won't sound like it; I'll probably be congested, but the throat will be better (gee, might I have to go to the gym tomorrow and sit in the steam room? Shucks...). These things are usually pretty quick with me. And the best part? Today was the last day of review for one campus...hardly any talking for my part. I don't teach tomorrow, but I have a make-up final exam to give. So a relaxing weekend is coming up, and I dare say I'm ready for it!

"A sexual enigma"?????? What, is he a hermaphrodite? I guess the saying is true, Caldrail...bad publicity is better than no publicity?

I believe the first 2 or 3 seasons of BL are on DVD...this final season is #4...although the funny part is that because The Powers That Be have shuffled it around all over the viewing week and even put it on hiatus a few times, it seems like the show has been on for much longer. Oh well. The last episode is this coming Monday...full report then!

...if you wait long enough, the latest installment of your favorite Brit show will be on BBC America. But it might take a while. That's right, folks, series 11 starts showing here in the States on Monday...except that I'll be teaching, getting home just in time to watch the very very last episode of "Boston Legal," my absolute favorite show on TV right now. 2 hour finale, starts as I get out of class, so I'll be missing the first half hour or so. Only a couple more weeks, and then I'll have my weeknights to myself, if only for 5 weeks.

Ayup! You're up, A!