Monday, December 24, 2007

Angry Karaoke

Last night was our annual Felguayo XXXmas party. We gave our friends their Xmas presents, which included custom-made CDs of our drunken karaoke night way back in October. I was waiting to blog about that night until I could post the audio, but it looks like that's never going to happen. So, while it's current in at least a few people's minds, here are photos of my 30th birthday: XXXth Birthday Party Pics. Make sure you see all the pages of photos. There may be 2 or 3 depending on which browser you're using. Good Times. :-)

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Good girl

I lost 4.2 lbs. this time. That's for two weeks though, since I couldn't weigh-in in Arizona. That brings my total weight loss to 8 lbs. in 5 weeks. Not great, but not bad, especially given all the candy and cookies and shit people have been sending to my office lately.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

I'm Home!

And it's never felt so sweet. I got back from Arizona Thursday night, only to drive to L.A. Saturday morning for the Tori Amos concert, which, by the way, was fricking awesome. We just got home a few minutes ago.

That's not what I wanted to blog about though. I had another celebrity sighting on this trip. This time it was Lawrence Fishburn at a restaurant next to the music center in L.A. I totally walked up to him and was all, "I choose the red pill," and he was all, "Dude, you're hilarious, no one's ever said that to me before," and Brian was all, "I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day."

Ok, not really. I mean, we really did see Lawrence Fishburn at the restaurant, I just didn't say anything to him. But wouldn't that have been funny?

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Try not to die on the way home!

I've been doing a lot of traveling lately, so I've been saying a lot of hellos and goodbyes lately. One thing that I've noticed is that it totally freaks me out when, just before I head to the airport, people say, "Have a safe trip home!"

It's like, "Really? You really think my plane is going to crash on that one-hour commercial flight? I would never have thought so, until you raised the issue of safety right before I was about to board my plane." I also get paranoid that they've jinxed me. And that I totally would have had a safe trip home had they not said, essentially, "Try not to get burned alive on the way home!"

I mean, if one had driven there, and were about to take a very long road trip home, then, yes, it would be appropriate to raise the issue of safety and wish someone a safe drive. People die in car accidents all the time, and they totally die on road trips all the time. But on a one-hour Southwest flight? I think the odds are comparable to winning the lotto. It's like telling your friend, "Have a safe trip to the checkout stand!" or "Have a safe trip to the bathroom in your own home!" It's like, yeah, you COULD theoretically die doing one of those things, but it's not like there's this huge chance. It's just a ridiculous thing to say. And it causes undue stress. For me, anyway.

I'm taking an early morning flight out to Phoenix tomorrow for a five-day work seminar. Wish me a comfortable flight there!

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

I blame the pizza

This was not a good Weightwatchers week for me. I gained 6/10 of a pound. DAMNIT! After I didn't even have popcorn at the movies, or alcohol all week, or chicken wings on Saturday. It really pisses me off. I'm going to try to hit the gym like a madwoman this next week. I gotta get back to losing 3.5 pounds a week...

Total weight loss so far: 3.8 lbs.

Monday, December 03, 2007

Reno 411


I'm back from visiting my college bitchez! We had such an awesome time together. Let's see, we had drunken mani-pedis, sushi, shopping, movies, and a cuddle party. It was awesome to pick right back up where we left off. It's hard to believe we've known each other for 12 years now. (Actually, I've known Leslie for 21 years, but she's the exception - everyone else is 12.)

I think the secret to our long-lasting bond is the fact that we all revert back to acting like vulgar little boys when we're together. Which brings me to my favorite part of the weekend. You see, each time I see my bitchez, I learn new, horrible, vulgar things I never knew before. Just when I think I've heard it all, they manage to shock and appall. We all contribute something. Here's what I learned this weekend:

Prairie Doggin' - Reference definitions 1, 2 and 4.

Gunt

And, last but not least: FUPA

I, too, contributed by imparting my knowledge of "Superman" and "Robocop." I also got to teach the girls about merkins!

Friendships that run this deep don't come around too often, so I'm grateful for my girls. Here's a bonus one for today - in honor of my bitchez:

Tony Danza

You can check out photos of our weekend shenanigans here.

Friday, November 30, 2007

Screwed that one up too

National Blogging Month is now officially over! YAY! As you can tell, I failed miserably at that too. Oh well.

Gone to Reno to see some bitchez. Be back Sunday.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Weightwatchers Week 2

This week wasn't as good as last week. I only lost 1.2 lbs. That's still a victory though, considering I pigged out at Thanksgiving, and I've been incorporating more of my normal foods back into my diet. At least I didn't gain, like most people this time of year. Anyway, this just gets me revved up for next week. Total weight loss so far = 4.4 lbs.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Writer's Strike, Schmiter's Strike

People keep talking about this writer's strike, and I'm like, "Pshaw, what are you talking about? All my shows are fine."

The Hills is still on Mondays.
The Biggest Loser is still on Tuesdays.
The Real World and America's Next Top Model are still on Wednesdays.
And Project Runway is still on (my Tivo) Thursdays.

I bet those writers are going to feel pretty silly when they find out the TV world will go on without them. Bring on Making the Choir, Celebrity Apprentice, and The Pick Up Artist 2, baby. I got another season of Shot at Love with Tila Tequila American Gladiators, Couples Biggest Loser and Beauty and the Geek Season 4 coming for ya after that. Kitcha! Keep 'em coming, watch out!

Hmmm... that gets me thinking. People have said that The Hills is totally scripted. I guess now we get to find out for sure. Fingers crossed.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Long Tall Weekend

Man, this weekend was nice. Thursday I was a fatty and ate everything in sight. Who knew I could reach 63 points in one day (my daily max is usually 26)? Oh well. I've been pretty good every day since. And I've figured out how to keep tamales, pizza, french fries, and steak in my diet, so bonus there. If I lose weight this week, I will feel pretty good. My weigh-ins are Wednesdays, so I'll keep you posted.

The rest of the weekend was super chill. I saw a couple of faces from the past - my best friend Allison and her wife Kelly, and my college roommate Molly. That was cool. All the ladies were looking pretty fly.

I meant to go get my hair done Saturday, but got a flat tire on the way there, so I didn't get to do that. Damn construction on the 215. But I did get to feel all independent calling AAA and then putting on my neon green safety vest from my CERT backpack that I keep in my trunk. I didn't have to put it on, I suppose. I was just stoked I got to use something out of my safety pack, ok? Zoot, don't rain on my parade!

Sunday we went and saw a movie highly recommended by the illustrious movie reviewer Catlad - No Country for Old Men. The movie was really really really well-written and well-acted and well-made. It was clearly made by exceptional moviemakers. The only thing was that the story was just kinda weird. They don't tell you everything. Which makes it more intriguing, but also more frustrating. Anyway, overall good movie. Just don't expect the usual formula.

This weekend I'm going to see my college bitchez in Reno. Should be fun.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Guess who lost 3.2 lbs. her first week on Weightwatchers...

It was me. It works! We'll see how the weigh-in after Thanksgiving goes though.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Funk Dat

I've been in some kind of funk lately. I haven't felt social at all. I think it has something to do with turning 30.

I think it started a few months ago. I'm the type of person that holds on to her friends for a very long time. I've never had a problem reconnecting with any of them. It's always seemed very simple to pick up right where we left off. Some of the re-connects lately haven't been like that though. They've been stilted and awkward. I've left sad and unfulfilled. It seems like I'm at the age now where everyone's focus is on something else - family, career, etc. Not so much on being social anymore.

At first I thought it was them. Like they grew up and didn't want to piss the day away with me anymore. Now I think it's me. Or, rather, all of us. I've been feeling very withdrawn.

I feel like my spark is gone. I have no interest in parties, mingling, or meeting new people. It's like, why bother? Is this what turning 30 does to people? Or am I experiencing something else?

Friday, November 16, 2007

That is one cool cat!

Check out the new blog everyone's been talking about - Catlad Quarterly.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Because Life's Too Short to Wear Ugly Clothes

So the new season of Project Runway premiered last night. Michael Kors musta been practicing his one-liners, cuz he was funny as fu*&! Last night he called a dress "so M.O.B."

M.O.B. = mother of the bride. Fantastic!

The new cast seems pretty interesting too. There's a chick who's a total mental patient, and a pompous gay guy that looks like he's 12. And several already seasoned designers. It's looking to be another good season. I can't wait!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Jennifer Aniston told you she was a demon whore

We just got back from seeing Beowulf. It was interesting. I still haven't decided if it was great or just okay. I think I'm leaning toward just okay. Naked, computer-animated Angelina Jolie is HOT though as Grendel's mother, a sucubus-type water demon. The movie did a good job with the story, I guess, given that it's like 3,000 years old. The monsters were done pretty well. Vividly terrifying for imaginary creatures. The 3-D was cool at times, but also distracting and annoying at others. I guess I have to say it was just okay.

We saw it at this amazing brand new shopping district called Town Square. It was huge - like 15 Green Valley Ranches in one place. I can't wait to take Allison there when her and her gimp leg come to visit next week.

On a totally unrelated note, I had my first Weightwatchers meeting today. It rocked. I'm really excited to start this new nutrition hobby. That's how I see it. As just an easy way to make me aware of what I'm eating. Making my 26 points today was rough, but I'm sure it'll get easier once I get used to eating differently.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Congrats, Yammy!

Congratulations to Yasmien and Chris, who just got engaged. Awe. All my friends are so grown up now!

Monday, November 12, 2007

Rex & Annie's Wedding

I didn't blog the last 3 days. I know. Sorry. I was out of town! It was Rex and Annie's wedding. This was the wedding I was going to officiate way back when. I chickened out in the end, which was super great for the couple, because the lady that did their wedding was really good.

For those of you who don't know, Rex is a friend of mine from high school. Or, rather, from graduation night forward. Someone at the wedding said they heard I was Rex's first girlfriend. I didn't think that was altogether accurate, so I corrected him. I was more like Rex's first love triangle. I liked Rex. Rex liked Allison. And Allison liked girls. We had great times together though, and it obviously all worked out for the best. Anyway, here are pictures from their wedding in Moss Beach, CA.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Roley poley, fat and ugly

I joined Weight Watchers yesterday. According to some online thing, at 6'5", I should weigh somewhere between 165 and 205. Right now I weigh 200. I would like to weigh closer to 165. I think 185 will do though. I don't start until next Wednesday, so I'm going to live it up for the next few days.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Obligatory Blogpost for the Day

I got the new Britney album last Tuesday, the day it came out. Everyone says it's surprisingly good, but it's just okay for me. In fact, I think it's a mediocre dance/techno album, and Britney's voice gets annoying after about the first 4 songs. She just doesn't seem that into it. Like she called into the recording studio from the tanning salon or something. I just got it to listen to on the elliptical machine. Anyway, that's all I got.

Monday, November 05, 2007

We've got a world that swings

Happy second wedding anniversary to us.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Brush with Britney (Bitch)

Today, while we were in L.A. having lunch with a friend, we got mobbed by paparazzi chasing down Britney Spears. How random is that? Here's how it went down...

We met our friend at this cute little place in Sherman Oaks, on the corner of Ventura and Van Nuys. There was this chandelier store next door. When we first saw it, Brian actually asked how a store like that could stay in business. "Is there really that much of a demand for chandeliers?," he asked. "Maybe in L.A.," I said.

So we have lunch and then walk around a bit. Afterwards, we went back to the intersection where the chandelier store was to cross the street to our car. All of a sudden, a bunch of guys with cameras come running toward us and jump into cars and motorcycles and SUV's that are illegally parked on the sidewalk and all over the place. We asked them who they were chasing, and they yelled out, "Britney!"

I thought they were messing with me, until we saw Britney's white Mercedes convertible zoom out of the driveway next to the chandelier shop. She had the top up and dark window tint on all her windows, so we couldn't see who was in the car, but I definitely recognized the car from my gossip magazines. She immediately pulled out and ran a red light. As did all of the cars chasing her. It was crazy. Like a tornado had just passed us.

Anyway, here's the store and intersection where we were almost run down by Britney and her paparazzi.


And here's the story of Britney chandelier-shopping already on PerezHilton.com. And another on I'mNotObsessed.com. I guess Jayden and Sean Preston were in the car with her. I'm bummed we didn't actually get to see them, but it was still pretty neat to nearly run into Britney during our trip to L.A.

That was Wicked

Only three days in, and I've already broken my vow to blog every day in November. Oh well, you'll just get two instead of one today. So anyway...
Saturday we went to L.A. to see the musical Wicked. It was my birthday present from Brian. The show was amazing. It was pure visual and auditory candy. I think it's my favorite musical now. Definitely see it if you get the chance.

Being the fangirl that I am, I stayed after with all the other little kids to catch the cast on their way out. I ended up meeting Eden Espinoza, who played Elphiba, and Megan Hilty, who played Glinda. Here's Eden Espinoza as Elphiba:
And here's Eden Espinoza without her green make-up, with me, the fan girl:And here's Megan Hilty as Glinda:

And here's Megan Hilty out of costume with me, the fan girl:
As you can see, I really enjoyed myself.

The rest of the trip was really fun too. We stayed at a really nice hotel downtown with a view of the Hollywood sign. And we had dinner at this trendy sushi place on Wilshire Blvd. (It actually wasn't as good as the sushi places we go to at home, which kinda impressed us about Vegas, but it was nice nonetheless.) And we met up with my old friend Negar from law school at this fun little breakfast place in Sherman Oaks (where we had a brush with Britney - see bonus blogpost above). And we went shopping on Melrose. All in all, a very nice birthday/two-year-anniversary weekend.

Friday, November 02, 2007

White Trash Party

Last Saturday, we went to Meredith's white trash birthday party. We were kinda costumed out from the night before, but we managed to muster up the spirit to dress up a little bit. We went to this dive bar where you couldn't tell who was part of the party and who wasn't. For example, the bartender was wearing one of those t-shirts with a bikini painted on it. At first, we thought it was a really good costume, but then it turned out she wears that all the time normally. Shannon put her foot in her mouth a few times that night cuz she had a really hard time telling who was in costume and who was not. Anyway, you can see photos here.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Sit Ubu, sit. Good blog.

I'm going to be like my friend Todd and blog every day in November. I really do have tons to blog about. I still haven't posted last year's Japan pictures, or this year's Alaska pictures. Or my birthday karaoke soundtrack. Anyway, that's all for another time, when I have more time to edit and organize and learn how to post podcasts. For now...

Let's discuss the song "Crank Dat" by Soulja Boy. If you haven't heard it, you can catch up here. It's like the latest version of the Macarena.

So today I heard that this song, which has been playing at school assemblies and sporting events all across America, is actually one big filthy sex reference. I found that pretty amusing. Almost as amusing as the veiled sexual references contained in it. Almost. The references are hilarious, rivaling even the Sneaky Castro and the Portuguese Breakfast made famous in Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo.

Apparently, when he says "watch me... Superman dat," what he actually means is this. Yuck! And then, when he says, "watch me crank that Robocop," what he actually means is #6 here. And then I guess, in an alternate version, there's a reference to the verb "Spiderman," which actually means this.

Wow. That's really hot.

Part of me thinks this has to be some sort of clever marketing campaign aimed at generating more buzz about the song. Which has obviously worked on me. Either way, it's still pretty hilarious to think that all those mainstream folks are unwittingly singing and dancing around about filthy sex acts.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

The freaks come out at night


Last night was Annie and Nat's Halloween party. Brian and I went as a mummy and Claudiapatra (or Nefer Titty - your choice). If you want a quick costume idea, DON'T go as a mummy. Oh, and buy a lot of safety pins.

Brian heeded neither of these wise warnings. He bought bedsheets at the thrift store, dragged them through the dirt lot by our house, then cut them into strips. Brian insisted that tucking alone would hold the garment securely in place. Three hours later, my mom and I finally finished wrapping Brian. He couldn't hear anything, could barely move, could not use the bathroom, and had to sit down all night because he kept coming unravelled. I think he would have had a better time had he gone as something else. Oh well... Total cost for a mummy costume: $11. Cleaning the dirt off of our couches, floor, tables, etc. the next morning: priceless. Here are more pictures of the party.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Birthday Luvin

Despite my manic-Monday birthday, I actually had a kick-ass pre-birthday weekend. I'm really such a lucky girl. One of the surprises Brian had for me was a book of photo birthday wishes from my good friends all over the country. It definitely made me grateful for the wonderful friendships I've made over the years. And it made me especially thankful for having landed such a sweet, thoughtful husband. Guy has been planning this since July! Anyway, here are just a couple of the shots.








Oh, and this one's the best because it's my old boss one week after sexual harassment training. Why I insist on protecting him from himself, I don't know.

Monday, October 22, 2007

It's Monday, I'm 30, and it sucks.

The last two days of my twenties were phenomenal. Now I'm 30, it's Monday, and it totally sucks.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Another good one

Go see Into the Wild!! It is SO good. On top of being beautiful, insightful, and moving, it had this hot chick in it. Ooh, yeah. Little something for everyone.

Did I mention we saw Elizabeth: The Golden Age this weekend? Although visually stunning, it was nowhere near as good as the first one. Mostly, I just didn't admire the character traits they were trying to develop Elizabeth with. She was all wishy-washy and whiny and forgiving and shit. Not at all the Godfather-type badass from the first film. Mary Stuart was pretty badass though. Anyway, I'd recommend a matinee of this one, just to see how it compares. Just don't expect it to be better than the first.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Quickest girl in the frying pan

We're back from Atlanta! Bet you didn't even notice we were away. We went the weekend before last for our friends Greg and Allison's wedding. Atlanta was fun and fatty, although a bit too humid for my taste. I gained even more weight after this little trip. Anyway, here's the mister and the missus on their big day:

And here's Brian enjoying some fine southern cuisine.

And here's the way we all felt after our respective fatty southern meals.





Good times...

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Let Me Borrow That Top

It's the new Kelly video! See how many cameos you can spot.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

No sea lice for me, thank you.

We're back from Alaska. It was amazing. We had an awesome time. I'm sad to report, however, that I am unable to produce for you the picture of me with a live salmon in my mouth.

Yes, we went fishing. Yes, we caught salmon (10 in total between three of us). However, at the time I set the goal, I was unaware of one very material fact: salmon have sea lice. They're nasty litte crab-like parasites that stick to their sides and feed on their scales. They're revolting, and there was no way I was going to put them in my mouth. Sorry guys.

We took literally hundreds of pictures on the trip. Knowing my history of processing photos, odds are you won't see them for a while. But they will be up on here eventually. Then you can see my huge ass fish that I caught and video and pictures of us sled-dogging, bicycling and canoeing. So fun.

The other reason I'm posting is because I had a very thrilling celebrity sighting experience in Seattle over the weekend. First, the backstory.

When I was a kid, I watched General Hospital every day after school. I LOVED Frisco and Felicia and Duke and Anna. Duke was super hot and my sister and I had huge crushes on him.

Well, I'm standing in a small bookstore, in a trendy, gay part of Seattle, and I hear this guy with a Scottish accent standing next to me looking at books on the same table as me. I look over and, from the side, it totally looked like Duke!

I stared at his face for a second, then he looked up, saw me staring and smiled. Then I knew for sure it was Duke! I smiled back. It was this weird I-know-you-know-I-know-who-you-are smile.

On the one hand, Ian Buchanan (that's his real name) is such a small celebrity, there's no reason to get excited. On the other hand, the fact that I was one of the few people that knew who he was made it all the more special! I immediately called the two people I thought might know who he was. Only one of them actually knew; my sister, who freaked out when I told her. I'm telling you, he was dreamy back in the day. Anyway, that's all. Just wanted to share in case any of you know who he is. He's also famous for being on Twin Peaks.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

It's Britney, Bitch

Not really. It's just me. I'm just about packed for our trip to Alaska. We're leaving early tomorrow morning. On the one hand, I'm super-excited, and I can't wait to get a picture of me with an Alaskan salmon in my mouth. On the other hand, it's going to be rainy, and cold as fu%k, so I'm not really looking forward to that part of it.

I think I'm still a little down in the dumps about the whole Britney thing. By the way, Sarah Silverman's act was almost word-for-word the one she did for us in Vegas the week before. We must've been her test audience or something. I do have to give her props on her foresight. It was so appropriate to declare that Britney had already accomplished all she ever would after that horrendous performance. Way to call it ahead of time, Sarah.

I, on the other hand, was one of those suckers that thought Britney was going to do something amazing. I was super-jazzed to see her perform. I just knew she could somehow bring back the old Britney. That's why I took it so hard when she didn't care enough to put any effort into it. I felt betrayed. It's like, by keeping an open mind about her, and rooting for her, despite all of her horrific life choices, I feel like I was loyal. That she would be so careless with that faith just makes me mad. I feel dumb for believing in her. I also think she's an ingrate for squandering such a huge opportunity. That Chris Brown guy - oh, you could tell he was grateful for his fame. He put on a show! Jumped 3 feet in the air with all that energy, practically! Britney just acted like a baby and then put out less than the bare minimum. Just go home, Britney. You're done now.

:-(

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Best Movie Ever

Alright, I'm calling it now -- many Oscar nominations for the movie 3:10 to Yuma. Go see this movie. It has so many layers of goodness. The acting was great (and I'm not usually a Russell Crowe or Christian Bale fan). Ben Foster (who I'd never noticed before in anything else) was super well-cast and did a phenominal job. The script was great. Apparently it's based on a short story, which is not nearly as detailed as the movie, and it's also a movie re-make. I'm super curious how it compares to the original. Anyway, it's a good time. Our movie critic friend said it's the best movie he's seen all year, and I'd have to agree.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Sarah Silverman is Magic

This weekend, we saw Sarah Silverman perform at the Mirage. It was so-so, and since I was super-pumped for the show, I guess that means it was a bit of a let-down.

On the one hand, she recycled a lot of her old jokes from the Jesus is Magic DVD, her energy was low, her timing was off, and she only performed for 40 minutes (that means the show was $2 per minute per person). On the other hand, we got to see about five minutes worth of new clips from next season of her show and she tested out some of the material she's thinking about using next Sunday night at the MTV VMA's. And, no matter how you slice it, it's Sarah SIlverman, who is pretty much the cutest thing ever, so, really, who can complain?

Spoiler alert!

Wanna hear the jokes she might use at the 2007 VMA's? One of the funny ones I can remember was about Amy Winehouse. She said something about Amy being Jewish, then asked, "She is Jewish, right? Well if she's not, someone needs to tell her face." I thought that one was hilArious!

Then she started talking about how it's weird that Amy WInehouse would have a last name like Winehouse, cuz that's, like, the last place she should be. "It's like George Bush's last name being Whitehouse, or Lindsay Lohan's last name being Behind-the-Wheel-of-a-Car." Ba-dum-bum.

Probably the most extreme joke she told was about Britney Spears. I have a feeling she'll use it too, since Britney Spears is expected to be there and Sarah's popularity sky-rocketed after the MTV Movie Awards earlier this year, where she bagged on Paris Hilton as Paris sat helpless in the audience.

So anyway, first Sarah talked about how much Britney has grown up. How a few years ago, she was just a little girl, dressed like a whore and writhing around the stage at the VMA's with a snake, and now she's a mom with two kids. Then Sarah pretended to take it back, saying it was mean -- that she shouldn't talk about Madonna like that.

Then she talked about how cute Britney Spears' kids were. Just as cute as the hairless vagina they came out of. "They look just like it too," she said. "Like this!" Then she smashed her lips together with her hands to make duck lips and turned her head sideways so they were vertical. Yes, like a hairless vagina. So vulgar!

Ah yes, that's the Sarah I love. She also had some choice abortion jokes. I think Sarah is at her best when she's the most crass. (See her Aristocrats video, for example.) Too bad she didn't have more new material and she was having an off night.

Friday, August 31, 2007

The one about the iPhone

One of the things I've been meaning to blog about is the iPhone. I know, I'm so timely and cutting edge. Shut it.

So anyway, I got my iPhone back in July, about a week after it came out. Brian had literally been waiting years for this thing to come out. We had the same crappy cell phones for about 4 years (well, I got mine replaced 2 years ago after I lost it at my bachelorette party, but I got it replaced with a crappier phone, so it shouldn't count as a new phone), so we were due for an upgrade anyway. Plus it was Brian's birthday, and it was all he wanted, and I can't say no to my sweet lover. So we got ourselves iPhones.

Overall, I'm happy that I got one. It's super-handy to have the internet available whereever you are, plus email, yellow pages, maps, YouTube and weather. And it's a damn sexy device. It's slim and well-designed. And the visual presentation of everything is really cool. It's just an artfully executed piece of technology. When it's working well, it's really cool.

Now here's a list (which, ironically, I keep on my iPhone notepad) called "Things I Hate About the iPhone." I don't actually hate it, it's just got some room for improvement. So if you're thinking about getting one, here are a couple of things you should consider:

1. The setup - I refuse to believe that most people had my experience, so this may never come into play for you, but it did take us a total time investment of about 13 hours over the course of two days to get our phones activated. The AT&T store didn't give us some code they were supposed to have given us, and when they finally gave it to us over the phone, we couldn't activate the phones anyway because the people at the store had typed in our address wrong. AT&T and Apple customer service did not work well together at all, so we kept getting passed around. It was a total nightmare. The only thing I can say is maybe it's better now that it's been a few months.

2. Fingerprints, make-up, and ear sweat - Probably the most impressive part of the iPhone is it's touch screen that somehow manages to stay scratch-free. It does not, however, stay grease-free. It gets really gross all the time. Although it comes with a screen cloth, that gets mucked up pretty quickly too. I know there's not much that can be done about that, it's just an inherent problem for a touch screen, so I guess you just have to buy cleaning cloths from the Apple store and just clean it after each use.

3. Very limited texting abilities - Ironically, I could do more with texting on my last crappy phone than I can with this one. You can't mass text everyone in your phonebook with the iPhone. In fact, you can't even send the same text to more than one person. You have to type and send each text separately. Also, you can't receive or send picturemail text messages.

The only solution I can think of to these two problems is scrapping texting all-together and just using email. If you can get your friends to email you their text messages, it should be no problem. And if you can get their cell phone email addresses, you can mass mail them using the email function. Otherwise, the text function is just a one-on-one text only instant messenger. On the plus side, the back and forth conversation is displayed in dialogue bubbles, so like with instant messenger, you can see the entire conversation in one screen.

4. Battery Life - You can get about 4 hours of constant use out of it or one full day of intermittent use. But you must charge it every night or it will be totally dead the next day. I've adapted though, and just keep it on its charging dock at work during the day.

5. There are no games for the iPhone - And the games I bought recently for my video iPod do not work on the iPhone. Not even Solitaire. Not even Tetris. Not even Minesweeper. No games for you. That just feels like a step backward to me. Oh well, I amuse myself with the internet when I'm waiting in line now.

6. The keypad - It takes some getting used to. At first, it's extremely frustrating that your fingers are way too big for the little keyboard that pops up when the phone is being held vertically and that it has no texture, so you have less control over which button you push. It's especially frustrating if you try to use your thumbs like you would on a Sidekick.

I will say though that the auto-correct feature is very effective and that I can type the fastest when I'm not concentrating on punching the right key. You just have to trust the phone is going to correct you as you go along and then proof-read once at the very end for mistakes. And use your index finger at all times!!

Another solution is to make the screen horizontal whenever possible. This magnifies the size of the keyboard and results in greater typing precision. Unfortunately, you can only bring up a horizontal keyboard in the internet window, and not in the texting, calendaring, maps, weather, and email windows. I've heard that they are doing a software upgrade though so that soon all of the functions will be able to be viewed horizontally. That will be very cool. It pisses me off that I can't read email horizontally.

7. No ringtones - As far as I know, you get the ringtones that it comes with and that's it. I haven't looked into it, but I'm hopeful they'll start making better ringtones pretty quickly here. What would be super cool is if you could edit your own ringtones from your song library. I know that's never going to happen though. They gotta get their separate ringtone revenue.

8. You can't actually play all YouTube videos - At first, it seemed like there were only like 10 videos total available for the iPhone, but now they've stepped it up a lot. Mostly, they still only have the most popular, but it's a lot better than it was.

9. You can't use regular headphones with it - Or a regular line-out jack for that matter. This just seems messed up to me. Like they're trying to make it incompatible with all the iPod accessories I've already bought just to make more money. The headphone jack on the iPhone is deeper, so you can jimmy your old headphones by carving off some of the rubber to make it fit, but it's hard to get a good fit, so you end up with static. On the plus side, the thing has little speakers built in, so I mostly just listen to it that way at work.

10. No GPS - It'll tell you how to get there, but don't expect any help if you make a wrong turn unless you can pull over and type in where you are.

11. Cannot highlight, cut, copy, or paste text. - Yeah, this gets annoying. They really need to fix this. Luckily, most features remember the last thing you typed. Not the notepad though. And you're screwed if you want to copy and paste anything from the internet.

12. Slow internet - The iPhone currently uses the Edge network. It's pretty slow. It's actually quite a deterrent to using the internet. And although the phone can automatically find wireless hotspots that could presumably speed things up, most wireless networks are password protected. So unless you're at Starbucks, Panera, the airport, or some other place with free wireless internet, you're pretty much at the mercy of the Edge network. I've heard that the next iPhone model will likely run on the 3G network, which is enough to make me buy a new one when it comes out. The YouTube videos still play at decent speeds, and its not quite as slow as dial-up, but it is slower than what you're probably used to.

13. Sometimes it seems to get confused - This manifests itself in many forms. Sometimes, if the battery isn't fully charged, the touch-screen won't register that I'm trying to use it. This results in missed phone calls and a very frustrated user. Sometimes, if the internet is still loading and I try to type something else in, it will crash. Sometimes, pictures on emails will not load properly, or it will take a full day or two before they can be viewed. Sometimes it'll tell you you have an email, but it won't load its contents for a few hours or a day. Sometimes voicemails will be received but you won't be able to listen to them right then.

14. You can put birthdays in your contacts, but it does not automatically sync them with your calendar - Maybe I'm just being picky now, but you would think that if I was typing it into the addressbook, I wouldn't have to go back and type it again into the calendar. For $600, I don't think I should have to type it twice. Or at least they could let me copy and paste. Bastards.

15. Very limited photo options - Once you've snapped a photo with the pretty high quality phone camera, it gives you a couple of options: Assign the photo to a contact; email someone the photo; or use it as wallpaper. But what if I want to upload it to my myspace profile while I'm on the go or post the photo on my blog? Not going to happen. You only get three options. It does not keep your photos in an accessible drive like on your home computer. Don't get me wrong, you can still take it home, hook it up to the computer, download it and then do whatever you want with it from there, it's just that when it's on your phone, it's not as versatile as it is on your home computer.

The work-around I found was to email yourself the photo at Flickr or somewhere like that that uploads photos via email. Then access that site in the phone's browser and link it to your blog. So far I haven't gotten the Blogger moblogger feature to work with the iPhone. I've used Flickr's email blogging function, but it's not consistent. I don't know why those programs don't like the iPhone. And it pisses me off that if I could just send a picture text, I wouldn't have to be messing with all of this, since most moblogging programs use sms texting.

Oh well. So that's my iPhone experience. Like I said, overall, I'm happy with it. It's got a nice camera and I like being able to watch YouTube videos in line at the post office. it's just definitely got room for improvement.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Oh, by the way betch...

So I went to see the comedian who does the Shoes video, Liam Sullivan, last Friday night at the House of Blues. The show was good - definitely worth the price of admission.

The opening act was this hilariously crass chick named Amy Claire. Then came Liam (aka Kelly). He showed a couple of his sketch comedy videos and then came out as Kelly to perform Text Message Break-Up and Shoes live.

We also got to see the brand new, unreleased Let Me Borrow That Top video. It was pretty frickin' funny. As funny as Shoes, I'd say. It's got all the same actors as the Shoes video, plus a few cameos by Margaret Cho, Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls (WOO!), and Dave Navarro. Oh, and here's a little bit of trivia: Kid Rock's sister, Jill Ritchie, who you may recognize from Arrested Development, plays the bitchy beauty queen next door in the video, from whom Kelly wishes to borrow that top. It's really so good. I can't wait for it to come out on YouTube.
After the show, Liam Sullivan greeted some of his fans. He was whisked away shortly after he met with us, so it was cool that we got to meet him. We talked about the Dresden Dolls and how he's in their new video for Shores of California. He said he didn't even know who they were until after he shot the video, but now he loves them. How funny is that? Alright, so here are some pics from the show. How cool is he??


Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Children of Marfan

July was a really good month for us. So good, I didn't have time to blog apparently. The big things were: two trips, one stay-at-home-mini-vacation, Brian's birthday, getting iPhones, and a job change.

Our first trip was to Palo Alto for the National Marfan Convention. We had a really good time. I got to re-connect with my heart doctor and heart surgeon from Stanford and we got to meet a lot of other people with Marfan Syndrome. We got some good information too.

Here's Brian just after we arrived:

One of the biggest surprises was that my heart surgeon, who was a speaker at the event, actually used echocardiogram video of my heart in his presentation - only he forgot to take my name off of it or ask my permission! Probably not such a good idea to use the marfanoid lawyer's medical records to violate HIPPA laws. Oh well. Good thing he's in my Top 5 Favorite Human Beings list or else he'd really be in trouble. Here's me and the guys that probably saved my life:

Like I said, I also met other marfanoids while we were there. (During our stay, we determined that the following were also acceptable terms for persons with Marfan Syndrome: children of Marfan, Marfanite, Marfanaut, Marfanid, one who has been marfed, and one who has been given the gift of Marfan.) Not all marfanoids are as tall as me, but there were some who were. Even taller actually. Here's me again with my surgeon and two other women he's operated on; one is 6'6" and the other is 6'8", I believe.

Oops, it's time for bed now! Gotta finish this blogpost later. Damn, I'm a slacker.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Mo Better Blogger

Man, I hope this works. If it does, it means I just learned how to moblog on my new iPhone. We're en route to San Diego for our annual ComicCon trip. I'll try to be a better blogger now that I can blog on the go.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Mini-vacation

We decided to spend some time at home this week, so Brian and I are taking Thursday and Friday off. This means I only have to work one day this week - Tuesday. That's a nice feeling. :-)

It'll hurt if I swallow!

It was an all-around day of learning yesterday. We started the day by going to our CERT class and learning some first aid. That was pretty fun. Here are some photos, courtesy of Shannon.

Here's Brian lamenting my death.

Here's me being positioned so I don't swallow my tongue or choke on my own vomit.

Here's me bandaging up Brian's wound.

And here's me stopping Brian's bleeding by elevating his wound and pushing on his brachial artery.

Later, we went to see Sicko, the new Michael Moore movie. I didn't need to see this movie to know that healthcare in this country sucks. I have my own healthcare system horror stories. The movie was still fun though. We're discussing our relocation to France now. Of course, with all this new CERT training, maybe we'll just be able to take care of ourselves. (Yeah right.)

Friday, June 29, 2007

Oh my gawd, that was AWESOME!!!

We got to see a sneak preview of Transformers last night. Brian described it best when he said it was like eating frosting right out of the container. On the one hand, the story was retarded & full of plot holes, the dialogue super-cheesy, the characters flat stereotypes and the jokes lame. On the other hand, the transformers were AWESOME!!!!

During one of the first scenes where a Transformer transforms (Barricade is jumping through the air as a robot and then lands as a badass police car), you could actually hear the simultaneous gasp of every guy in the theater getting a stiffy. The gasps and applause continued throughout the movie, every time they showed a new transformer transform (ESPECIALLY when they revealed Optimus Prime) and everytime the robots fought.

In the end, I was left with one thought: "Oh my gawd, that was AWESOME!!!" So even though it isn't going to be winning any Oscars this year, it was still super bad-ass and super exhilarating. I will most likely see it again in the theater. Oh, and the super-hot chick lead, Megan Fox, was, in fact, really really hot. So yeah, just in case you needed another reason to go see it.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Fight fire with fire

As most of you probably know, I was peer-pressured into doing this Community Emergency Response Team class a few weeks ago. Basically, I have to go to class from 9am-12pm every Saturday morning for 5 weeks in order to get certified in how to survive and/or help others in an earthquake/fire/flood/disaster/other emergency.

I know what you're thinking. I hate 1) getting up early, 2) most other people, and 3) most physical activities, so what makes me think I would like any part of this? Honestly, I wondered the same thing.

But it's actually been pretty interesting so far. Yes, the instructors are melodramatic and somewhat... unsophisticated, BUT last week we did get to practice putting out a fire with this psuedo-bbq-firemaker-thing. That was kinda cool, I GUESS. And I guess we're learning some useful things about owning a home and what-not. So so far, it doesn't suck too bad.

Here's my goofy ass putting out a fire last week.