Parade November 29, 2004 ~ 10:45 pm
Posted by Julie in : Daily Grind , comments closedAs promised, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Balloons. Or at least some of them.
Gratuitous department store placement. They should pay me for this.
Super Grover! Well, some Super Grover fur, at any rate.
Who’s got a big old butt? Ronald’s got a big old butt! And I think he’s gonna take it doggie style…
Not a balloon, but my favorite float as a kid. I still get excited when I see it. And it’s not in great focus, because they wouldn’t let us within half a block of it. Yeah, terrorists want to blow up the turkey. Uh huh.
Pikachu, seconds before he broke loose to look in the Youngest’s window while she was sleeping. Taking time to smell the dog butts. Maybe next he’ll go see Ronald McDonald.
Sorry there aren’t more, but I was shooting by streetlight and haven’t completely figured out how to do that with my camera and retain focus. Also, they wouldn’t let us near my favorite, the Garfield balloon. Or the Sponge Bob balloon. Damn balloon Nazis!
Jellyfish! November 29, 2004 ~ 11:23 am
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Just remembered I had this picture. Taken at the Halloween Parade last month.
Thanksgiving weekend passed pretty uneventfully for me. Wednesday night, Rick and I woke up around 3 AM to go see the Macy’s Parade balloons, all nice and inflated and waiting to go, sans touristas. I took pictures, which I’ll upload tonight. I also decided that it would be great to make kids afraid of the balloons by telling them they come to life in the night and look in windows. Pay attention to this, it will come back in this story.
Thursday morning we picked up the kids and drove to Massachusetts. Got there fairly early, and then proceeded to play board games with the kids. We spent about 15 minutes trying to convince the Youngest that the Pikachu balloon was watching her through her window the night before, since her building fronts one of the streets where the inflated balloons rest the night before. The Oldest, Rick, and I managed to get her pretty creeped out, especially when I showed her my pictures of the Pikachu balloon, “seconds before he escaped”. Nine years old is still young enough to mess with - you’ve got to love it.
Finally met the rest of Rick’s family, which was nice, since we’ve all been hearing about each other for a while now. His mom cracks me up. She was happy to see me, and then she said “I wanted everyone to see your beautiful hair, but you cut it.” Implying it’s not beautiful anymore. Thanks, Judy. Conversations with her are like swimming with jellyfish, you’re never sure when you’re gonna get stung. I really do like her a lot, though, because she never means anything by it. She just thinks she’s being funny. As I kept telling Rick, “Your mom cracks me up.”
We gave the kids back to the ex Thursday night (after a *huuuge* runaround because she never seems to plan things ahead of time and then suddenly it’s up to everyone else to cover for her), and Friday went to Jordana’s house for Thanksgiving Redux, which was lovely. Jordana and I have been doing “Urban Family Thanksgiving” for the past 5 years with our friends, and we decided there was no reason to miss it this year, even if it was a day late. Our version of Thanksgiving is giving yourself over to food and drink, and just enjoying being a glutton and hanging out with friends. Totally stress-free. Yay, Urban Family! (Which, if you have read Bridget Jones, you will know is a Singleton term. Along with Jellyfish. I borrow freely.)
Saturday and yesterday were spent in rehearsal with Larry, which is coming along wonderfully. We had our first audience run-thru yesterday, with some of the producers and some of Larry’s family (his wife, Lucie, and their daughter, as well as some of her friends), and it went really well. No calling for lines, no flubs, nothing. Today is our day off, and then two run-thrus a day for the next three days, with another before we open Friday night. Favorite Larry quotes of the weekend (there always have to be some):
Upon seeing me Saturday, after I had been sick with allergies and asthma Friday (all the cigarette smoke at Thanksgiving got to me):
L: I thought you were sick!
me: I feel better.
L: You don’t look it.
me (thinking): Second jellyfish of the week!
Upon seeing my t-shirt from the Tenement Museum yesterday:
L: What’s that say across your tits?
Upon seing my friend Jan, wearing a Calvin Klein hoodie:
L: What’s between you and your Calvins?
Yes, this is what I work with. Pervy bits aside, it’s fun. Like a lot of things, you just take Larry with a grain of salt. Hey, bet he’d like the picture at the top!
Fa la la la la November 23, 2004 ~ 3:56 pm
Posted by Julie in : Daily Grind , comments closedI got a good deal on Christmas cards at Rite Aid on my lunch break today. Good ones, too. “Just My Style,” which equals off-the-wall. I now have 3 boxes of Christmas cards to send out. That’s a lot of Christmas cards, so I’ve decided something. If you want one, email me. I’m serious. I’ll send you a Christmas card, as long as you don’t mind sending me your real address. I promise not to stalk you, okay?
Oh, and my mom got two new cats this weekend from the Humane Society. They came named. One of them’s name is Gizz. Like Gizmo, but not. I told Rick this, and my wonderful boyfriend said “The cat’s name is Jizz? She needs to change that.” And I said “Not Jizz, Gizz.” He replied, “Whatever, I know what I’m calling it.” Men.
Wine bag November 23, 2004 ~ 1:46 pm
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Music Pavilion ceiling, Prospect Park
I’m sitting here waiting for the guys in IT to update a program so that I can use another program to generate a list of candidates for graduation to be approved so they can actually graduate. (Just wanted to see how long a sentence I could write.) I’ve been waiting for them to do this for two days, but have been assured that it will happen today. Riiiiight. While I’m waiting for them to do that, I’m blogging.
I have an agenda for tonight. I will get on the subway after I get out of work, and head to Astor Place so that I can buy good wine for cheap at the liquor outlet. I need something to bring to Rick’s sister’s for Thanksgiving, and I’m thinking a nice Merlot from Australia would do the trick. But I refuse to pay Park Slope prices, so I’m going into Manhattan, where I can get just such a bottle for $7. And we’re not talking Thunderbird or Blue Nun, either. This is good wine. From Australia and South Africa. While I’m there, I might pick up a bottle of Shiraz or three for me. So easy to become an alcoholic at these prices - I love this city. Mmmmm, Shiraz. And hey, there’s a Tower Records in the neighborhood, so I might have to get the new U2 cd (”Uno! Dos! Tres! Catorce!!”) and look for the Barenaked Ladies holiday album. I feel a need to hear the Dreidel Song, dammit.
And then I will go home and drink wine and rock out to U2 while updating my iPod playlist. I’ve got plans, baby. Big plans.
Well, this sums it up November 23, 2004 ~ 11:07 am
Posted by Julie in : Daily Grind , comments closedI’m a Progressive Girl. Yep, that sounds like me. Click on it to read more, or go here to take the quiz yourself.
Julie, the Insult Comic Blogger November 22, 2004 ~ 10:47 am
Posted by Julie in : Daily Grind , comments closed
Leaf family
I had a dream last night where I was taking part in a stand-up comedy contest on the A train to Harlem. I think I won, after losing half my audience at 125th Street. What the hell was that about?
Had a pretty good weekend. Two good days of rehearsal, with yesterday being Larry’s 70th birthday (which meant we got out early - yay!). He told us the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me in a rehearsal hall: “I am so happy to be working with all of you in this room. It’s such a reflection of the talent in this city - there’s not a single one of you who doesn’t contribute at top professional levels and I appreciate that.” Stuff like that is nice to hear from anyone, but being told that you’re good by a man who has been in theatre, television, and film longer than I’ve been alive is amazing recognition. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And then I squelched that. Can’t let the warm fuzzies show in front of Larry, right Lori?
Saturday night/Sunday morning I got to spend with Rick and the girls. The girls were in a silly mood, and I captured the Youngest on digital, making a face and wearing the label from my Beck’s beer on her forehead (I’m a compulsive beer label peeler, she just made the most of it). Then I made the mistake of saying “Hey, how come we never play “Life”? I bought you that game last Christmas and it’s still in the shrinkwrap.” The Oldest lit up and said “Oh! I forgot we had that here! I love that game!” and so we ended up in a marathon Family Fun Night which lasted till 11:30. Two games of Life later (I came in second both times…someone had it rigged.), we had taught the girls about bank loans and car insurance, and why you should never let someone else drive your car (the Youngest’s sense of justice was offended when “A buddy borrows your car and crashes it. $5,000.”), and worked on all our math skills. And I want to know when “Mid-life Crisis, change careers” made it onto the board. I don’t remember that from when Leenie and I used to play it in high school. It was long, it was tiring, but Rick and I had a blast and I think the girls did, too.
And hey, U2 was on Saturday Night Live! Quote of the week: “How in the world do you go from ‘uno, dos, tres’ to ‘catorce’?” Rick, about the intro count to U2’s “Vertigo”.
Ramblings November 19, 2004 ~ 2:51 pm
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Lake Welch, NY
I don’t have anything to say, really, so you get a collection of bits and bobs for Friday.
Did anyone see The Apprentice last night? Way to fire two troublemakers at once, Donald! I was irked that Jen got credit for Ivana’s idea, though. Generally I find Ivana annoying, but last night she had a great idea and that wench Jen got credit. However, they did win the best reward in Apprentice history, as far as I’m concerned. Getting to spend hours with Billy Joel? Sign me up!
Started to put up my Christmas decorations last night, and got about halfway done with the tree before I had to go to sleep - I was just too tired. Joe and Jesse like eating the fake tree, though, so I expect to come home and find decorations scattered around on the floor after being abandoned as cat toys. Joe is the cat who used the Baby Jesus from the Nativity Set as a hockey puck one year, after all.
It’s looking like I’ll take two trips this spring. One to Allegheny College, my alma mater, for my “5 Year Generational Reunion,” as the school calls it. This means that my class (1999) and the classes of 2000 and 2001 all show up for the reunion together. This works out great for me, actually, since my two best college friends were a year and two years younger than me, respectively. We can spend the reunion together. I’m thinking there might need to be a reunion trip to Wal-Mart, what do you think, Kim? So that’s the first weekend in June. And at some point this spring, I’m going to visit my best friend from high school, Leenie, in Atlanta. We’re trying to get our friend Chris to come over for England to make a mini-reunion out of that one, too. Chris was my penpal in middle school, and has come over to visit twice, once when I was in high school, once in college. It’s been a while, and I’m looking forward to hanging out with both of them. And seeing Atlanta for the first time.
That’s all I’ve got for now. More later, maybe. If not, have a good weekend!
Small rant November 18, 2004 ~ 11:40 am
Posted by Julie in : Daily Grind , comments closedJust so I don’t distract from anyone’s viewing pleasure of Colin Firth, god of wet shirts.
I’ve been playing phone tag with my doctor’s office all week for two weeks to get my fucking ultrasound results. I call, leave my number, and no one ever calls me back. I call repeatedly, several times a day. Yesterday when I called, I was told that if I called at 11:30 today, I could talk to the doctor. When I called, they tried taking my number again, and I said “Nuh-uh, not doing. I’ve been dealing with this for two weeks, I’m talking to the doctor.” They put me on hold and hung up on me. I called back, and finally got to talk to the doc. And he said “Oh, I’m not seeing your results here. My nurse will have to go into the computer and see if she can get them that way, and she’s not here right now. Can you call back?” This is just ridiculous, people. I am so not going back to this guy. He was very nice in the exam, and it wasn’t painful, but if this is how he deals with patients afterwards, he can forget it. No one deserves this kind of runaround.
And in other news, Jesse the cat now weighs 17 pounds and Joe weighs 12. No wonder I feel like I’m being crushed to death when they lay on me. Oh, and Joe spent an hour last night hissing and growling at a stray cat outside the window when I was trying to sleep. I finally had to shine a flashlight on the stray and spray water at it through the window to get it to leave. Damn cats.
Now you may return to your Colin viewing.
V. Good November 17, 2004 ~ 10:36 pm
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Alright, if you are at all a Bridget Jones fan, you have to go see The Edge of Reason. Unlike most sequels, which suck, this one had me (and Rick) laughing the whole way through. The whole cast came back, so you don’t have to put up with somebody trying to fill someone else’s shoes. Hugh Grant is charming and sexy, Colin Firth is hot as ever, and there’s another fight scene between them where they end up in a fountain, which gave me a v. nice flashback to Colin in Pride and Prejudice. Hello, Mr. Darcy. Parts of it are undeniably written for women, as in, no man would actually say something like that, but it never comes off as fake or phony. Just what you always daydream your man would say. I don’t want to give anything away, but seriously, go see it. I repeat, Colin Firth in a wet shirt.
Mini November 17, 2004 ~ 4:08 pm
Posted by Julie in : Daily Grind , comments closedThoughts/Happenings in the past hour:
I think we had a graduation ceremony for the Department of Sanitation on campus today. I know FDNY has their ceremony here, but this is the first I’d ever heard or thought of a garbage man graduation. Yet there were hundreds of them on campus today. Wierd.
Rick is obviously shooting for boyfriend bonus points, because he called and offered to take me to Bridget Jones 2. I’m not passing this opportunity up, even if it means that I hear about being dragged to the Colin Firth chick flick movie until I die.
My neck and shoulders are killing me. Guess I’ve had the keyboard too far away from me today. Serves me right for trying to multi-task. Wonder if Rick would care to shoot for extra boyfriend bonus points and give me a shoulder rub?
Something about last night got me into the Christmas spirit. I suddenly wanted to start making my list of people to buy for and braintstorming for their presents, and today on my lunch break I bought Christmas decorations for my house. I might start hanging them up tomorrow during The Apprentice. Thanksgiving this year will be spent with Rick’s family in Massachusetts, so no worries about people laughing at me and my early Christmas.
That’s it. Oh, wait, no it’s not. In an attempt to raise my Evil Quotient: blowjob. boobies. rimjob. fellatio. cunnilingus. whore. pimp. skank ho. Okay, let’s see if that helped. Oh, and Regan, the boobies were for you. (oYo) *jiggle it*
