testing 1, 2, 1, 2

I'm on the new beta version of Blogger which allows me to label my posts, thereby grouping similar posts. Cool, eh? But because I'm in full Saturday morning chore mode, and we have company coming over for Round 3 of the Lost Season 2 catch-up viewing, I don't have a lot of time for silly things like reading instructions. So, I'm just going to think up a few quick labels and make this post part of all of them.

Post-Lost tonight, I may come back to try a new post. Isn't the anticipation just too much?

warped

I don't know which is worse -- the lengths to which the beauty industry goes to create an unrealistic image presented as the ideal, or some of the idiotic comments that follow this clip on the YouTube page.



Today is Love Your Body Day. I say, love it every day.

the men of television

I should probably be reading the stack of books that continues to accumulate in my section of our library. Or even, less esoterically, the pile of entertainment rags adorning the coffee table. Instead, there are a few television shows that have really caught my attention. Bones, a carryover from its first season last year, is still a favorite. And I just love the new Sci-Fi Channel series, Eureka. I haven't missed an episode.

Alas, there is a bigger quandary. The leading men of these shows are the unwitting participants in a fantastical duel for my attention. Move over, Dr. McDreamy (I've never seen one minute of Grey's Anatomy), Sheriff Carter and Agent Booth are here!

Sure, they're easy on the eyes; handsome in conventional ways. But there's more there there. Could it be the man in uniform phenomenon? Nah, the FBI guy just wears a suit. It's more that. They're both funny. And smart. With warmth that just exudes from what is undoubtedly their own personalities.

OK, so they're well-written characters portrayed by good actors... who just happen to be seriously hunky. A third clearly in the running -- although too skinny to earn this last descriptor -- is Dr. Gregory House. He is the king of well-written, well-acted, and he's sexy in that I-know-he's-really-got-a-British-accent-under-that-American-one way. Scrawny, really, but funny.

"Is this an intervention? You're a little late since I'm not using drugs anymore. I am, however, still hooked on phonics."

But all three of them are really funny. When Jack's daughter, Zoe, grabbed a wheat grass for herself and scolded her father for drinking too much coffee, his response was, "I'll stop drinking caffeine when you stop drinking the lawn."

Why am I blogging about this? Perhaps it's because I'm dealing with the anxiety of Eureka's season finale. It's just wrong for a show to END at the beginning of October! But hey, Mr. Monk left me weeks ago. I'll just have to suffice with my favorite FBI Agent, the cranky Doctor, and iTunes downloads (and SciFi webisodes) of the Sheriff for now.

growing strong

Some words of wisdom and a quick link to a neat photo project. First the wisdom:

"Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees." - J. Willard Marriott

And now the photo project:



Cool.

the playlist

We spent the weekend with family to celebrate three birthdays (father, husband, and brother) which fall within five days of each other. Ted also brought me to a magic place to get me my anniversary gift to replace my original 40 GB which recently decided it didn't want to cooperate anymore. Thank you, honey! I set it up tonight, and am almost so excited to test it out in its car and office settings, that I might take a midnight drive to work. Then again, maybe not.

Anyway, it was fun to have much of the family together for chatting and barbecue (nephew Dan quite adeptly manned the grill) and our family's famous Cox Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting. I'll upload current pictures later this week. Well, hopefully. Take everything I say with a grain of salt, as I still haven't finished the Seattle & Alaska trip installments (see here and here)!

In the interim, here is the list of songs originally compiled for Caitlin's correspondence book. I got so carried away, it ended up being a 4-CD set, which I also burned and sent in similar goodies boxes to nephews Andrew and Josh. Spreading music love everywhere I go. I'm digging on this list. Here goes:

Hockey Monkey
James Kochalka Superstar

Steady As She Goes
The Raconteurs

Exeter, Rhode Island
Jennifer O'Connor

Holla!
G. Love

Alright
Supergrass

Sewn
The Feeling

The King Is Half-Undressed
Jellyfish

David
Nellie McKay

Change The World
Nellie McKay

Mary Shut the Garden Door
Donald Fagen

I Don't Feel So Well
Vienna Teng

Chicago
Sufjan Stevens

Push Th' Little Daisies
Ween

Nemo
Umphrey's McGee

Put Your Records On (Acoustic)
Corinne Bailey Rae

A World That Passed Me By
Chris Difford

Everybody But You
Dave Barnes ****

**** This is the song that I'd mentioned earlier. It should be a HUGE pop hit. I predicted it on August 24th. Let's see if the rest of the world comes around to it. By the way, poor video quality, but a good way to convey the song in this medium. ****

Don't Wake Me
Toby Lightman

The Mess
Fivespeed

Sails
Megan Slankard

Until You Came Along
Golden Smog

I Can't Get Behind That
William Shatner featuring Henry Rollins

Liar
Rollins Band

The Diary of Jane
Breaking Benjamin

Why Me?
Planet P Project

Nobody Not Really
Alicia Keys

Keep On Hoping
Raul Midon & Jason Mraz

Chasing Strange
Lizz Wright

Heaven or Las Vegas
Cocteau Twins

Black Swan
Thom Yorke

Elvis Is Everywhere
Mojo Nixon

Connecticut's For F***ing
Jesus H Christ and The Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse

_Title Unknown
_Artist Unknown

Barely Breathing
Duncan Sheik

The Reluctant Deity
Fernando

Get Up
Amel Larrieux

For a Change
Chris Difford

James River Blues
Old Crow Medicine Show

Thinking About You
Fred Eaglesmith

Greyhound
Dave Barnes

Here (In Your Arms)
Hellogoodbye

Watch Your Step
Anita Baker

River
Madeleine Peyroux f/k.d. lang

Through Glass
Stone Sour

Blue Caravan
Vienna Teng

Burning In the Sun
Blue Merle

Love Me Like You
The Magic Numbers

All These People
Harry Connick, Jr. f/Kim Burrell

Tears, Tears, & More Tears
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint

I'm Gonna Love You Anyway
Buckwheat Zydeco

Pontchartrain
Vienna Teng

La Vie en Rose
Edith Piaf

Call Me When You're Sober
Evanescence

Fighting For Your Life
David Mead

All Fired Up
The Brand New Heavies

The Word
Prince

'Bout a Thang
Tonéx

Half My Height
Sunday Runners

Mama's Room
Under the Influence of Giants

One Last Time
Frog Holler

Seether
Veruca Salt

Paperback Bible
Lambchop

The Incredits
Michael Giacchino

I tried to focus mostly on new music, but couldn't resist the occasional flashback. The "Title Unknown" by "Artist Unknown" is a song in my iTunes library that had its data scrambled during a bad synchronization. Because I love new music and seek it out all the time from various sources, I don't always know the artists' names until I've had a good chance to listen to and absorb them into my psyche. I came to really love this song after it scrambled, and so I have no idea who it is. It doesn't help that the song is not sung in English. So, I've thrown down a challenge to Andrew, Caitlin, and Josh that if they can find the information for me, I'll reward them warmly (I think I said I'd give 'em a buck!).

Enough chattering tonight. Maybe I'll be better about posting this week. Maybe I'll finally catch up on vacation stories. Maybe.