Thursday, September 21, 2006

Geeky Pilgrimmage

Ok, so a while back I mentioned my jumping on the Jonathan Coulton bandwagon (jonathancoulton.com), mainly as a side outlet from my obsession with John Hodgman (Hodgmania, to borrow a phrase). Never mind that I have yet to read any of "The Areas of My Expertise" and have not technically given any monetary support of Mr. Coulton's Thing-a-Week (sorry, I'll get on that eventually), I have, however, read quite a few of Hodgman's magazine articles on the net and think he's just nifty. Anyone who has Sarah Vowell (whom I have not read either, but mean to) describe their artistic adventures as "Mondo Pithy Entertainments," has to have some sort of merit. Well, that and it makes me giggle while not feeling like my brain is turning to mush (not that there's anything wrong with that every now and then). Being solidly in the midwest and not inclined to roam eastward, it is unlikely that I will ever be a part of the Hodgman literary salon. I feel like an outsider cyber-spying on a great dinner party, with the foggy restaurant glass replaced by several hundred miles and the internet.

So, upon hearing that Hodgman and Coulton would be touring to support the paperback edition of AoME, I have been planning what I can only call a geeky pilgrimmage to finally buy the book, take a few photos and hopefully, get a signature. I am thinking of printing off an actual e-mail exchange I had with Mr. Hodgman where I was called, "an admirable researcher." We'll have to see. I have a few weeks to think about it. I suppose I could also take a photo of the Hobo sunray somewhere on campus and bring a print of that for signing.

After practicing fandom at a few Star Wars conventions, I think I am ready. And, due to an odd quirk of scheduling, I am taking a Thursday off from work and going to Ann Arbor solo. Now, before you fling any mud at my wonderful husband for not taking the day off to make this trek with me, may I remind you all that I am an adult, with a cel phone. The trip will only require one hour of driving each way (if that, really) and I will be surrounded by numerous coffee shops. Believe me, I feel very fortunate to have such a great and indulgent partner who is willing to tolerate my odd, goofy literarly "crushes," He has Darth Vader and Gojira (that's Godzilla, to you Gaikokujin), I have BNL, some figure skaters, the Algonquin Table authors, and Hodgmania. Not that there isn't some overlap, there more certainly is!

Speaking of which, I am off to feed my Utada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utada) addiction, which was fueled by G's Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts connection. Later!

^_^

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Blogthing-a-rama

So, as I said earlier, I lost of few of my blogthings when I switched templates. Lo, and behold, one of my MySpace friends from high school had two of them on his (thanks, Erik!)

Funny thing about this one - I think I scored higher last time!
You Are 27 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.


I am pretty sure this one is different too, but I still like the description!
Your Hidden Talent

Your natural talent is interpersonal relations and dealing with people.
You communicate well and are able to bring disparate groups together.
Your calming presence helps everything go more smoothly.
People crave your praise and complements.


And now a few more new ones
You Are A Fun Friend

You're the one who keeps your group laughing
And you've always got an idea for something fun to do
The party's not complete without you
And you wouldn't miss it for the world


Your IQ Is 120

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average

Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius

Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius

Your General Knowledge is Above Average


You Scored 70% Correct

You are a solid child of the 80s
You'd never confuse Tiffany from Debbie
And while you may not know Prince's first #1 hit
You know every word to Little Red Corvette

If I could do it all over again...

...I probably wouldn't!

Last night, my friend Patti (whom I have known since kindergarten - that's 27 years at this point) came over and we watched our graduation video from high school and a home movie from our sophomore summer before junior year. Let me tell you, it is very useful to watch footage of yourself, if nothing else but to breathe a sigh of relief that it is not good to stay the same always. I was really gawky, bossy, and not all that funny. Which was exactly as I perceived myself at the time, but didn't think I could change. Hmmmm...that doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'll try to explain it after I've had some coffee and breakfast. But, here is a short list of things that I am glad have changed:

1) Plus sizes for women are now everywhere, as opposed to being muu muus ordered through the mail (or XXL men's shirts)
2) There are much better choices in eyewear - even the "cool" kids at graduation were wearing some of the most hideous eyeglasses!
3) Atlantic Star was only a one-hit wonder with "I Miss You"
4) Men's boxer shorts are no longer worn over bicycle shorts - it looks like a baboon butt in the back and a camel toe in the front
5) No more sprial perm, surf the wave bangs, worn over one shoulder long hair (shudder)
6) I expanded my friendship base and can now stay in better touch with everyone through e-mail and myspace
7) Digital cameras - though this is both good and bad
8) I don't have to drag a guy to the dance floor to dance with me (thanks, honey!)
9) I think I'm a little more subtle now (lol - maybe)
10) My husband thinks the gawky geeky me is cute, though I am sure he's glad we didn't try to date in high school.

^_^

Thursday, September 14, 2006

More Blogthings!

I recently chose a new template, so many of my favorite blogthings are no longer on this page - so I get to re-take them

^_^

Your Seduction Style: Sweet Talker

Your seduction technique can be summed up with "charm"
You know that if you have the chance to talk to someone...
Well, you won't be talking for long! ;-)

You're great at telling potential lovers what they want to hear.
Partially, because you're a great reflective listener and good at complementing.
The other part of your formula? Focusing your conversation completely on the other person.

Your "sweet talking" ways have taken you far in romance - and in life.
You can finess your way through any difficult situation, with a smile on your face.
Speeding tickets, job interviews... bring it on! You truly live a *charmed life*


You Are Strawberry Pocky

Your attitude: fresh and sweet
Comforting, yet quirky ... quietly hyper
You always see both sides to everything

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Ooooooh...pretty

So I'm packing up to go home yesterday afternoon and Geoffrey calls and says, "the new iPods are out and the shuffle is HAWT!" Ok, maybe he didn't say it exactly like that, but when I saw it, that was certainly what I was thinking:

http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/

It's so new, I can't find anything more about it other than what's on Apple's website (which I am sure will not be the case for long). It can play approximately 250 songs for around 12 hours and it only costs $79 dollars. My fingers twitch around my credit cards just thinking about it. It's ridiculously tiny.

Thank goodness my birthday's coming up, I can justify the splurge (in addition to going back to Toronto in October to see BNL and Kurt Browning). But goodness, it's just beautiful.

^_^

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

I apologize in advance

I added a song to my MySpace profile (links to the right). I know it gets annoying. I'll try to change it periodically.

Right now, it's set to Geggy Tah, "Whoever you are." It's a totally fun song, and I hope you enjoy it!

^_^

Survey

I have to dig them up, but I have a survey just like this that I had my high school friends answer. I wonder how their answers would compare now....




ABOUT ME - RANDOM SURVEY QUESTIONS
Name?Liza
Birthday?October 23
City and State you live in?Harper Woods, MI
Eye Color?Brown
Hair Color?Dark Brown/Black
Height?5\'3\"
Are you underweight, overweight, or average weight?Overweight, which I guess is better than side-by-side
Smoked in the past 30 days?No
Drank alcohol in the past 30 days?Does vanilla extract in cookies count?
Number of brothers and sisters?1 (biological, many in the adopt-a-friend sense)
Own a house, rent an apartment, or live with parents?Own, though it\'s more accurate to say it owns me
Ever smoked marijuana?No
What style of underwear do you most often wear?Clean
Ever been suspended from school?No
Ever fall asleep in school?LOL - yes, indeed
Ever fall asleep at work?Yes, and once while I was trying to advise during an appointment!
Ever been fired from a job?No
Ever gone to work or school while buzzed or drunk?No
Ever been beaten up?Emotionally, but who hasn\'t?
Are you in a relationship?Happily so - married 5 years in November!
Do you play an instrument?I noodle on the piano and I sing in a choir
Do you have any children?No, but I would like to
Number of things you regret from your past?Regret\'s a strong word, it\'s more like I\'m wistful about a few things - but I certainly don\'t keep count!
Number of tattoos? What and where are they?No - I have a strong dislike of needles
Number of piercings? What and where are they?My ears are pierced
Ever driven a car after drinking too much?Too much water - and then you can never find a rest stop!
Has anyone ever taken a picture of you without clothes?Them, or me?
FAVORITES
Pizza toppings on one pizza?Onion, Mushroom and Pepperoni
Ice cream flavor?Peppermint
Non-alcoholic drink?Diet Pepsi
Alcoholic drink?Grand Marinier and Hot Chocolate
Fast food restaurant?Arby\'s - darn Potato Cakes
Expensive restaurant?PF Changs - it\'s not that expensive, but I love the ambience and the food!
Make/model of automobile?Mini Cooper - it\'s adorable
Color of underwear you wear?White or black, generally
Breakfast meal?Harvest Grain pancakes from IHOP with Canadian Bacon and Hashbrowns
Dinner meal?My mom\'s cooking or Steak with Baked Potatoes
Vacation location?I am good almost anywhere
ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX
Preferred height?Vertical?
Preferred weight?I like men with mass
Preferred age?Legal
Preferred eye color?Hazel
Preferred hair color?Brown with little hints of red
Preferred race/nationality?Heinz 57
Favorite type of clothes for them to wear?Their own - better to get a sense of their personal style
Turn ons?Sincerity, Intelligence, Humor, Compassion, Technique
Turn offs?Shallowness, Lack of gratitude, Not being playful
Tell us YOUR answers to this survey! Click HERE!
Created by , taken 2 times.
Created at Kwiz.biz - Kwizzes, Polls and Surveys!

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Old Friends

A friend from my undergraduate days called today. Thanks for the wonderful conversation, Maureen. There's something about the fall that seems like a good time to connect with old friends, especially ones I have met through school. Maureen and I met, I think, in an Honors Political Science class. If it wasn't in that class, it was right around that time (which is also when I met Nedda, Heidi and Becky). I just took a look at my transcript, and that would be fall 1993. 13 years ago. Zoiks!

We spoke for an hour about nothing and everything, which means it was perfect. Friends we have known have lost parents, had children, or moved into/out of Michigan. I love catching up, though I am not the world's best correspondant (just ask my friend Maureen in London). But as I told Geoffrey the other day, and Maureen today, as long as I know where people are and that they are doing well, I'm good.

Which is one of reasons I really like MySpace. It's established enough at the moment that some of my classmates are starting to post their pages, and Geoffrey figures it will be about two years before the whole thing collapses under its own self-importance. In the meantime, I can find some of the people I haven't spoke with or thought about since I graduated from Bishop Foley.

The nostalgia jones are bad enough that I am typing and watching a very old VHS of my high school graduation. It's pretty much the same as most high school videos - footage of a pep rally, prom and graduation. I just watched myself cross the stage. I had long hair and a sprial perm. It's pretty darn funny. I'll have to scan in a prom photo sometime.

If I were the drinking sort, I would probably be bleary-eyed from a mist of nostalgia. But you know, by the tiime I was a senior, I had already been though a house fire, three months living in a Residence Inn (which, I assure you, is not a glamorous as it sounds), and my father passing away. My yearbook entries my senior year were pretty bland, and I slept for a week after graduation. And I really liked high school. I am happy to say I am still in touch with many good friends (shout out to Patti, Lori, Doug, and my newly rediscovered MySpace crew), I just felt like I couldn't relate. I am not saying this was anyone's fault. I imagined myself as the maiden aunt and resorted to extreme sarcasm to keep boys at bay who I thought wouldn't like me anyway. I didn't give myself the chance to find out.

By the time I got to WSU, it was time for a fresh start. I got involved in Student Council and made up for the fact that WSU was (and probably still is) 98% commuter. I say probably it's probably still 98% ccommuter since many of the res hall students go home on the weekends. But this was 1993, and we moved into the offices in the Student Center and made it our home for three or four years.

Oh man, it's at the part of the graduation ceremony where I led a small crackpot choir in our Alma Mater. I grafted the start of a song in "Sing" to the beginning and then we went into the Foley Alma Mater.

One more time
Sing the song
There's a power in our voices
Hopeful and strong

Years from now
Somewhere down the line
We'll remember and we'll all sing
One more time


And then, oh the horror!, Jeff C. and I sing "Just for a Moment." Many of you know the song as its instrumental version "The Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire." Dan created the instrumental on the computer, and it went just a touch too fast. Oh, I'll have to digitize those parts of the video, at least.

I'll try to post more on this later. The big thing is, I am so completely blessed. I married a friend I grew up with during those undergraduate and graduate years, and I have kept many of my friends from high school, some of whom I have known since kindergarten.

I'm pretty sure this is just the start of a (hopefully) short maudlin phase.

More later!
^_^