Your Mileage May Vary

Where the sunsets are all breathtaking

Background Noise: Last Five Years
Last Visited: John Adams the mini-series based on John Adams by David McCullough
Random Thought: note to self: get massages more often
Mood: not quite out of vacation mode

I went on vacation! To one of the most beautiful locations in the world! And stayed in an awesome house! with a hot tub! and a fireplace! and a pool table! and i wrecked my ankles and shoulder learning to snowboard! er, um... yeah, actually that was really bad. I take back the exclamation point. Anything that provokes pain, jealousy, and more pain isn't really worth hyping up. Hmm, back on course: and i went to the spa! and the weather was wonderful! (see, isn't that better?)

Of course i have pictures, a ton of them, in two galleries:

	Tahoe & Squaw Valley Gallery; aka, even after i narrowed down the number of pictures i liked, i still had over 100.
	48Straight, Girl in a Box; aka, pictures of the art installation at 48Straight of, well, a girl in a box.

I'm so glad i went; i honestly didn't want to come back, but, such is life (darn my stubborn sense of responsibility). And, a few days of pain aside, i had time to read my book (John Adams, amazing), cook for the house, take a ton of pictures, and generally not think (too much) about work. All in all, i can't really complain. Ok, so, sure, we didn't get to stay in the house we originally reserved - but our replacement wasn't too shabby itself, so, all's well, etc. Sometimes it's just better to go with the flow.

I will absolutely have to return to Tahoe in the summer, for hiking, horseback riding, boating, and visiting Valhalla; but that's a different vacation.

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Frames: Fall into Winter, 2007

Background Noise: Iron Chef America
Last Visited: iPhoto and Grab
Random Thought: i should have bought my camera months ago
Mood:must stay up... must stay up...

Happy New Year! (um, officially). So I have a few problems at the moment: a) i'm exhausted but, b) i have to stay up enough to fully get on pacific coast time (for real), and c) i have all of these pictures from my (fabulous!) new camera that i have to get into a book of some variety. Now, besides the fact that i don't have the whale watching pictures on this particular laptop (therefore i can't exactly press the "order" button just yet), i think i have a decent start so far:

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... hopefully i'll remember before ordering this to actually add some actual comments, or at least remember to remove the text for the default ones.

Um... yeah.

I wish i had had my camera earlier in the year - i would have loved to actually be able to put together a more complete retrospective including the weddings from this summer, the boat, the little white house, and my various wanderings in california, chicago, and new york. Also, i wish i had more pictures of the people i see and interact with every day - perhaps i'll attempt to throw some of my iphone shots in a page, see how those go.

Oh, and, judges? Truffles are never a mistake. Just for the record.

*denotes a page in flux.

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Blue Books

Background Noise: Chuck?
Last Visited: my amazon wishlist
Random Thought: i should really hurry up and get this checkin done so i can leave. and do something productive, like shopping, or watching a movie.
Mood: Greenwich!

While there is something quite lovely about being in the office when no one else is here (i can play my music as loud as i want, get stuff done, etc, etc), it gets old. Quickly. Which, on the one hand is a good thing because it's sunday and i shouldn't be here. But while i am here, if you're wondering what books i'm generally finding interesting at the moment and you're bored and in need of reading material, here you go:

Ok, as a closing note, has to be said: my office is way too hot. Seriously. I know that keeping a building this spacious is a very hard, intricate problem, but... this is really just ridiculous.

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Christ, Button, it's like the damn Frontier

Background Noise: Legally Blonde the Musical Soundtrack
Last Visited: kate spade summer reading: book covers
Random Thought: what rich, romantic planet are you from?
Mood: bopping along with the bubblegum

So the hours are ticking down until i head to Chicago then home for Harry Potter 7, Light in the Piazza, and Heather's wedding... pretty much in that order. And you know what? I'm totally, completely, and whole heartedly ready for a vacation. A real one. One that's longer than three-ish days. The trip that's coming up will officially mark the most time i've been away from California (and work) since I, well, got here. Which... wow. This is longer than any trip home for christmas. Am i still a bit apprehensive for being gone so long? Um, yes. I hate to admit it, but i'm nervous leaving for so long, and not only because i'm worried Puff will hate me and destroy yet another set of sheets while i'm gone.

I'm sure i'll get over my... reticence soon enough though. As always, i'm sure the moment i land at home (or somewhere in the relative vicinity) my "work" me will shut off and the me that tends to lie dormant when i'm in Cali will show back up and not give a rats ass that i'm not tethered to my desk*.

And i'm sure Harry Potter 7 will help with that variations-on-me switching.

The countdown to HP7 is only a bit longer than my countdown to flying to Chicago, only this time that clock isn't just signaling another chapter in Harry's journey, but the ending of it. How odd to know that this story that i've been so attached to for so long will be over. Sure questions will be answered, but there will no longer be the heated debates over Mark Evans, what Petunia knew when, or the whole Snape issue (tragic hero, absolutely); lord, thousands of people will have to find something else to talk about (might i suggest politics? history? energy awareness?).

Sure there's a lot to look forward too - including reading all books in order without years in between, but.... Actually, i'm fine with the series being over; there's beauty in the finality of the word "Epilogue" ;)

... Have any of you been following that the entire book was leaked online? Temptation much? I believe Oscar Wilde had a thing or two to say about temptation.

Oh, completely off topic, since when does Pages include sticky-note style comments? Because can i tell you how much i heart this feature? It's seriously saving the document writing portion of my life right now.

So if any of y'all who've stumbled on my little blog here work on Pages, thank you very much. You rock, etc, and so forth.

* yes, i'm bringing my iPhone. Um, duh. And, yes, i get work email on my phone. But i won't have it check automatically every 15 minutes... i'll only look at mail occasionally. Just in case someone needs to find me. Via email. Not like a text message or a (heaven forbid) phone call would work just as well. Probably better. Anyways. Not the point. And, no, i'm not showing off... exactly.... Don't worry, Phil, I'll remember to bring my Blackberry back to Mi for you - no shipping charge or anything. Take it with my compliments.

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All the Pretty Little Horses

Background Noise: oldies
Last Visited: starbucks
Random Thought: you know, the skim Cinnamon Dolce latte is actually pretty good
Mood: exhausted

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix opened last night (this morning), so, of course i was at the midnight showing. I don't think i've missed a midnight open of any of the HP movies, so there was no real reason to start now. Especially when going meant dragging some of the lovely people i work with; there's a cruel pleasure in knowing that while i'm in serious pain after being out so late last night, they are too.

Sorry, i'm too tired to be charitable.

So how was it? Well, first of all, i absolutely agree that this is likely the best movie translation yet. I'll go even further and say that this film achieves the remarkable in that it makes the progression of the movie series make sense - these movies through their actors to their color palettes are growing up in tone and temper in the spirit in which the books do; and Order of the Pheonix, the movie, suddenly makes the former films much more palatable.

That being said, the HP movies and I have an interesting relationship. I love the books (you know this); I've seen all the movies (also, duh). But while the books light up my imagination and fancy, the movies are simply, well, there; pleasant, but nothing to hold a candle to the original.

Then again, i'm a bibliophile. I can count on one hand the movie translations of books i truly admire. But you know? Not liking the movie as much as the book doesn't at all mean i didn't enjoy the movie. I enjoyed HP 5. I had fun. I will most likely see it again.

... but i'm going to push to make sure everyone who hasn't read the book yet, does so.

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Adapt When It Counts

Background Noise: Kenny Dies
Last Visited: Make Lemonade
Random Thought: actually, that's exactly what the EPA is supposed to do
Mood: dream a little dream of me

Hanging around family can be a trip - in many ways - and it's always a bit odd to hear people talk about your younger (in this case much younger) self. This weekend? I got to hear about how cute i was when i was little, and how once when i was two and running down the driveway at the Farm my aunt called out "Annie, stop!" - which of course i did - "don't you know you'd be hit by a car?! You can't run into the street!" to which i calmly replied "They wouldn't hit me, they don't know me" and then i'm sure i proceeded to run off somewhere else to play.

I just love the wording of what i said though - implying that a stranger wouldn't hurt me, though someone who knew me might. Of course, my current answer to the "you'll get hit by a car" scolding is "well then, they can pay for my law school", but that's a different story i suppose.

Oh, and that charming looking room above? That's the Soho Grand where El, B and i will be staying in May. I can't wait - i love new york in the spring time.

Jumping around again, i actually did see Blades of Glory this weekend, and you know what? It was hilarious - a great, fun, escapist laughfest. Is it one of the best movies ever or great film? Heck no. It was Entertainment with a capital "E" - and that's just what i needed. So yeay.

But, oh! I just found the coolest command! I was being silly and thinking i could get italics in this field with a apple-I (you can't, you need the html markup) but i pressed it anyways and, lo and behold! the entire webpage ended up in a new email message in Mail with the page's title as the subject! How cool is that? (seems to work on all pages). I mean, instead of having to use screen grabs or other such nonsense to get a full page to send to someone you can just... send them the entirely rendered page. So cool.

So yeah... my weekend? Was a fun combination of random workouts, time outside, and a lot of my lying on my bed thinking "do i really have to move? because i don't want to" to which the answer most of the time was a blindingly beautiful "no." I did get through A Rather Lovely Inheritance which is rather lovely i suppose if you're not really paying attention to more than any two pages at a time - on a micro level this book is lovely and charming and easy - like lying outside in a blooming field watching the clouds roll by without much of a care for time. As a whole nothing in the book actually makes sense - the plot, the characters, the "romance" - tend to meander and wander to more fit the micro flow. Which, is fine. The book was candy. Though that micro over macro form does explain why it took this weekend to get me to get through it.

Though i did appreciate the general point of the book which is to enjoy the life you have as opposed to observing other people enjoying theirs; it's an important lesson, and perhaps particularly timely for this reader.

(Oh, and no, i'm not pleased with the Ohio State v. Florida rematch. The start of baseball, however, has me turning cartwheels; metaphorically, that is.)

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I know what i'd do with a single battery

Background Noise: This Ain't A Scene It's An Arms Race
Last Visited: mugglenet!!
Random Thought: Did it happen with yesterday's umbrella?
Mood: squee!!

Ok, so i thought i was being adult about Book 7's release and announcement; especially since that whole going to London for the book's release party was moved to after Heather's wedding. I mean, sure, i signed up at my neighborhood Border's for a copy so i can show up at midnight to get the book, but, i wasn't feeling the excitement that the build up to the last few releases has given. I figured i had matured, grown up; that now, being 26, i could finish out Harry Potter, the boy-wizard my age (dude, check his birthday and years he started school) with some sense of... peaceful finality.

Yeah right.

Dude, have you seen those covers?! Both the US and UK ones are gorgeous, the US one especially (Ms. GrandPre you've outdone yourself), but... a bit disturbing. Harry and Voldermort wearing the same robes in front of the Veil, Harry without a scar but with a talisman? Slitherin's Locket? thing around his neck with shadowy people looking on? And in the UK one, a very adult looking Harry, Ron and Hermoine being sucked into... what? beyond the veil? into a portal? And what's with all the gold? Are they at Gringots? Godric's Hollow? And what's Prong's doing making an appearance? Or the crystal ball with the snake in it?

Though thank you, thank you Bloomsbury for including the teaser text on the UK cover.

I take all my grown up talk back. I'm totally a squeeing school girl on this one - and I can't wait for July!!

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Oh no... not again

Background Noise: We Gotta Get Out of This Place
Last Visited: ...sigh...
Random Thought:
Mood: yawn

... There's another Shopaholic book? WHY?! Please, please, please, tell me why. Now, don't get me wrong, i did adore Confessions of a Shopaholic - it was hilarious candy that hit a bit too close to the belt (i've talked about this before) and i loved it. I can still pick this up occasionally and waste two hours with it.

However, this continuing of the Becky story needs to stop. It needed to stop with the end of Shopaholic the First - every book after that hasn't been worth the trees it was printed on and represents only a publishers attempt at a chick-lit hollywood style sequel guarentee hit. It's disgusting. Please stop. While Becky once used to be humorous and entertaining - and a girl who learned her lessons and ended up with a great guy (dude, it's chick-lit, of course she ended up with the guy) - has just become... well, what's happening to Gilmore Girls: a shadow of what she once was that is just painful to look at because you remember the brillance of the past.

Garh. Sorry, this is just annoying. I remember not that long ago being able to go into Borders and pick at least 5 or 6 books up at a time that i knew i would enjoy on one level or another - be it candy or otherwise - but now? Now i have issues finding a book, let alone many. It's annoying.

In other news, my happy travel feet are back, ish. I want to run away and escape, but what from or for seems to change hourly. So for the moment i'm staying put. Because i nominally have work to do and i don't really feel like wasting a beautiful hotel and vacation time just so i can work somewhere other than my office.

... though that isn't to say that i won't try to work for somewhere else tomorrow. Or for the rest of the afternoon. Who knows, it's gorgeous out, what i need to work on i can do on my laptop, and as of right now all of my afternoon meetings have been cancelled. Stranger things have happened.

Oh, and i finally booked my travel for NAB. Let's hope Vegas this year is... different than it's been before. Different is an excellent place to start.

One last reminder to me: "It is better to err on the side of daring than the side of caution” - Alvin Toffler.

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Winner and Still Champion

Background Noise: Say It Somehow
Last Visited:
Random Thought: my mom always used to say that a sore throat meant that you weren't saying something you needed to; i wonder what that is....
Mood: yep, stilll sick, yet still at the office...

So, apparently, in the UK and Ireland today it is World Book Day - what a fabulous concept. And along with this auspicious day, they took a survey of our fun net friends to find out what the "top ten books the nation can't live without" are; very cool. So check out the results (extended results here):

1) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 20% 2) Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkein 17% 3) Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 14% 4) Harry Potter books - J K Rowling 12% 5) To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee 9.5% 6) The Bible 9% 7) Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 8.5% 8) 1984 - George Orwell 6% His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman 6% 10) Great Expectations - Charles Dickens .55%

Pride and Prejudice, Lord of the Rings, Jane Eyre and Harry Potter; not a bad list - check out the whole list in the extended results - i'm thrilled that Little Women, Persuassion, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Gone With the Wind, The Great Gatsby, Winnie the Pooh, the Life of Pi, Midnight's Children, and Alice and Wonderland also made the list. I'm a bit frightened that The DaVinci Code and the Five People You Meet in Heaven did as well, then again, the DaVinci Code is a great plane read, so who am i to judge.

A few more interesting details: when you break down the top 10 lists by gender, Men list P&P as their #6 book. Also, most of the respondants of this survey must have been under 26 - and those charming people knocked the Bible down from it's venerable fourth position to number 6.

Anyways; books rock.

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Juxtaposed

Background Noise: Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off
Last Visited: Cool Hunting
Random Thought: nothing but good times ahead
Mood: please, please, please stop blowing holes in my ship

Now that everyone is on the same level...

... perhaps we could have a conversation.

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