Thanks to the shitty exchange rate for the Euro and Pound

I couldn't ship Ewan MacGregor, Sean Bean and others over for K.'s birthday. Instead, I'm sending Dr. Rockso (he does a lot of cocaine you know)! As well as this little ditty:



I heard she was having a shitty day, so I also hope this cheers her up (and maybe she got some Dirty Ruben Lovemaking!):



Hope your day got better buddy!

Did you know....

That Germans can get pregnant from the sound of David Hasslehoff's voice?
That Asian Men are Irresistible to Squirrels?
Or -- All Midgets are Born Able to Moonwalk?

Thanks to New and Improved Stereotypes, I'm learning a lot of new stuff!

BTW -- Happy birthday Raizel! I hope you got a good birthday martini!

Oh, and I'm still fried. BD's still teething (or something like that), there's no sleep to be had and she's one cranky little baby. I've come to the conclusion that her grunts for attention are at the perfect frequency to give me a stabbing migraine headache. That will be replaced when she learns how to whine at age 2, and then do the whole "No one understands me!" rant when she turns 15.

*HAAAACCCCKKK* Happy birthday to me! *cough*

All I want for my birthday right now is for my head cold to go away. Well, that and a clean house for the baby shower/party tomorrow. And a clean nursery. And the gas grill to be assembled. And for people to have a good time tomorrow.

At least my mom is coming up today with Grandma to help shop for food. I think that will help me. And when she heard me this morning, she went straight into mother mode: "Just drink plenty of water. We'll bring lunch. Then go food shopping. Get some rest. Don't go outside."

Apparently I got the head cold when my allergies acted up after a bout of weeding in the backyard. I've been coughing up interesting flemy bits while dealing with work and baby classes. Not to mention, the last of sleep from the cold, bathroom breaks, etc., has made me a little loopy.

Thank heavens for mothers. She's coming right when I need her. I'll post more later. Until then -- *HAAAAACCCKKK*

Happy Birthday Keidra!

So, today is Keidra's birthday! Yayayay! Right now she's in Boston lapping up the good life with an indie media conference and hanging out with Jon of Present Tense. If the cops call, I don't know what happened. That's all I'm saying about it.

I was trying to figure out a good Web tribute to one of my closest and dearest friends, but couldn't think of anything -- not to whine, but the past couple of weeks have been mentally draining (I think it's the third trimester fatigue taking over).

This year sending Ewan McGregor, Sean Bean and other hot British boys couldn't work (damn cost of shipping -- not to mention the Euro is kicking the dollar's ass right now) and the fangirls were getting annoying as they trampled our lawn in anticipation of the shipment.

Then I remembered something my friends had sent me. And really, I think it's perfect. What's a better way to wish someone happy birthday than Kermit and NIN?



Happy Birthday Keidra! I owe you a drink and some food!

Happy Birthday Enich (and Alan)!

In addition to today being the start of spring, it's also Enich's birthday! Happy birthday to the little brother I always wanted, but didn't get until college!

Oh, and it was also Alan's birthday on March 16 -- not that he tells anyone. So I hope you had a very merry unbirthday Alan!

Happy Belated Birthday Eva!

I wish I had a good excuse, but I don't. I just blanked out that on Tuesday, it was Eva's birthday! Happy Birthday Eva! I hope you did mark it in some way -- even if it was with cupcakes and a single candle!

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Yesterday, as the rest of the world was saying goodbye to 2006 and welcoming 2007, Jeff was marking his 31st birthday. We managed to cook him dinner thanks Keidra and Raizel!) and catch Casino Royale.

Erich brought dessert -- a deep dish carmel apple pie -- which was quite decadent and nummy.

As for Casino Royale, I really enjoyed it. Daniel Craig brought James Bond back to the thugged-out version that I preferred and showing his first mission was interesting because it showed how unrefined Bond originally was. No witty one
liners, no quips, no cute gadgets. Bond was just brutal, but at the same time human. He still was vulnerable to being in love, as opposed to using women as a human shield against bad guys.

We'll see how the future movies go, but for me, Casino Royale was a pretty impressive debut for a new Bond.

Happy Birthday Dead Joey!

Today's our friend Joe's birthday! Happy birthday Joe! And people should check out his comic Nerdcore -- it's puntastic!

Happy Birthday Raizel!

Today's Raizel's B-Day! For those of you who don't know her, she's Keidra's fabulous roomie and friend who's special powers are crippling grown men with hugs. I hope you had a happy day today!

And in other news -- I recently got to try out Michael and Katie's new Wii (the poor boy braved sitting out in the cold at the Target here to get one -- waited for six hours). It's pretty freaking sweet. I think I want one now. And it's so shiny, white and cute that I wanted to cuddle with the remote control for a few hours.

We played the Wii sports which includes tennis and bowling. While the controls may take a bit to get used to, it's a lot more intuitive than doing the "Press the A button, then down, up left, Z button and X" thing. Bowling was pretty smooth (even though I accidentally threw the remote at the television --- fortunately, no damage) for me, and I think the increased physical nature of the system promises to be a lot more enjoyable for a lot of people in the future.

Not to mention -- it's probably a hell of a lot easier to get than a PS3. I'm sure as hell not shooting someone to get a $600 game system.

Happy Birthday Ben!

Today is Ben's 25th birthday! For those of you who don't know Ben, he's a supergenius who's got social skills (oxymoron I know) and is just fun to talk to at times. Ultra laid-back, but also the type of guy who enjoys taking a poke at authority for the hell of it, Ben's an interesting person to know.

So yeah, Happy Birthday Ben! I hope you had a good day today!

Happy Birthday Stella and Abby!

Last Friday was Abby's birthday! She of the hyperactive stories and photography skillz!

AND!

Today's my sister's birthday! Happy 28th you hot momma you!

I hope that both of you had a good birthday. Or if you weren't good, you were at least interesting *evil grin*.

Happy Birthday Terra!

Many happy birthday wishes to the photography, gothy girl Terra! Enjoy your day and I hope that you have a fun weekend!

Hippo Birdie Two Ewe!

Today is Heather's B-Day! Yay Heather -- the goddess of cooking, restaurant gossip and a bunch of bawdy tales!

Enjoy your day! I hope that you have fun!

I'm not 30! I'm 20 with 10 epic levels!

Much love to Erich for coming up with that gem.

In approximately 30-ish minutes it'll be May 18 -- my birthday. However, I won't be 30 until approximately 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon (my joke is that's the biggest sign that I'm a night person). But I wanted to get some thoughts down now because I don't think I'll be able to post tomorrow.

Not because I'll be partying. It's because I've got work. There's no rest for the wicked and no sleep for the good. You figure out which category I'm in.

The funny thing about having a blog is that I tend to look through the archives, seeing where I was a year ago and how I was feeling.

Unlike last year, where I was angsting about growing older, I don't feel that way right now. It's like I'm on the verge of something interesting and new. There's just something that feels different, but in a good sort of way. Henry Rollins has a great talk about growing older and people in their 30s have this mindset:

"I like myself more now than before!""

I can say with all honesty that despite some really insecure moments (which I realize were stupid, but couldn't stop), I like myself most of the damn time. I don't think that my sense of excitement for the coming year has to do with anything in particular -- it's just that looking back, I had a pretty good year last year. I went to China, became an aunt for my two nieces and nephew and saw U2 twice last year (SQUEE!). Work continues to be busy as hell, but I'm more at peace with the pace and how it rolls. Jeff and I are still crazy in love with each other (cue Beyonce) and I've got a lot of good friends and good times. My family continues to be cool and lovely, with us having much fun in the meantime.

I'm also becoming more at peace with the things I can't change and uncontrollable explosions in life. I'm not there yet, but I don't think that I'll ever be there. But small improvements are always good.

I'm a pretty lucky girl. It still blows my mind how lucky I've gotten. So no, I don't feel angsty about hitting another decade. I'm curious to see what this decade has in store for me. It's not about settling down -- it's about seeing what's around the corner.

Thank you Stella!

After coming back from work today, I was delighted to find that my sister -- she who is cooler than me -- sent me a few b-day pressies:

Freakonomics, which looks to be a really cool book. I've been in a bit of a book drought lately. I've been picking through old Rolling Stones, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and other random things that I've read and re-read a billion times. So I'm looking forward to reading Freakonomics to say the least.

Wallace and Gromit -- a box set of the shorts and Curse of the Were-Rabbit! THE BUNNIES! I is dead from the cute. *thud*

Henry Rollins' Talk is Cheap, Vol. 1. I like the message that came with the CD: "To Crazy Aunt (Viv), I liked the look of the boy on the CD cover. He looked like he would be fun to hang out with. He makes faces like I do. Ba Ba Ja Ja Wah!!"

Told you my nephew was brilliant. Anyways, many thanks to my sister and her family for the presents. Much love to you guys.

Happy Birthday B-Man!

QGM mentioned it on her blog for me and I totally forgot that it was Bono's birthday.



So happy birthday B-Man! Thanks for being around to either inspire, infuriate or just irritate. Enjoy the red wine. Just don't pass out from imbibing too much.

I didn't forget your birthdays!

While I was battling my blog for supreme control, a couple of important birthdays came and went without acknowledgement. It wasn't because I don't like my friends, but because I couldn't post shit.

So without further ado, here's the ones I can remember right off the bat:

Alan! He's like my older brother and I'm his really annoying, bratty younger sister. Precise and goofy, Alan possesses a certain passion for all things geeky that I can't help but enjoy watching sometimes (even though I may not get it sometimes).

Erich! My little brother in spirit. Geek supermodel. Silent Bob doppelganger. Excellent cook, sweet nature and one of those guys who I would back up in a barfight.

Happy belated birthday guys! May the birthday chicken bring you golden eggs of joy.

Happy Birthday Keidra!

Today is my partner in crime Keidra's birthday! She's one of the coolest people I know, with an uncanny ability to riff on anything from race, alternative media and politics to 80's old school East Coast rap, horrible movies and catty fashion ideas.

So in tribute to one of my best friends, I've decided to give her the beefcake edition of a birthday post. I've carefully picked out the hottest men that make her drool and squeal like a schoolgirl.

The first appetizer is Djimon Hounsou.



Second on the list is the Keif -- who's taken a moment to say Happy Birthday while saving the world:



And the third course is everyone's favorite Jedi! A bit younger than now, but you gotta admit, he's got a cute face.



For the finale, it's the man that consistently has my girl drooling. It's the same man that caused her to crack my jaw in glee when I gave her a DVD set of Sharpe when she bounced with glee and went in for a hug! It's the man who I tried to have a crush on, but it didn't work, because I was into Alan Cumming's computer geek in Goldeneye and I couldn't get over the mullet in the Sharpe movie we saw.

It's the one, the only......BEAN!



What? He's Bean. KIDDING! KIDDING! I tease because I love! Don't hurt me Keidra!



Love ya girl. I hope you have fun at your conference! And I owe you many, many drinks and good times when I see ya again!

Happy Belated Birthday Eva!

On Monday it was Eva's birthday. I have no idea anymore how old she is. I just know that she's pretty damn cool. Happy Birthday Eva! I hope your day was pretty good and you didn't study yourself into oblivion!

Happy Birthday Jeff! (and Happy New Year!)

It's my honey's 30th today! The birthday fairy was kind to him again as we continued the tradition of cheesy fantasy calendars and computer games.

I've known him for more than 10 years now and I can't imagine life without him. He's one of my best friends, closest allies and my partner in crime. I just enjoy being around him.

Anyways, I've been cleaning all day today. Got most of the bathroom mirror's toothpaste splatters off of the mirror, the clutter shoved under the bed and food and wine ready to go. Should be fun tonight.

In addition to Jeff's birthday, it's also New Year's Eve. Looking back at the year, I gotta say that it was alright. Bit better than the year previous. I got to go to China, had additions to the family via another niece and Rooster, attended a lot of weddings (congrats Katie & Michael, Sarah & Andy, and Peter and Steph), saw U2 twice (WOOOO!) and just had a good time overall.

Twas a good year. I hope that 2006 also blesses everyone with good times.

And on the political tip -- I hope that the neo-Christian conservatives get their asses spanked in 2006. I also hope that Wisconsin residents are smart enough to shoot down the stupid gay-marriage ban amendment.

Lots of hopes and lots of dreams for '06. I hope some of them come true.