Fixated much....

I spent most of my odd moments at work googling Rachael Stirling... (or I should say "ogling Rachael Stirling.")

Gah!

New fixation...

My latest actress on the cool actresses to like list is:

Rachael Stirling

... thanks to Jeff who occasionally informs me of who I should like next. He told me about Rachael over a year ago but I just caught up to his advice. Rachael Stirling is Diana Rigg's daughter (who's known by most as Emma Peel from the Avengers... but who is known by those of us ultra-cool people as Miss Hardbroom from The Worst Witch.)

OOh... here's a cool site I just googled that compares The Worst Witch to Harry Potter (using pix from the "good" Faruiza Balk/Tim Curry Worst Witch movie).

WW vs HP

Shameless friend plugs

So Val was just e-mail interviewed by an online mag:

Scene Missing Magazine Interview

(It's extra-great reading this article if you can imagine Val's voice in your head. I can because I used to be able to do a mean Val imitation. I don't mean "mean" like "Wow that's a cruel mockery of Val." Rather my intention is to convey a "mean" that is more like "Wow, Erin makes a mean Mac & Cheese!" (which I do... because I spice and grill the tuna).)

AND Fred got a blog:

Fred's blog

Patterns...

The pattern of last week was "old friends"... first up was a bridal shower for old boss (which I skipped...I had a good rain-based excuse) (but I'm going to the wedding reception). Second was friend from college down from San Fran ... was supposed to have dinner with her but that got postponed to lunch and then didn't happen. Third was Fred... who I got to see for mere moments but fun moments they were!

So maybe the actual pattern was avoidance... or "missin' out".

So far I think the pattern defining the "year" is "loss." I started out the year with a lost wallet. Last week my Verizon website disappeared... haven't figured that one out yet. Saturday I lost a whole harddrive worth of pictures and documents and etc. etc.... oh and my MP3's!!! Luckily I was able to recover everything from prior to August (always do backups... and don't be stupid and hit "Duplicate" when you mean "Backup"... cuz that's how I lost all my data). However... some things I've lost for good - the Miam Fan Club shirt graphics (and Zazzle won't sell the damn shirt to me because it somehow violates copyright) - the Xmas letter document (which I would still have in computer form had the Verizon site not disappeared mysteriously last week) and a whole website I'd made and was ready to soon unveil (as soon as the damn hosting service figured out I paid for more space than they were giving me).

Oy!

Lessons Learned...

In life we meet people that enhance our lives. Some people are those that are only there to teach us a life lesson. Some are people who are only there so that we can teach them a life lesson.

Marci (roomie) has just taught me her lesson...

"Always buy underwear and bras in matching sets and then

do your best to match them to your outer attire."

Poor Marci's eyes nearly bugged out of her head when Miriam and I informed her that I often don't even match my patterned socks.

Tsunami

Since I've had an irrational fear of tsunamis for a while now.. obviously the latest disaster affected me. I finally made my donation today! Woo! And it did "hurt my pocketbook" as they say so I feel even better. OK it was only $25... but that hurts my pocketbook. Sad.

THIS is BIG considering I never did ANYTHING after 9/11. I was stirred and provoked and emotionally affected and WANTED to do something... but NEVER did.

Dormin'

So per my "the world needs to be a big dorm" policy... I have invited a new roommate into my home. She moves in this weekend and we shall see how this works out. This means I have to share *MY* space! (And we all know how Erin's only child cave-space is meant to enclose only her.)

Yikes..........

Marci is the new roomie.. some of y'all met her at the Willy Wonka b-day party (if you know who I am and attended my Willy Wonka b-day party). She and her husband are testing the "separation" waters so she's gonna hole up with the MEBLs. (Miriam, by the by, thought it was rediculous that I even had to ask her if it was OK. Really I had to have a long heart to heart with myself about this "sharing." I never learned that concept in kindergarten as I was often off playing by myself.)

Unfortunately Marci knows the location of this blog. I don't know if she's ever been here but just in case... I can't bitch about her if she starts to bug me. I'M JUST KIDDING MARCI!! ;)

Princess Pattern

I'm realizing there is a pattern this year of "Princesses". Clare had a Princess Diaries birthday party with Princess party favors followed by a Princess tea. My co-worker keeps getting called "Princess" by her 4 year old son. My mother has befriended a woman with a dog named "Princess Kaylene." I befriended a girl who found out she was a Princess of Sierra Leone (while she was researching her adoption). My other friend just told me yesterday that she found out she was the "granddaughter of the second wife of the king of Thailand" which is a princess... we think. Also an adoption story. Well some of those items were a stretch for pattern but still!

dwindling...

I'm posting less because I'm no longer as fixated on the blog as I was... and it was Christmas and busy and stuff.

Meanwhile... yesterday I discovered the joys of Zazzle.com so that'll keep me occupied for a few days.

RE Comment

T - Under the pic of the lava lamp it says "lick to enlarge"

Miam - thank you for helping me.

Inappropriate for children

HAhahahhahaHA.... ha...

...breathe....

Superman Lava Lamp

(Look closely at the picture.)

(Quick before they fix it...)

What is this? Miriam's life?

4 days until Christmas.... *most* Christmas shopping is complete BUT not all! So of course I lost my wallet....

I'm now playing with this "Hello" program by Google. Seems fun. 

By the By

The everyday work stuff got moved to this new blog:

http://hellagoodloot.blogspot.com

Tonawanda

Tonawanda is not a town you hear of often but its familiar to me as I've been there quite a few times in my life. (And no, Leslie, its not because it sounds like "Towanda.") It's a little town off of Buffalo and near Niagra Falls - its where my Aunt (dad's sister) and Uncle lived. (Well my uncle still lives there.)

Anyway we've been receiving, and rather suddenly, a slew of orders from Tonawanda. I figure this is a message or a "hello" from my aunt or a "check on your uncle." Since I acknowledged this on Thanksgiving there's been one more order from Tonawanda. I think that was a "thanks for getting the message" order.

Wanted

Here's an e-mail from Hollywood Boss this morning:


"I write from Brazil. Got a hundred incidents here to remember. From Brazil to London to Paris and back home 8 December. All this accomplished without you but I am missing an Itinerary, updated everything. Erin, it ain´t the same without you, but you know that and I know you delight in knowing how much I want you and need you and that you don´´t care]! Woe is me.
xoxoxo
...........adrift"

The problem

The problem with making new friends is that there is a lot of conversation that has to take place before one can be labeled a "good friend" or even just "friend" (as opposed to acquaintance). Meanwhile the "good friends" you already have drift farther and farther away due to physical distance and life and personal growth and WHATEVER.

So I've got a few new friends this year... but since I'm starting out with "distance and life and personal growth" its taking a long time to "spend time." And whenever I get together with existing "good freinds" I start living in the past from when we used to spend time together.

In Erin's perfect world - we'd all live in a dorm so we could all be "just down the hall." (This may be why I've always found the thought of prison appealing.)

Wha?

Today I got my Emerson alumni magazine thingamajig. I turned to the "Class Notes" section as I usually do to find out who in my class is succeeding (so I can hate them).

The first thing I noticed was the big picture of Charles in front of a mountain...I expected a caption about him climbing the mountain but instead it was his update about getting hired at Microsoft. (No mention of his marriage of course...cuz he's weird about that stuff.)

Then I noticed the "In Memorium" section and saw someone from the class of 2000 had died. Not only was it "someone" but "someone" that I actually knew! That kinda blew me away. No mention of how or when or why... just a name.

This girl was one of the three people in the film group I was president of - me being the third. It was me, Kyra and Susanna. (Susanna is the one who died.) We are the three that did everything (well, I did everything and they showed up and helped sometimes). Its funny because I'd thought of Susanna earlier this year - someone I met "looked familiar" and I placed the familiarity after flipping through the year book and seeing Susanna's pic. I remember her briefly.. the way she smiled. That's about it. Damn my horrible memory - I'd forgotten she existed entirely until I saw that picture.

So I sat there thinking about all of this... and then I remembered hearing once that the dead can be with you "at the speed of thought." So I figured I should stop thinking about Susanna while on the toilet.

Bloggin' the Vote

So I had to vote before work (which begins at 7:30 in North Hollywood) and got to my polling place at 7:00 (in Monrovia) when it opened. Miriam followed shortly behind.

The line was only about 20 or so people deep. There was one panicked polling lady that couldn't seem to find the names when they were read to her (one person to take your signature, and two other people to verify you or something). Hopefully she's calmed by now.

I don't like InkaVote! I've done it once before but the fat barrel-width thing gets stuck in the hole when you punch it through. If they made it JUST a smidgen smaller it would be fine.

I actually did screw up my ballot when I didn't turn my sample ballot page and marked all "Yes"'s on an all "No" page.

Why is that voting in movies and on television seems so much more glamourous than my polling place? My "voting booth" was some corrugated plastic on some flimsy plastic blue legs...and NOT very private.

But I have submitted my votes!

Overall, I've been maddeningly cynical and though WANTING to get active in election protection and pro-Kerry stuff... I haven't. The most I've gotten out of my comfort zone (which is still a plus) is by putting a Kerry/Edwards sticker on my car (mind you, its taped to my inside window so I'm not the geek with the four year old bumper sticker years from now) and by sending a "Why I'm Voting For Kerry" snapfish album to people. Then I got a little e-mail "into it" when a "friend" responded that he was voting for Bush. That's about it. OH and actually I did do a whole bunch of e-mailing to senators and calling radio stations and whatnot on behalf of MoveOn.org and MarriageEquality. So I guess that's something.

Last night I watched the Eminem video - I hope that motivates some people.

Oh and I got to work by 8:10 where the bosses were eager to hear if I had any troubles or conflicts! Nope... just my own lack of attention problem. I'd say my biggest voting dilemma was over Stem Cell Research which kinda creeps me out but could benefit people I know. Oh and I couldn't figure out the 3 Strikes Proposition thing so I just voted No because Miriam's dad advised once, "If you don't know what to vote, just vote No on a proposition. They're all written bad anyway." Sounded wise.

Eventually Columbia House realized I was NEVER going to buy anything from them and they cancelled my account. I'm now trying to ride out BMG... I got my free CDs back in college and have since NEVER purchased anything...but I always decline my featured selection. I think they're just WAITING for the day that I miss the e-mail or forget....we'll see who falters first.

Today I got insight into one of our customers because she sent an e-mail with her Live Journal address on it. This chick is DETERMINED to buy some dolls but her credit card keeps declining and her checks keep bouncing. But she keeps trying. Her Live Journal revealed her to be a bi-polar cutter with a spending problem....