Recipe trade begins today...

I've been blogging for a while now and I cover just about anything that comes to mind - duh! I've rarely had ongoing features, mostly because I'm to ADD for something like that to work.

But then, Jenn got an idea... and she passed it along to Vicky... and they passed it along to me.

See, Jenn and I both like to cook. Well, she likes to cook. I like to eat. (Isn't it obvious?) So, Jenn suggested we try each other's recipes. It's a pretty cool idea and a nice way to try new things.

Then, I decided to kick it up a notch. (All apologies to Emeril.) I suggested we post the recipes to our blogs. I mean, why not include all of my readers - both of you! So, here's the deal. Every other week, we'll each post a new recipe on our blogs. Then, on alternate weeks, we'll try them and let you know how they went. Fun, huh? (But don't let my lack of cooking skilz determine whether you try them. Try them out and send us comments - we'll probably post them, too!)

So, my first recipe will be posted later today.

Before I post it, though, I need to include a recipe for a spice mix I've been using for so long... well, a long, long time. It's one of Emeril Lagasse's "essence" recipes and you can put it in your food or use it as a garnish, a rub, snuff - it's multi-purpose!

I've addicted all of my friends. Why not addict you, too?

So, here it is:

EMERIL'S SOUTHWEST SEASONING
(SOUTHWEST SPICE)

2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Put these all in a container and shake shake shake to combine all the ingredients.

Now, you have the spice of the gods! You're almost ready to cook! (That's coming up later...)

Grandadddy Video day...

You know, I've been digging on so much Grandaddy goodness lately... well, I just want to share it with everyone.

But short of making illegal copies of all my Grandaddy CDs for everyone - which I somehow don't think Jason Lytle would mind very much - I didn't know how I would do it.

UNTIL TODAY!

So, YouTube is pretty much the coolest thing in the world... er, pretty much the coolest thing in my garage right now and it provides some great opportunities to watch...

THIS!

or..... THIS!

or even.... THIS!

or maybe even..... THIS!

Now, you might not want to watch the Grandaddily goodness in THIS but that's just because you're weird!....

I didn't get the job...

I will say it wasn't what I was expecting. What I'd been told, you see, was that there were two positions and it was down to three people, myself being one of them. Okay, that's a 66 2/3% chance. But then, I found out it was just for one position - 33 1/3% - and I wasn't the one - 0%...

Now, this came as something of a shock. I'd gone in for quite a few interviews and I had felt, for one of the few times in my life, like I really belonged there. I met people who felt the same way as I did, who had the same philosophy as me, when it came to the importance of writing well. It was like meeting a girl you really liked... and finding out she didn't like you quite as much.

So, there I was.

Now, last weekend, Clostio had come down to visit and, rather than getting ourselves totally faced, the two of us sat down and had a nice, long talk. It was refreshing. One of the things we talked about was our spiritual lives. I told Tim about how, when I was with Rosa, I once spent quite a bit of my time and energy on spiritual pursuits, focusing my spiritual energy on Buddhist teachings and on meditation. But that stopped after Rosa and I split up, I would have done well to continue focusing on that but I didn't and it caused quite a few problems. I expressed how focusing my energy back on that might be a good idea and that I should do that.

Now, Buddhism teaches us that all life is suffering. It's not Buddhism's primary teaching, because no one really needs to be taught that. The primary teaching is how to find relief from suffering. Suffering stems from desire and loss. We all experience loss and we all desire and that leads to suffering - in a nutshell.

I told Vicky that if I didn't get this job, I'd probably be a wreck.

Then, as I drove home last night, I started to think about it.

Basically, I'd lost a job I had desired. I hadn't desired it out of lust, though they had made it sound very attractive, but I had desired it. Why couldn't I stop desiring it? Why did I feel the need to focus on how my present job had kind of gone south, which it has done - no doubt about it.

This brought on another thought: All life is meditation. We are always meditating, or thinking, about something. Work, life at home, our commute, whatever. I have tried to eliminate any useless meditations of desire and dissatisfaction - Tivo helps me do that by skipping past commercials. I've also tried to eliminate meditations of fear by not watching TV news, which are constantly feeding fear with their images of crime and war and disease. Sure, those things exist but TV news shows a very unrealistic slant.

And that, at its core, is what Buddhism helps you get away from. It teaches seeing reality as it really is, not how you think it should be or how it may be "meant" to be.

I thought about Vicky and our pets and our friends and our lives. When you come down to it, I am a very fortunate guy. I thought about my books. Thought they're not published, I get to enjoy this talent I have. I began to meditate on some of the wonderful people I've known and times I've had.

And then, I thought about the job I didn't get, a job I never had so I never lost. In reality, it's not hard to let go of something you never had when you realize what you do have. Actually, it is hard but the teachings that I've learned have made it easier.

This doesn't mean I won't look for another job. I do want one. And it certainly doesn't mean I'm in any way enlightened or superior. I consider myself fortunate.

So, I let go of the job I never had. And I let go of the opportunities I never had. And I thought about those I do have and those I can strive for - and I felt a bit better.

Next week, I'll probably stress out about something beyond my control. That's okay; that's human. I'm not trying to be perfect; I'm just trying to be okay.

What divides us...

I'm having one of those mornings where it's hard to think about too much so you'll forgive me if I'm brief. I had this long blog entry about spirituality planned but the election pretty much fucked that. Seriously, how Californians could vote against a measure that would provide their kids with pre-school when the downside was a teensy tax increase on the very rich is beyond me.

So, no big ideas today.

Just a small one.

I was thinking about the differences between myself and someone who beliefs different that I do. Where's the differentiation? A belief. Maybe two. Maybe three. But what's a belief? How much weight does that have. Am I a belief? No. I'm much more.

What's the difference between myself and someone who acts differently, say between me and Donald Rumsfeld. The difference is the action. And no matter their action, a person is more than that.

Actions and beliefs. That's all.

Now the point here isn't that certain beliefs aren't wrong, such as intolerance and hate. Nor is the point that certain actions aren't wrong, such as war atrocities, torture, and other newly American institutions.

The point here, if you'll forgive such a small one on a Thursday, is that all people are basically the same and deserve our decency and respect. We are all interconnected. Even Jesus said, "The kingdom of the father is spread out upon the earth and men do not see it." (According to the Gospel of Thomas.)

Tolerance and basic decency walk a razor's edge. It's important not to slip.

Try the veal...

Looks like Shrub thinks illegal immigrants should learn english...

Punchline #1 Maybe that means he will, too!

Punchline #2 So they can read the Consitution before he gets done shitting on it!

I'll be here all week...

Well, it looks like they couldn't outlaw gay marriage and that we heteros are still under attack...

Punchline #1 They better hurry up before Shrub starts sucking cock... in public...

Punchline #2 I guess this helps explain Brittany's divorce papers...

The politics of 666...

God, I'm so sick of hearing about today being "666" day. You know, like it was a national holiday. Well, first of all, it's not. Shrub's taking care of that next week. And secondly, it's not even 666. Technically, it's more like 6606.

Now, literal interpretations of the Bible aside... and the fact that this 666 mania doesn't even come close to the most wrong interpretation of the Bible presently preached by Pat Robertson... aren't there more important things to deal with right now? Isn't there a war going on? Isn't our government presently raping us anally with every truckload of money they give to the rich?

Let's start with what Shrub's doing this week: pushing for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, an amendment to institutionalize discrimination, an amendment to indoctrinate hate. Well, let's see... if God is love, wouldn't Satan be hate? And who's pushing hate this week?

I'm just saying...

Just a little movie...

About a huge issue. Yesterday, Ken, Tim and I went to see An Inconvenient Truth. Now I'm not a fan of documentary films, let alone lectures. But even I realize how important an issue this is for all of us, so I was eager to see the Truth. It is a must see. I'm encouraging everyone I know to see this movie.

It frightens me to imagine the world that we're leaving for our children and grandchildren. Now I'm not one to lecture. I drive an SUV and I enjoy the conveniences of my life. But I am willing to find alternatives. I am willing to do what I can to help. If each of us makes just a small change, together as a whole I believe that we can make an impact. I know that alone will not solve the problem, but it certainly can't hurt.

Ken told me once where this quote came from, but I remember hearing it from one of my professors in college and it has always stuck with me:

We don't inherit the earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children. I'm sure that Ken will let you know the origin of that quote.

Love of Half Your Life...

So, after what I wrote this morning, how surprising that I know report being halfway finished with my new novel, Love of Your Life? You shouldn't be too surprised; I'm a glutton for punishment.

Second halves are always more difficult for me the same way the second half of a long drive is more difficult. You may not have planned correctly. You have to keep your energy up. And, as always, the destination has to be worth it. Now, there's nothing you can do about that on a long trip... so doesn't it suck that they make writers responsible for these things?

Anyway, Love of Your Life may be the closest I've come to writing a dull book - only time will tell - but it's been very nourishing so far and an enjoyable ride.

I'll start on the second half tomorrow...

On Masochism and other hobbies...

I received a rather harsh review of my last novel, No More Blue Roses, today. I should probably explain that when I ask someone to read my novels, or when someone (rarely) asks to read them, I also request as much feedback as I can get.

Well, I got a mouthful. I've had people hate my writing before (pick any agent or publisher in the US) but I've never elicited so much anger and resentment before.

Vicky worried about me when I face rejection. What she probably doesn't realize is that I've been living with this for a couple of decades. She's new to the picture; she's only seen it for a couple of years.

So, then, why do I do this? Why do I keep writing novels and plays after all this rejection?

Those are questions I can't really answer. Masochism is the easy answer but it's not entirely true. I may ask for rejection but I don't really enjoy it. I could say that I possess the courage to continue despite the grief... if I believed I did.

The fact of the matter is that I enjoy doing it - No, not really - I have to do it! I feel these stories pushing their way out like a new life and to not put them on paper would be to deliver it still born. And, if I'm going to write, I might as well try to sell them, too. Right?

Anyway, the good news is that I probably won't feel like such a monster for some time. (Maybe "monster" is too strong a word but you didn't see the response I saw. My book was received about as well as a child tearing wings off a bird.)

Meanwhile, my friends are starting to get that look on their faces when I talk about my writing, that tired, exhausted, bored look. It's been a long road for them, too.

You can probably understand why I would never want any child Vicky and I to go into the arts.

Now, we get to the meaning...

I'm nearly halfway through with Love of Your Life. You may have heard me say this before but this book is so unlike anything else I've written, and I find that disturbing. If you don't know, this book is about a man who is asked to become the guardian of a young man whose mother has just died. The man, Max, and the mother, Rebecca, were friends once but everyone is left wondering why she chose Max. The book centers around Max and the young man, Arthur, and how the family copes with all of these changes.

Everyone's pretty normal, which is one of the things that make this book so unusual. For me, "fucked up" is interesting, and I like to write about people who are fucked up. These people aren't... and I find myself wondering how interesting this is and why anyone would read it.

So, last night, I started telling Vicky about it. I said, "I was writing a scene today that -"

She was watching something on TV. She gave yet another explanation of the novel, and my feelings on it, a grunt, which is probably what you're doing now. This is the life of a writer. Most people don't want to hear about your book. Most people don't want to read your book. Most people would rather wait for the movie.

Tough. I'm going to talk about it anyway.

But her grunt caused me to think about what I was going to say, rather than say it. And that made me realize something important.

I was writing a scene in which Max moves into Rebacca's old house to take care of Arthur. He's moving his stuff in and her stuff out. In the bathroom, he moves out her soap and moves in his. He moves out her shampoo and moves in his. He finds the medicine cabinet filled with pill bottles... Rebecca died of cancer...

And I began wondering, just as I believe the reader will, why is he doing this? He was Rebecca's friend once, but he has no ties to Arthur. He doesn't have to do this. So, why?

And I realized that, on a certain level, what I'm doing is writing another philosophical novel here. I'm basically asking, "Why do people try to behave ethically?" Certainly not for any reward - if that was the case, people would stop fairly quickly because there's little reward. Most people, I believe, try to behave ethically because they know that on a certain level it's the right thing to do.

I do believe that most people really try to be ethical. I know that's probably contrary to my usual skepticism but there you have it. I think that conflict stems from how people do it, the approach they take to ethics.

(If you're wondering how this applies to Shrub's administration, just keep in mind that once most Americans starting learning about the small amount of immoralities and crimes committed by the junta, few still support him.)

So, there's the conflict: the approach to ethics and why we try at all. But, unlike Vampire Society, ethics is not a character in the book. It remains in the background as the characters try, just like most people, simply to get through each day.

And when I realized this, it removed the banality in the way I looked at this scene, which was very simple (too simple, I felt), and I began to see the truth shine through.

And I felt better about it.

A thought...

Here's a web site that might be worth visiting and a thought that might be worth thinking...

If more Americans read books every night instead of watching TV, we'd live in a more productive society. If more Americans watched the news and read real newspapers and magazines, instead of crappy programs like American Idol, then I'm confident that George Bush would not be our president. But heck, that's what our leaders really want deep down... a mindless, uneducated populous that will work 40 hours a week so they can earn enough money to buy things to keep them distracted from the evil deeds that our leaders and suits in Fortune 500 companies are conducting everyday under your noses.

Melatonin...

So, it's 3:00am Wednesday morning... and I'm wide awake. It's around that time, especially on your fifth night of not sleeping, when you really start to think you're gonna lose it - not "drive to the Grand Canyon" lose it - and I certainly felt that way.

And then, I remembered.

Vicky and I had recently returned from the Bahamas, where I hadn't slept for five days or so, and I wasn't sleeping again. To my surprise, she suggested I take some melatonin. I replied, "Melatonin? Isn't that the chemical that determines skin color?" No, it's not. That's melanin.

So, we bought some and... I couldn't remember if it worked. But I did remember that we had some lying around. So, I began searching the house for the elusive bottle of melatonin.

Earlier that night - actually the previous night, Tuesday night - Vicky had seen me to bed at 9:00pm. We both went to bed... and we laid there for hours... not sleeping. I think she was watching and waiting for me to drift off. And that wasn't happening. And there we were in bed and we started talking and we talked for hours about everything and laughed and giggled - it was great. But as midnight approached, I knew I wasn't getting any sleep; I was only keeping her up. So, I went downstairs to watch a movie and let her sleep.

I found the bottle of melatonin. It read, "For help with sleeping, take one tablet." I took two. And I reclined on the sofa. And I waited.

Around 3:30am, I finally fell asleep.

Vicky woke me up at around 7:00am... and 7:15am... and 7:30am... My body wanted sleep. I stayed home from work and did just that.

By noon, with a broken computer and ants in my pants, I went for a walk. I was still tired but I was also kind of tired of sleeping. So, I thought a walk would do me good. I drove down to a park and started walking.

I thought a lot about Vicky, which isn't unusual as I often think of Vicky. For a while now, I've felt like something was lacking in our relationship, like there was an unfulfilled void there. And I realized, as I walked, just what it is. It was why I so enjoyed talking with her in bed. That is, we never talk any more. We're both so busy with our lives that we've become like strangers on a train, riding to the same destination without really saying anything.

So, I told her about that last night, about how much I'd enjoyed our conversation and how I hope we can do that more.

Last night, she was getting things ready downstairs to head upstairs for bed. I told her I'd meet her there.

And when she came up... I was fast asleep.

Insomnia… Day Five…

Okay, not officially. I had about two hours of sleep last night. They were good; I can’t complain.

Now, it’s nearly midnight and I’m wide-awake. Fucking exhausted and wide-awake.

Before you get ready to give me some advice, I’ll let you know that I don’t drink coffee, I’ve been laying off the booze, and I haven’t been abusing any drugs of any kind. … but I would if that would help me sleep!

So, what’s the fifth night feel like? My peripheral vision is suffering and random thoughts are popping in my head like Jiffy Thought. (And if you get that reference, you’re probably suffering, too.) There’s a scream building up that’s only a couple of days away and I can hear it far down in my brain stem. I need sleep.

I suggested to Vicky that this is the longest bout of insomnia I’ve had since we’ve been together – but she reminded me about the Bahamas. Ah, yes. The Bahamas. Our honeymoon. Now, my brain was already doing summersaults, thanks to the stress of the wedding. Hell, I was hallucinating before Vicky walked down the aisle so the insomnia came as no surprise.

Then, after a few days, I sat outside at one of the tables by the bar and had a long talk with myself. Actually, there were three of me there…

I’m still seeing just one of me, but we’re only on day five…

Personally, I’m hoping I get at least two hours tonight, though three would be golden. Wish me luck.

Bad Blogger...

Okay, so I'm a horrible blogger. I know, I know...so here are a couple of things that hopefully will calm the masses.

First, back on Easter Sunday I got the best birthday gift. My wonderful hubby Ken, Trish and Bille all went in together and purchased a Mario Andretti Racing School package for me. I drove an indy style race car for 6 laps. I drove it all by myself (well, I did have to follow an instructor in the car ahead of me)! It was such a great experience. My top speed was about 143 MPH!! If any of you are half the race fan that I am, I highly recommend that you look into this. There is also a Jeff Gordon Racing School. This will be my next racing experience (hint hint). Here are the pics from race day. Trish's husband Clay also drove a car that same day. Oh and I was the only girl racing that day.

Now for today. I'm not in a very good mood today, but I was able to laugh thanks to my friend Trish. She sent me a link to a funny video...enjoy. Turn your sound on, the music is a must.

Fourth night… no sleep…

Insomnia.

Anyone who knows me, knows that word. That, and the phrase, “Sleep and I have never been the best of friends.”

So, here I am on my fourth night of insomnia. It’s not even 10pm, but I know it. I know it the way you know… well, whatever it is you know. My brain is blasting on 11 and it won’t shut up. People told me this would stop when I quit drinking so much – I hate to prove people wrong.

Of course, since this is all in my head, the result of whacked amounts of epinephrine charging from my adrenals, there are always the obligatory side effects. A constant buzzing that seems to dull everything else? Check. The feeling that I’m about to go bonkers? Check. Being pissed because all I really want is some fucking sleep? Oh, checkity check! And, this time, I also have a constant headache and stomach problems, in addition to being extremely sensitive to the ambient temperature. Hey, at this late at night, I shouldn’t be sweating, okay?

So, here I am, ready for another night of… well, not sleeping. I’ll fill it with all the things you normally do during the daytime. It’ll just be darker, that’s all. I’ll watch a DVD - play some video games - I might go for a walk. I went for a walk last night and sat on a park bench for a while. Parks are really boring at three in the morning.

I hope you all have a very good night’s sleep. Meanwhile, if you see a guy named Morpheus, give him my address, okay?

NOTE: And, in case you think this is all rather lucid for someone who hasn't been sleeping... I just spend five minutes rereading it because I thought I'd typed a sentence that wasn't there!!

Two Mints in One...

I've been saving this for a slow day. Today isn't a slow day but I have nothing else to write about - and my brain is slowly leaking out of my left ear after only two hours of sleep - so there you go.

Yep, it's a survey, the kind you normally get via email. Rather than clog up your email server, though, I thought I'd post it here. Extra points to those who comment with their answers!

TWO SURVEY: If you read it, you have to do it.

Two Names You Go By:
1. Ken
2. Dr. T (... it's a long story...)

Two Parts of Your Heritage:
1. French
2. Californian

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. Shoes
2. A look of bemusement... and nothing else...

Two Things You Would Want in a Relationship:
1. Ice Cream
2. Someone who gets my jokes. (Damn good thing Vicky gets me ice cream!)

Two of Your Favorite Hobbies:
1. Writing
2. Writing about Writing

Two Things You Want Really Badly At The Moment:
1. A cigarette
2. and a martini

Two pets you had/have:
1. Suki (A full dinner)
2. Alacrity (A fatty snack)

Two people who will fill this out:
1. Vicky
2. The Scarlet Blogger (or someone real... maybe)

Two things you did last night:
1. Watched as my computer broke down more and more and more
2. Watched September (a film by Woody Allen) while suffering from insomnia

Two Favorite Places to eat:
1. Vic's Place
2. Acropolis... steak bites, babieeee!

Two People that live in your house:
1. Me
2. Vicky (Damn good thing this wasn't asked a couple of years ago...)

Two things you ate today:
1. Zen cereal... no, I'm not kidding
2. Spicy Chicken burrito from Taco Bell (It's all about snatching the hot sauce!)

Two people you Last Talked To:
1. Vicky, my baby...
2. Gordana, the woman who sits next to me who I thought was a pain in the ass when I started here but, then, I hadn't met everyone yet...

Two Things You're doing tomorrow:
1. Hoping for a fucking job offer
2. Hoping some non-porn-related work comes my way, too.

Two longest car rides:
1. Orange County to Seattle, Driving North, 2000
2. Orange County to The Grand Canyon, The Monster, 2002

Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Swiss Cheese Day
2. Throw Away Your Old Underwear Day

A Granddaddy Postmortem...

I know. This blog is turning into the Unofficial Granddaddy FanClub blog-o-fucking-rama...

Bear with me. Last time I mention Granddaddy... honestly... the check is in the mail...

So, I listened to all of my Granddaddy cds - all five - all the way up to the new one. Then - in case you didn't see this coming - I put in the new one. Just Like the Fambly Cat.

It's not bad. Really. It's not. In fact, there are moments of utter coolness... but those are just moments.

I will tell you that Jason Lyttle seems to have discovered multi-track recording - AND HE LOVES IT! No shit. The whole album is chock-a-block with layers upon layers of harmonious, tag-teaming instruments, and it sounds great. Now, if only he had more compelling songs for the mix. Sadly, while his technique is getting better, the energy of his songwriting suffers.

So, it's not their best. Thankfully, it's not their worst, either. There are moments that are simply chilling, not least of which when he uses the fade-out to ELO's Shangri-La. Amazing.

I still recommend Sumday. That's still my favorite. But to hear Lyttle's evolution from skateboarder to virtue-soto (old SCTV reference for ya), is well worth the price of admission. Granddaddy's missteps are better than most bands when they get it right. (But then, there are a hell of a lot of bands out there...)

Men who dress like women and the women who want them to...

So, I'm on the phone last night with Clostio. It was a rare call - not as rare as a call from Hillary Clinton, say, or Murphy but rare - so we were catching up on everything.

"I'm in 1982," I told him, catching him up on my chronological observation of my DVD collection.

"1982," he repeated. "Let's see... My Favorite Year?" He guessed the movie title just right. I was impressed. "Tootsie?" On this one, he was wrong.

I don't own Tootsie. It's not that it's not a great movie. It is. It contains one of Bill Murray's best, and most underrated roles. But I can't buy it and I'll tell you why - I think it's socially irrelevant. The idea of a man dressing up as a woman to get a job anchoring the news is so outdated; I wouldn't be surprised if, somewhere (probably in the morning), there's a channel that does all cross-dressing news reports. They'd call it something cute like "Criss-cross News" or something.

And I can say all that now because blog entries are so different from phone conversations. You know, you can think of shit.

For instance, these job prospects. One is with a phone company and the other is with a computer company. I spoke with one this morning and was told that all the candidates, except for myself and one other person, have been ruled out - and they're interviewing one more person on Friday. Great, I thought, but why can't today be Friday? Or Monday? I have an interview with the other company today. But the lack of any solid news has left me saying very little for the past month except, "I wish they'd hire me!" (And Vicky's getting tired of hearing that.)

Or this stuff that Vicky has given me to clean my face. See, I have these little, black dots that you can only see from about three inches away from my face. Vicky has given me this facial cleanser to help clean them, asking me to eschew soap. Okay. Fine. I'll do it. But you can tell this stuff was invented by a woman because, if the problem is really dots on my nose, you'd think a guy would have come up with a nosepiece that fits over my nose and has a scrubber inside. It could be attached to fake glasses so it could be part nose scrubber/part disguise kit. Oh well.

Of course, I didn't say any of this to Clostio. Instead, he did what he usually does when there's no real news: he psychoanalyzed me. He loves doing that and, working at a vet's office, I can only guess he has cats and dogs and hamsters on a little couch all day. Maybe that's why he kept asking me if my nose was wet...

Disneyland, it'll kill ya...

So, there we were, in the dreariest place on earth... and it was inside Disneyland...

The day had started early for me. It had started the day before!

Vicky and I had gone and made a down payment on my new PC. Well, PC Club asks for 40% down when you have them build you a new PC and we put down more than 40%. We put down almost a grand! But the new box will be my best box ever; it'll be the first time I haven't skimped, when I bought a PC that isn't just close to being good, where I don't think, "This may run all of my stuff" but, rather, I think, "This will run everything BEATIFULLY!" Now, I can't wait. (I won't have the next box for a couple of weeks, because we have to pay the rest when we pick it up.)

We got home, had dinner, went to bed... and I couldn't sleep. Dammit! I hate that! So, I was up. I watched Woody Allen's Stardust Memories, his best movie, in my opinion. When 3:30am rolled around, I decided I'd hit the gym - I was bored - and jogged for an hour. Then, I went home and slept for just over an hour.

Let's recap. I'm going to Disneyland so not only do I not sleep but I also run a marathon, more than 5k! Maybe not the smartest thing...

When we met Paula and Don, we decided the best place to hit first was Disney's California Adventure. Considering my love for the kind of amusement parks - Magic Mountain - I started out being thoroughly under whelmed. Then, we went in... and had a few drinks. Margaritas and Long Island Iced Teas! Okay, I liked it a bit more. Then, we rode rides and hung out and had a great time. Vicky suggested we go on Soaring over California, which is just about the coolest thing ever. It lasted only about 4-5 minutes but I wouldn't mind a feature-length version of it! If it wasn't for the line, I would have gone on it ten more times!

By the time we left Calif. Adventure, I was already done - bone tired. And my left leg was hurting. By the time we ate and went on Jungle Cruise, both of my legs hurt, and my right hip hurt - old age, that's what I figured. Then, we took the train around to Tomorrow Land... and my back was hurting.

Can you imagine my surprise to see the Autopia running again? Wow! I really wanted to go on it, but the line for the Autopia - yes, the Autopia - was 35 minutes long! ... okay, maybe not.

Instead, we made the mistake of going into Innoventions, part ride, part show, all disappointment. It was supposed to be filled with lots of futuristic technology but it was actually filled with a lot of two or three year old technology (you know, obsolete junk) that was mostly broken from overuse. I swear! Something has happened to Disneyland - I even saw dirty bathrooms!

And, by that time, my shoulder was killing me, too. Whatever nerve I'd offended went straight up my body - and I was hurting. No more rides for me. We decided to take on one more "Innovention", a virtual vacation. What was that? It was a display for HDTV... oh my god. How sad.

So, I guess you could say the first half of our day was great. But I left the second half looking, walking, and even talking a little like Quasimodo...

But the whole thing was free - thanks to Vicky's incredible luck - and we got to hang out with Paula and Don for the day. And they're pretty cool. Paula has an infectious enthusiasm and Don is totally unflappable. (But you should understand that I tend to think most guys are cooler than me. I look at Alfred E. Newman and think, "Sure, but he's a magazine model so he's gotta be cooler than me.") And with Vicky's schedule being so busy with her CLA-test prep, I would have been excited to spend the day with her, even if I ended up in a full-body cast. So, I liked it.

Now, to find a way to straighten out my back...