I know I haven't talked about Big Brother in a long time, but yes, I have been keeping up! I just don't usually get to watch the episodes as they air; I have to watch them online later, so it's hard to keep up on here on a weekly basis.
But we're to what is my favorite part of the game. It's down to the top 5, and this is where it really becomes a game about playing smart and playing strong. It's not so much about who likes you or doesn't like you, but how big of a competitive threat you are mentally and physically. It truly becomes a strategy game, and we viewers really get to see what people are made of and why they are still in the house.
And we also get to decide who we'd like to see in the final two and pick our favorite candidate for half a million dollars!
First off, James finally got evicted this week. It's too bad for him, but it had to happen. The guy played an incredible game; I haven't been keeping score, but it seems like he's won the most competitions, and he stayed in that house as long as he did by sheer willpower and determination. He proved early on to be a true player, therefore becoming the biggest target for eviction week after week, and he continually pulled himself off the chopping block by winning the Power of Veto. He really deserved to win the whole game just based on how strong of a competitor he was, but the cards (and houseguests) were definitely stacked against him for just that reason, and it was just a matter of time until he finally was strong-armed out of the game.
And now he's off to Sequester House, and then back to being a homeless bicycler.
Here are the final five players left in the house:
Sharon - I would love to see Sharon win, but it largely depends on her ability to win some true allies in the house. Luckily, this is something she's good at. I love Sharon because she is probably the one person who has played this game in a smart, strong, and sincere fashion. Sure, she's strategized, but she's played her cards so well and earned the name "Sharon the Saint" among her housemates. She honestly hasn't done a single thing bad to anyone in the house. She's sweet enough that no one feels good about voting against her, but smart enough that she doesn't buy anyone else's strategic bullcrap. And she is a very caring person, which people like to have around after three months without their families and loved ones. Sharon is a rare piece of work because she's actually made her "playing nice" strategy work for her. Usually in this game, playing nice gets you out of the house because you're too weak of a player. But Sharon has managed to stay in the house, despite being the ultimate pawn, surviving week after week on the chopping block. If she makes it to the final two, there is NO doubt she will be voted the winner by her competitors in the Jury House because she hasn't made a single true enemy during the whole game, and she'll definitely get the votes to win.
Sheila - There is always one player who somehow sneaks through week after week without winning any competitions or making any huge contributions to the house, until they end up in the top six, and then you're like, "How the heck is this person still here???" This season, that is Sheila. Sheila is definitely the weakest player in the house, but she has luckily aligned herself somehow with the strongest players, managing to be a part of the "winning" team without actually doing anything to deserve it. She also plays her strategy based solely on her emotions, rather than with logic. She loves you one minute for saying or doing something nice, then she hates you the next for doing something to better your own game. She turns on people because they hurt her feelings; she sides with people because they sweet-talk her. She gossips a LOT, but somehow she's managed to turn her gossip sessions into powerful game-altering maneuvers that turn the fate of the house on its ear. I think Sheila is borrowing time at this point in the house.
Natalie - Now that James is gone, Natalie is without a doubt the biggest threat in this house. She surprised everyone by showing her physical and mental tenacity as forces to be reckoned with, and the guys have kept her around because of this. The thing I don't like about her is her Bible-thumping way of talking up her alliance, which she dubbed, "Team Christ," and referencing the Bible to allude to all others outside of the alliance as "evildoers." Natalie is always having dreams and seeing signs that help her predict what will happen in the game, and I think it's truly a spiritual gift; however, I don't think she realizes how self-righteous and judgemental she sounds. Not to mention totally mental. She sees herself as "good" and others as "evil," which is not a realistic or helpful way to play the game.
Adam - As crazy as this guy is, he seems like a decent dude. He actually has been one of the most normal, truthful, and compassionate people in the house. He plays a pretty honest game. I would definitely like to see him in the top 3. I think he is the only person in the house who would have a ghost of a chance againt Sharon in the final two, although I still think Sharon would win. But he seems to have a gift of clearly dividing his relationships in the house between what is game play and what is friendship, and I think a lot of the other players will want to stay in touch with him once the game is over.
Ryan - I'd kind of like to see him in the top two as well. Ryan had a rocky start in the game; his partner, his girlfriend, and his girlfriend's partner were some of the least savvy players in the house, and he suffered through several weeks of being associated with them through no fault of his own. Once they all got eliminated and Ryan finally got to play his own game, he instantly proved to be a smart player and I think he saw further ahead in the game than anyone else, strategically. He did get James evicted as HOH, only to have the house instantly vote James back in and then turn right back around and target James for eviction week after week. Ryan playes with an extremely cool head and is great at keeping relationships intact, while knowing when it's time to cut someone loose for his own good. His biggest challenge from this point on will be moving carefully and choosing the right allies. I also like that he plays a pretty straightfoward game. He doesn't lie to people, and he is pretty clear about what he wants to accomplish, and he easily gains the trust of others.
OK, after last night's episode, here's what I'm thinking...and this is the part of the game where you can really visualize how the next few weeks will play out just based on who ends up HOH...
A-number-1, Natalie has to go. The WORST case scenario for everyone this week is Natalie becoming HOH. And it's unfortunate that this week's HOH comp was an endurance one because 1) we don't get to see how it ends and 2) Natalie is an absolute beast at endurance. Now that James is gone, the game in the house can finally move forward; he's been the target for so long that nothing has really been accomplished in the house. I think everyone sees Natalie as the biggest threat right now (and she is), and if they don't get her out this week, she may never leave. If ANYONE but Natalie wins HOH, there is a really good chance she will be the next to go home. The second-worst thing that can happen is that she wins POV and takes herself off the block. Natalie has the ability to control everyone else in the house, and the only way she goes home is if she doesn't win HOH and everyone in the house unites against her this week.
If Sharon won HOH, that would be HUGE. That would be the house's best chance of getting rid of Natalie, because despite all the girl-talk between Sharon, Sheila, and Natalie and their "girls stick together" plan, everyone knows Natalie would be the last person to align herself with other girls. She loves being the center of attention and so she's surrounded herself with boys as allies, and so far that's been working for her, so I don't see her changing that at this point in the game. Plus, she knows she wouldn't win if it came down to herself and Sharon.
Adam can't be HOH because he was just it last week. He's going to have to be extremely careful about who he talks to and sides with this week, or there is a good chance Natalie will, by some means or other, send him home this week to get him out of the way. Because if Adam leaves, it's Natalie, Ryan, Sharon, and Sheila. Then Sheila is out because she's weak, and Sharon's out because she's nice and Natalie and Ryan will know they have to get rid of her because she's a sure winner if she makes it to the top two.
Speaking of which, Ryan will also have to be very careful this week. If he chooses to side with Sharon, Natalie will come after him and he probably will get sent home because he is a huge threat in the house as well. If he sides with Natalie, he may have a better chance of getting to the final 2, but I think he knows he can't trust her. He has a secret alliance with Sharon, but that will only last as long as it points him in the direction of the top two. It will be absolutely game-altering no matter who Ryan decides to allign himself with. If Natalie is HOH this week, he'll be her friend. If not, he'll probably join forces with the rest of the house to evict her. For Ryan, it's just going to depend on who is HOH every week and what is best for him.
Sheila needs to hang on this week, as overdue as her eviction may be, just to make sure Natalie leaves. If Sheila won HOH, that would really shake the house up, and could possibly mean the end for Natalie, Adam, or Ryan. The only person I just don't see her turning on is Sharon. Sheila loves Sharon, and Sharon's never done a thing to Sheila, so I believe Sharon would be safe if Sheila is HOH. But Sheila hasn't won any competitions yet, so...yah.
If Ryan is HOH, Natalie will probably try to get him to turn on Adam; he seems to be her target. Based on his performance in the endurance comp last night, though, I doubt he won. If Ryan is HOH, he will use the opportunity to eliminate whoever he thinks his biggest threat is. Hopefully that will be Natalie.
OK, I'm done. See why the game gets so good at this point? One difference can change the entire remainder of the game! At this point you have to try to look at the big picture and play it out week by week in order to make the right moves. It's not a popularity contest anymore, and it's not just trashy entertainment anymore. It's fun...yay!
And that's all I've got. We'll see what happens! Until then...
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
pam
"Hey! I wanna say something. I've been trying to be more honest lately, and I just wanna say a few things. I did the coal walk! Just, I did it. Michael, you couldn't even do that. Maybe I should be your boss. Wow I feel really good right now."
~Pam Beesly, "Beach Games," The Office, Season 3.
This is the curse of the graveyard shift---if you follow your normal sleep pattern on a Friday, you end up still awake at 4:30 AM. Which is what I am doing right now. So I thought writing might help me wind down enough to get a few hours of sleep.
It's no secret that I love "The Office." And if you've watched the show enough to be familiar with the characters, you love Jim and Pam. I don't care who you are; you like them. I mean, everyone wants to be Jim and Pam, right? Jim is the cool, caring, cute, funny guy that everyone likes (except Dwight), and Pam is the nice, approachably pretty, creative girl that people take for granted. Wait, what? No one wants to be taken for granted! Who would want that? No one wants to be a doormat. No one wants that part of Pam's character.
Here's the thing about Pam that we girls want: Pam is taken for granted by everyone except...Jim. And he never takes her for granted. Yes, sometimes we've seen him get mad at her, or hurt her feelings, but whether he's trying to show it or not, it's always obvious that Jim cares about Pam. I love the episode in Season 2 when everyone in the office goes on a booze cruise, and the guys are talking about who they would save if the boat were sinking. And Jim tells the camera, "I would save the receptionist."
All of us girls want that; someone who sees us even when we seem invisible to everyone else around us. We all want a Jim.
But just because Jim was always there ready to save Pam didn't mean they got together, easy as that. Pam was in a failing relationship with Roy, a guy she had known for a long time and, I'm sure, really did have a good time with at some point. And you can tell that at one point, Roy really was sweet to Pam; we see that when Pam's mom comes to visit and Roy puts on a sweater and a cute personality for her. But after three years of being engaged and countless episodes in which Roy acts like a jerk, it's clear that Roy has taken Pam for granted. She's nice to him, she takes care of him, and she's loyal. To a fault. She's not going anywhere, so he's not in any rush to actually marry her.
I had a conversation with someone (who I'm sure will read this, so I'm sure you'll laugh when you do)... ;) ... while we were watching an episode of the Office, and I said something like, "Poor Pam!" And he said he didn't feel sorry for Pam, because she was the one choosing to stay with Roy. And of course, I started defending Pam (right, girls?) and saying that she's been committed to this guy for so long that she was just trying to make the best of it and convince herself she was happy because at this point it probably felt like it would be too hard to split up with him. And then I explained that later on in the show, she does break up with Roy and start becoming an independent person who tries things on her own and says what's on her mind, and all this finally leads to her and Jim getting together.
And as I'm sitting there defending Pam, I feel like I'm talking about myself.
I always felt like I could relate to Pam, but I'd never explained it to someone else before. Saying it out loud was kind of funny because although I've never been engaged or walked across hot coals, I feel like in a less dramatic way I've been through a lot of the things the writers put Pam through in the show. The past four months especially. I got out of this "comfortable" but unhealthy relationship, and spent a lot of time by myself. I found some new things to try, like my yoga class (Pam had art class), and started focusing on taking care of myself, rather than someone else. I cut my hair. I started eating better. I strengthened old, reliable friendships and developed new ones. It finally clicked that I had just as much of a right as anyone to voice my opinions and feelings, and I started doing it. I started sticking up for myself more, and it followed that I could stick up for others too. I grew up a little bit, and realized I'm not a kid anymore, so I shouldn't let people treat me like one.
In the show, Pam and Jim have a conversation after Jim has left Scranton and Pam has left Roy. It's the first time they've talked since Jim left, and Pam fills him in on her new apartment and what she's doing with her life. And Jim calls her "Fancy New Beesly." Well, as cheesy as it might sound, I feel like I've been going through a little bit of a "Fancy New Beesly" stage myself, and kind of figured out who I am now that I'm out on my own.
And that phase isn't always fun, but it's the most powerful thing...it really makes you trust yourself. And then you know you can go to the next place in your life, but this time taking with you all of that strength that you know you have, and not letting anyone take any of that away from you.
And then you're ready for Jim.
See, he couldn't just save Pam. She had to figure it out herself; that she was letting everyone take her for granted because she was taking herself for granted. She had to remind herself that people were not allowed to take her for granted; that she was worth the recognition and respect she commanded from everyone afer she walked across the hot coals on Beach Day. And even though everyone made fun of her afterwards, she kept her head up and did not apologize for anything she said. All of that had to happen first, before Season 4.
For anyone who's reading this and hasn't watched much of the show, I'm sorry...this probably doesn't make sense. But you should just watch the show because not only will you get what I'm talking about, but you'll probably come close to peeing your pants at some point. For anyone who has watched, please don't think I'm some kind of psycho who goes around saying, "I'm JUST like Pam...OMG!!!" I'm not like that. I just love analogies, and the character of Pam just fits well with my own experiences in the past few months.
I refuse to be taken for granted. I'm nice, but I'm not a doormat. And now that I know that, I can fully appreciate someone who doesn't, and wouldn't, take me for granted. And the fact that that "someone" is cool, caring, cute, funny, and likeable doesn't hurt. :)
Oh, also, my name was on the board in the lobby of the station under "Anniversaries." I've been working there for a year now! It's crazy to think it was a year ago when I started part-time in production, splitting time between the station and the restaurant. And I know I started writing this blog not long after starting my job, so I guess that means my blog's one-year birthday is coming up! OK, it's almost 5:30 now. I'm going to watch some Drop Dead Gorgeous and try to get a little sleep.
Thanks for listening. Until later...
lis
~Pam Beesly, "Beach Games," The Office, Season 3.
This is the curse of the graveyard shift---if you follow your normal sleep pattern on a Friday, you end up still awake at 4:30 AM. Which is what I am doing right now. So I thought writing might help me wind down enough to get a few hours of sleep.
It's no secret that I love "The Office." And if you've watched the show enough to be familiar with the characters, you love Jim and Pam. I don't care who you are; you like them. I mean, everyone wants to be Jim and Pam, right? Jim is the cool, caring, cute, funny guy that everyone likes (except Dwight), and Pam is the nice, approachably pretty, creative girl that people take for granted. Wait, what? No one wants to be taken for granted! Who would want that? No one wants to be a doormat. No one wants that part of Pam's character.
Here's the thing about Pam that we girls want: Pam is taken for granted by everyone except...Jim. And he never takes her for granted. Yes, sometimes we've seen him get mad at her, or hurt her feelings, but whether he's trying to show it or not, it's always obvious that Jim cares about Pam. I love the episode in Season 2 when everyone in the office goes on a booze cruise, and the guys are talking about who they would save if the boat were sinking. And Jim tells the camera, "I would save the receptionist."
All of us girls want that; someone who sees us even when we seem invisible to everyone else around us. We all want a Jim.
But just because Jim was always there ready to save Pam didn't mean they got together, easy as that. Pam was in a failing relationship with Roy, a guy she had known for a long time and, I'm sure, really did have a good time with at some point. And you can tell that at one point, Roy really was sweet to Pam; we see that when Pam's mom comes to visit and Roy puts on a sweater and a cute personality for her. But after three years of being engaged and countless episodes in which Roy acts like a jerk, it's clear that Roy has taken Pam for granted. She's nice to him, she takes care of him, and she's loyal. To a fault. She's not going anywhere, so he's not in any rush to actually marry her.
I had a conversation with someone (who I'm sure will read this, so I'm sure you'll laugh when you do)... ;) ... while we were watching an episode of the Office, and I said something like, "Poor Pam!" And he said he didn't feel sorry for Pam, because she was the one choosing to stay with Roy. And of course, I started defending Pam (right, girls?) and saying that she's been committed to this guy for so long that she was just trying to make the best of it and convince herself she was happy because at this point it probably felt like it would be too hard to split up with him. And then I explained that later on in the show, she does break up with Roy and start becoming an independent person who tries things on her own and says what's on her mind, and all this finally leads to her and Jim getting together.
And as I'm sitting there defending Pam, I feel like I'm talking about myself.
I always felt like I could relate to Pam, but I'd never explained it to someone else before. Saying it out loud was kind of funny because although I've never been engaged or walked across hot coals, I feel like in a less dramatic way I've been through a lot of the things the writers put Pam through in the show. The past four months especially. I got out of this "comfortable" but unhealthy relationship, and spent a lot of time by myself. I found some new things to try, like my yoga class (Pam had art class), and started focusing on taking care of myself, rather than someone else. I cut my hair. I started eating better. I strengthened old, reliable friendships and developed new ones. It finally clicked that I had just as much of a right as anyone to voice my opinions and feelings, and I started doing it. I started sticking up for myself more, and it followed that I could stick up for others too. I grew up a little bit, and realized I'm not a kid anymore, so I shouldn't let people treat me like one.
In the show, Pam and Jim have a conversation after Jim has left Scranton and Pam has left Roy. It's the first time they've talked since Jim left, and Pam fills him in on her new apartment and what she's doing with her life. And Jim calls her "Fancy New Beesly." Well, as cheesy as it might sound, I feel like I've been going through a little bit of a "Fancy New Beesly" stage myself, and kind of figured out who I am now that I'm out on my own.
And that phase isn't always fun, but it's the most powerful thing...it really makes you trust yourself. And then you know you can go to the next place in your life, but this time taking with you all of that strength that you know you have, and not letting anyone take any of that away from you.
And then you're ready for Jim.
See, he couldn't just save Pam. She had to figure it out herself; that she was letting everyone take her for granted because she was taking herself for granted. She had to remind herself that people were not allowed to take her for granted; that she was worth the recognition and respect she commanded from everyone afer she walked across the hot coals on Beach Day. And even though everyone made fun of her afterwards, she kept her head up and did not apologize for anything she said. All of that had to happen first, before Season 4.
For anyone who's reading this and hasn't watched much of the show, I'm sorry...this probably doesn't make sense. But you should just watch the show because not only will you get what I'm talking about, but you'll probably come close to peeing your pants at some point. For anyone who has watched, please don't think I'm some kind of psycho who goes around saying, "I'm JUST like Pam...OMG!!!" I'm not like that. I just love analogies, and the character of Pam just fits well with my own experiences in the past few months.
I refuse to be taken for granted. I'm nice, but I'm not a doormat. And now that I know that, I can fully appreciate someone who doesn't, and wouldn't, take me for granted. And the fact that that "someone" is cool, caring, cute, funny, and likeable doesn't hurt. :)
Oh, also, my name was on the board in the lobby of the station under "Anniversaries." I've been working there for a year now! It's crazy to think it was a year ago when I started part-time in production, splitting time between the station and the restaurant. And I know I started writing this blog not long after starting my job, so I guess that means my blog's one-year birthday is coming up! OK, it's almost 5:30 now. I'm going to watch some Drop Dead Gorgeous and try to get a little sleep.
Thanks for listening. Until later...
lis
Thursday, March 20, 2008
engaged
"Do you have the wing?"
~Impressive Clergyman, The Princess Bride
I just found out via Facebook this week that two more of my friends are engaged! This super-sweet guy I know from high school...and it's really awesome that he popped the question. I'm very happy for him. And a girl I knew from various campus activities in college. And she is one of the nicest people I know, so of course I'm happy for her.
But are you kidding me?!
Who ISN'T engaged, or married? Oh, that's right. Me! And the thing is, I'm not in a hurry for that to happen; I'm enjoying this whole experience of living on my own, focusing on getting my career started, making new friends, and trying to do some growing up in preparation for being ready for whomever I end up marrying someday. It's not like I go around all day looking at my left hand and feeling like something is missing there. It's just that every time I find out about another friend getting engaged, married, or having a baby, I get this little pang in my heart--"I want that!" It's like when you see someone with a dog. I want a dog. But I don't think about it 24-7. I do think about it when I see someone with a dog. And I know that's something I want eventually, not right at this very moment, but hopefully within a matter of years.
It's just kind of funny; I'm one of the oldest in my graduating class, so I was the first one to have everything happen to me. I was always sort of leading the way with those little landmarks of life. But now it seems like I'm the one watching it happen to everyone else. Like everyone else is driving around in new cars and I'm still waiting to get my driver's license. It's like playing a board game, and you keep having to skip a turn while everyone else is getting way ahead and winning.
Anyway, this isn't something I worry about a ton. It's just like a little alarm goes off each time I find out someone else is moving on to that next spot on the board. If only I could roll a 2 or a 5!!! No, just kidding, I don't even know of any games that make you skip a turn until you roll a 2 or a 5. But sometimes it does feel that way. I know I just need to keep doing what I'm doing, be patient, be wise, pray about it, and enjoy my present circumstances, because if I try to blast past this part of my life I know I will regret it later.
Things are better now than they've ever been. I don't want to come off as anxious or discontented with where I am in life right now. I know that the things I'm experiencing right now are not too big or too small, but "just right," and I'm so thankful for that. Actually, I feel like I have a sense of clarity and self-awareness that I haven't had in a long time. I feel more and more like I know who I am, and what I'm about. I know when I started this blog I felt kind of lost in several aspects of my life. But now it just seems like things are lining up...like, rather than me trying to force all the pieces to fit, I'm just being true to myself and they are fitting where they are supposed to. And that gives me great hope in the future. I think great things are ahead!
But I swear, if I have to hear about one more engagement...
Just kiddin'.
Until later!
lis
~Impressive Clergyman, The Princess Bride
I just found out via Facebook this week that two more of my friends are engaged! This super-sweet guy I know from high school...and it's really awesome that he popped the question. I'm very happy for him. And a girl I knew from various campus activities in college. And she is one of the nicest people I know, so of course I'm happy for her.
But are you kidding me?!
Who ISN'T engaged, or married? Oh, that's right. Me! And the thing is, I'm not in a hurry for that to happen; I'm enjoying this whole experience of living on my own, focusing on getting my career started, making new friends, and trying to do some growing up in preparation for being ready for whomever I end up marrying someday. It's not like I go around all day looking at my left hand and feeling like something is missing there. It's just that every time I find out about another friend getting engaged, married, or having a baby, I get this little pang in my heart--"I want that!" It's like when you see someone with a dog. I want a dog. But I don't think about it 24-7. I do think about it when I see someone with a dog. And I know that's something I want eventually, not right at this very moment, but hopefully within a matter of years.
It's just kind of funny; I'm one of the oldest in my graduating class, so I was the first one to have everything happen to me. I was always sort of leading the way with those little landmarks of life. But now it seems like I'm the one watching it happen to everyone else. Like everyone else is driving around in new cars and I'm still waiting to get my driver's license. It's like playing a board game, and you keep having to skip a turn while everyone else is getting way ahead and winning.
Anyway, this isn't something I worry about a ton. It's just like a little alarm goes off each time I find out someone else is moving on to that next spot on the board. If only I could roll a 2 or a 5!!! No, just kidding, I don't even know of any games that make you skip a turn until you roll a 2 or a 5. But sometimes it does feel that way. I know I just need to keep doing what I'm doing, be patient, be wise, pray about it, and enjoy my present circumstances, because if I try to blast past this part of my life I know I will regret it later.
Things are better now than they've ever been. I don't want to come off as anxious or discontented with where I am in life right now. I know that the things I'm experiencing right now are not too big or too small, but "just right," and I'm so thankful for that. Actually, I feel like I have a sense of clarity and self-awareness that I haven't had in a long time. I feel more and more like I know who I am, and what I'm about. I know when I started this blog I felt kind of lost in several aspects of my life. But now it just seems like things are lining up...like, rather than me trying to force all the pieces to fit, I'm just being true to myself and they are fitting where they are supposed to. And that gives me great hope in the future. I think great things are ahead!
But I swear, if I have to hear about one more engagement...
Just kiddin'.
Until later!
lis
Saturday, March 15, 2008
why life should be a musical
If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music.
~Gustav Mahler
Lately I don't feel like saying anything...I just feel like copy-and-pasting lyrics to songs I hear. I just seem to keep finding the perfect sentiments in the words and notes of songs.
You know how sometimes you feel something in such a way that you can't find the right words? In the past week, I have found myself uselessly repeating the phrases, "I can't articulate," "you don't know how much," and "I can't even say..." Words are failing me. Miserably. And I usually am able to use my words with great success!
I wish I could write music, but it's not a talent of mine. I can sing, feel, enjoy it though, and I'm glad that since I can't express myself, someone else has done it for me. Luckily I have other people's songs to sing. They've created a soundtrack to my life.
And that's why life should be a musical...our thoughts could be the lyrics. Our stories could be the ballads. Our smiles, the choreography. Our conversations, the duets.
I mean I got so excited about something someone said today that I literally couldn't control myself. There wasn't a word for it and all I could do was basically hit myself in the leg. Weird, but it had to come out somehow. If life were a musical, that would've been the moment I started dancing. People think musicals are unrealistic because people spontaneously jump up and sing or dance, but it's not that much of a stretch. I wish that's what we really did! Sometimes I think it would be easier than trying to search our vocabularies (and it would be more fun too!).
But until the world decides to learn the music and the dances to my life, I'll borrow the notes and make up the steps. I'll sing in the shower and dance in the living room. And if an orchestra and a chorus magically appear, so be it!
Until later!
Lis
It's a lovely day today
So whatever you've got to do
You've got a lovely day to do it in, that's true
And I hope whatever you've got to do
Is something that can be done by two
For I'd really like to stay
It's a lovely day today
And whatever you've got to do
I'd be so happy to be doing it with you
But if you've got something that must be done
And it can only be done by one
There is nothing more to say
Except it's a lovely day for saying
It's a lovely day
~Irving Berlin
~Gustav Mahler
Lately I don't feel like saying anything...I just feel like copy-and-pasting lyrics to songs I hear. I just seem to keep finding the perfect sentiments in the words and notes of songs.
You know how sometimes you feel something in such a way that you can't find the right words? In the past week, I have found myself uselessly repeating the phrases, "I can't articulate," "you don't know how much," and "I can't even say..." Words are failing me. Miserably. And I usually am able to use my words with great success!
I wish I could write music, but it's not a talent of mine. I can sing, feel, enjoy it though, and I'm glad that since I can't express myself, someone else has done it for me. Luckily I have other people's songs to sing. They've created a soundtrack to my life.
And that's why life should be a musical...our thoughts could be the lyrics. Our stories could be the ballads. Our smiles, the choreography. Our conversations, the duets.
I mean I got so excited about something someone said today that I literally couldn't control myself. There wasn't a word for it and all I could do was basically hit myself in the leg. Weird, but it had to come out somehow. If life were a musical, that would've been the moment I started dancing. People think musicals are unrealistic because people spontaneously jump up and sing or dance, but it's not that much of a stretch. I wish that's what we really did! Sometimes I think it would be easier than trying to search our vocabularies (and it would be more fun too!).
But until the world decides to learn the music and the dances to my life, I'll borrow the notes and make up the steps. I'll sing in the shower and dance in the living room. And if an orchestra and a chorus magically appear, so be it!
Until later!
Lis
It's a lovely day today
So whatever you've got to do
You've got a lovely day to do it in, that's true
And I hope whatever you've got to do
Is something that can be done by two
For I'd really like to stay
It's a lovely day today
And whatever you've got to do
I'd be so happy to be doing it with you
But if you've got something that must be done
And it can only be done by one
There is nothing more to say
Except it's a lovely day for saying
It's a lovely day
~Irving Berlin
Thursday, March 13, 2008
New Shoes
Hey, I put some new shoes on
And suddenly everything is right
I said hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling
It's so inviting
Oh, short on money
But long on time
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine
And I'm running late and I don't need an excuse to wear in my brand new shoes
~"New Shoes" by Paolo Nutini
I heard that song yesterday morning and decided it pretty much sums up my life right now.
I can't believe the way things have turned around in about...well, just about exactly three months. I went from being all sad and lonely to being happy just being on my own, which was good because it reminded me of all the confidence and pride I have in myself. And then once I had gotten back to my old self, one by one God kind of placed these people around me in different parts of my life to help me move forward.
And yesterday it was in the 50s outside, which is really warm for this time of year and the beast of a winter we've been having, and I heard birds chirping outside my window when I got home from work, and the sun shone through the windows during my exercise class, I got to drive around with the windows down, I didn't have to wear a coat, and I saw a pair of geese waddling by the side of the road on my way back from the gym, and I had a conversation about food and dream jobs...chalk it up a great day!
And as for new shoes, I actually did buy some recently. They are the exact same as my favorite old pair of shoes, which were starting to fall apart...probably because they were my favorites! I just got another pair just like 'em...and I'm wearing them right now!
So I really do have my new shoes on...and suddenly everything is right.
And suddenly everything is right
I said hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling
It's so inviting
Oh, short on money
But long on time
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine
And I'm running late and I don't need an excuse to wear in my brand new shoes
~"New Shoes" by Paolo Nutini
I heard that song yesterday morning and decided it pretty much sums up my life right now.
I can't believe the way things have turned around in about...well, just about exactly three months. I went from being all sad and lonely to being happy just being on my own, which was good because it reminded me of all the confidence and pride I have in myself. And then once I had gotten back to my old self, one by one God kind of placed these people around me in different parts of my life to help me move forward.
And yesterday it was in the 50s outside, which is really warm for this time of year and the beast of a winter we've been having, and I heard birds chirping outside my window when I got home from work, and the sun shone through the windows during my exercise class, I got to drive around with the windows down, I didn't have to wear a coat, and I saw a pair of geese waddling by the side of the road on my way back from the gym, and I had a conversation about food and dream jobs...chalk it up a great day!
And as for new shoes, I actually did buy some recently. They are the exact same as my favorite old pair of shoes, which were starting to fall apart...probably because they were my favorites! I just got another pair just like 'em...and I'm wearing them right now!
So I really do have my new shoes on...and suddenly everything is right.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
get me outta here...
Story Time!
*Warning* This story is as pointless as the things that happen in it.
(Makes you wanna keep reading, huh?)
OK, the first thing you need to know is that this story begins at the end of my shift, after the show, when I'm getting tired and hungry, which equals cranky. And I'm probably crankier than usual this week because I put myself on a healthier diet that includes eating that Special K stuff for breakfast when I get home from work. And to be extra-good, I've even been following the serving size on the box.
Little-known fact: The serving size for a bowl of Special K is 3/4 of a cup! Do you know how much cereal that is? Let's put it this way--it's not enough to cover the bottom of one of my big red cereal bowls (which, by the way, I used to fill to the brim with Lucky Charms). I actually started using these little 1-cup bowls I found in my closet so I wouldn't get so depressed eating so little cereal. I'm actually starting to wonder if people losing weight from eating this stuff has more to do with the serving size than the ingredients.
So being hungry and looking forward to a bitty bowl of cereal probably makes me more irritable than I would be otherwise.
After the morning news show, we do two live news cut-ins on the half-hours. We tape the cut-ins, and then during the next two half-hours, we just run the tape, since the anchors have to go out on story assignments the rest of the morning. All of our video runs off of a digital server, so after we've recorded both cut-ins, we have to dub the tape into a digital editing program, then send it to the server. Once that is done, I get to go home.
So I went to dump the cut-ins into the server, and every time I tried to play the tape, the tape deck stopped and flashed up this error message on the monitor. I tried and tried, over and over, to no avail. There are only two dubbing decks in the whole station, so when one is broken, you had better hope and pray the other one works.
The other one is in the sports office, so I went in there anticipating disaster because THAT deck had been broken the week before. Thankfully, though, it was working today, and I finally was able to send the cut-ins to the server.
I then decided to be a good employee and take the time to fill out an equipment report, which is what you do when you want the engineers to fix something. So I went down the hall, grabbed a form, and filled it out. Usually I just tape the forms to the engineering door, but I couldn't find any tape in the control room or production office nearby, so I went BACK down the hallway to grab a piece of tape from the newsroom.
Both tape dispensers on the producer desks were empty.
Have you ever heard the rule, "You kill it, you fill it?" Well, it's a little common courtesy I once heard at camp, and unlike other things I learned there like how to use a compass and how to make a splint for a broken leg, I have applied the Kill-Fill rule later in life.
But I guess no one at the TV station ever went to camp. Or maybe they did, but they weren't paying attention at lunch.
Anyway, I sighed, picked up both tape dispensers, and took them to the front lobby to get some more tape out of the supply closet. I filled the first and was headed to the second when I realized the little spool that the roll of tape is supposed to sit on was missing.
*Sigh.*
So I found a paperclip, re-bent it to fit between the grooves on either side of the tape dispenser, and slid it through the middle of the roll of tape. Voila. I'm no MacGyver, but I am a bit of a makeshift mechanic when I have to be.
I took the tape dispensers back to the newsroom. I put a piece of tape on the equipment form. I went down the hall. I stuck the form to the door. I grabbed my stuff from the newsroom on my way back toward the lobby, hoping the receptionist had refilled the candy dish and that there would be a big, fat Reese's cup on top just for me.
"No chocolate," said the receptionist. Dang. I settled for a couple of Laffy Taffy (banana flavored, of course!) and headed out the door at last.
When I got to my car, there was frost all over the windows.
*Sigh*
I hate scraping off my car. I know, I live in Indiana, and I should be used to it by now, but I still hate doing it. Plus, I didn't have any gloves, so the chipped-away frost turned into snow all over my hands. Cold and annoying!
I finally got in my car and dug for what I knew was in my purse--one cream-colored glove. As is the custom every winter, the glove's match had developed a hole in one of the fingers and then disappeared altogether, probably to be found sometime in late July. I didn't care; I pulled a Michael Jackson and donned the one white glove on the hand that was the coldest. As I shoved my other hand deep in my coat pocket and pulled out of the parking lot, I wondered if my fellow Hoosier native had originated his one-glove look on a chilly Gary, Indiana morning when he was scraping off his car.
Oh, by the way, I did end up running a story about the space shuttle taking off this morning, and it was awesome. One of my anchors made fun of me for geeking out about it (and Deuce, if you're reading this, don't deny it!), but I don't care. Maybe it's because my alma mater is the Cradle of Astronauts. Maybe it's just because space is AWESOME! Whatever. I was proud of it and that's all that matters to me right now.
I'm going to bed.
Happy ramblings...
Lis
*Warning* This story is as pointless as the things that happen in it.
(Makes you wanna keep reading, huh?)
OK, the first thing you need to know is that this story begins at the end of my shift, after the show, when I'm getting tired and hungry, which equals cranky. And I'm probably crankier than usual this week because I put myself on a healthier diet that includes eating that Special K stuff for breakfast when I get home from work. And to be extra-good, I've even been following the serving size on the box.
Little-known fact: The serving size for a bowl of Special K is 3/4 of a cup! Do you know how much cereal that is? Let's put it this way--it's not enough to cover the bottom of one of my big red cereal bowls (which, by the way, I used to fill to the brim with Lucky Charms). I actually started using these little 1-cup bowls I found in my closet so I wouldn't get so depressed eating so little cereal. I'm actually starting to wonder if people losing weight from eating this stuff has more to do with the serving size than the ingredients.
So being hungry and looking forward to a bitty bowl of cereal probably makes me more irritable than I would be otherwise.
After the morning news show, we do two live news cut-ins on the half-hours. We tape the cut-ins, and then during the next two half-hours, we just run the tape, since the anchors have to go out on story assignments the rest of the morning. All of our video runs off of a digital server, so after we've recorded both cut-ins, we have to dub the tape into a digital editing program, then send it to the server. Once that is done, I get to go home.
So I went to dump the cut-ins into the server, and every time I tried to play the tape, the tape deck stopped and flashed up this error message on the monitor. I tried and tried, over and over, to no avail. There are only two dubbing decks in the whole station, so when one is broken, you had better hope and pray the other one works.
The other one is in the sports office, so I went in there anticipating disaster because THAT deck had been broken the week before. Thankfully, though, it was working today, and I finally was able to send the cut-ins to the server.
I then decided to be a good employee and take the time to fill out an equipment report, which is what you do when you want the engineers to fix something. So I went down the hall, grabbed a form, and filled it out. Usually I just tape the forms to the engineering door, but I couldn't find any tape in the control room or production office nearby, so I went BACK down the hallway to grab a piece of tape from the newsroom.
Both tape dispensers on the producer desks were empty.
Have you ever heard the rule, "You kill it, you fill it?" Well, it's a little common courtesy I once heard at camp, and unlike other things I learned there like how to use a compass and how to make a splint for a broken leg, I have applied the Kill-Fill rule later in life.
But I guess no one at the TV station ever went to camp. Or maybe they did, but they weren't paying attention at lunch.
Anyway, I sighed, picked up both tape dispensers, and took them to the front lobby to get some more tape out of the supply closet. I filled the first and was headed to the second when I realized the little spool that the roll of tape is supposed to sit on was missing.
*Sigh.*
So I found a paperclip, re-bent it to fit between the grooves on either side of the tape dispenser, and slid it through the middle of the roll of tape. Voila. I'm no MacGyver, but I am a bit of a makeshift mechanic when I have to be.
I took the tape dispensers back to the newsroom. I put a piece of tape on the equipment form. I went down the hall. I stuck the form to the door. I grabbed my stuff from the newsroom on my way back toward the lobby, hoping the receptionist had refilled the candy dish and that there would be a big, fat Reese's cup on top just for me.
"No chocolate," said the receptionist. Dang. I settled for a couple of Laffy Taffy (banana flavored, of course!) and headed out the door at last.
When I got to my car, there was frost all over the windows.
*Sigh*
I hate scraping off my car. I know, I live in Indiana, and I should be used to it by now, but I still hate doing it. Plus, I didn't have any gloves, so the chipped-away frost turned into snow all over my hands. Cold and annoying!
I finally got in my car and dug for what I knew was in my purse--one cream-colored glove. As is the custom every winter, the glove's match had developed a hole in one of the fingers and then disappeared altogether, probably to be found sometime in late July. I didn't care; I pulled a Michael Jackson and donned the one white glove on the hand that was the coldest. As I shoved my other hand deep in my coat pocket and pulled out of the parking lot, I wondered if my fellow Hoosier native had originated his one-glove look on a chilly Gary, Indiana morning when he was scraping off his car.
Oh, by the way, I did end up running a story about the space shuttle taking off this morning, and it was awesome. One of my anchors made fun of me for geeking out about it (and Deuce, if you're reading this, don't deny it!), but I don't care. Maybe it's because my alma mater is the Cradle of Astronauts. Maybe it's just because space is AWESOME! Whatever. I was proud of it and that's all that matters to me right now.
I'm going to bed.
Happy ramblings...
Lis
Random Thoughts from the Newsroom...
I'm so distracted tonight at work...so even though I should be writing bumps and teases by now, I'm taking a little "break" to share a couple of random thoughts...
Why it's fun working at a TV station:
I have a police scanner next to my desk so I can hear if something happens, like a fire, traffic accident, or robbery. And this one officer must be rolling around town with his radio on, because every time he gets on the scanner, I hear a different snippet of a song. The first one was, "We could go to the slums..." and the next one was, "Last dance with Mary Jane..." If I hear Miley Cyrus the next time, I will pee myself. Just imagine a cop rolling through the streets listening to Miley Cyrus. That girl is on the radio every fifteen minutes. And if they're not playing her music, they're talking about her.
Want to know some police scanner jargon? 10-50 is the code for traffic accident. 10-56 means "intoxicated pedestrian" (I hear that one a lot from the campus police), and 10-16 means "domestic trouble." That one happens a lot. It's crazy the stuff that goes on while people should be sleeping.
One of last night's stories was a dog attack, which is not funny. But what is funny is that I had to laugh because it reminded me of the first news story Ron Burgundy reads in the movie Anchorman..."A La Jolla man clings to life after being attacked by a pack of wild dogs at an abandoned pool.." I don't think I'm going to run that story.
I got to watch a live feed of the shuttle this morning. I taped it so hopefully we can use it this morning. I don't think we publicize NASA as much as we should. People remember that crazy Depends-wearing, homicidal astronaut lady better than they remember any recent space endeavors in the past couple years. Movies like Apollo 13 make me want to put space back in the spotlight, so people will get excited about it like they did in the 60s.
On the assignment board in front of me, it says one of my anchors has to go cover a story this morning about "eggs and issues"...that could mean so many things that I'm not even going to guess.
Lisa's recipe for Breakroom Mocha
Grab a styrofoam cup and fill it halfway with breakroom coffee.
Add two packages of Swiss Miss (the kind with the tiny marshmallows if ya got it).
Top off cup with more breakroom coffee.
Stir and enjoy! Caution, it's hot!
Ok, that's it. I'm getting back to work. I'll let the rest of my thoughts barrel around in the back of my head for now!
Why it's fun working at a TV station:
I have a police scanner next to my desk so I can hear if something happens, like a fire, traffic accident, or robbery. And this one officer must be rolling around town with his radio on, because every time he gets on the scanner, I hear a different snippet of a song. The first one was, "We could go to the slums..." and the next one was, "Last dance with Mary Jane..." If I hear Miley Cyrus the next time, I will pee myself. Just imagine a cop rolling through the streets listening to Miley Cyrus. That girl is on the radio every fifteen minutes. And if they're not playing her music, they're talking about her.
Want to know some police scanner jargon? 10-50 is the code for traffic accident. 10-56 means "intoxicated pedestrian" (I hear that one a lot from the campus police), and 10-16 means "domestic trouble." That one happens a lot. It's crazy the stuff that goes on while people should be sleeping.
One of last night's stories was a dog attack, which is not funny. But what is funny is that I had to laugh because it reminded me of the first news story Ron Burgundy reads in the movie Anchorman..."A La Jolla man clings to life after being attacked by a pack of wild dogs at an abandoned pool.." I don't think I'm going to run that story.
I got to watch a live feed of the shuttle this morning. I taped it so hopefully we can use it this morning. I don't think we publicize NASA as much as we should. People remember that crazy Depends-wearing, homicidal astronaut lady better than they remember any recent space endeavors in the past couple years. Movies like Apollo 13 make me want to put space back in the spotlight, so people will get excited about it like they did in the 60s.
On the assignment board in front of me, it says one of my anchors has to go cover a story this morning about "eggs and issues"...that could mean so many things that I'm not even going to guess.
Lisa's recipe for Breakroom Mocha
Grab a styrofoam cup and fill it halfway with breakroom coffee.
Add two packages of Swiss Miss (the kind with the tiny marshmallows if ya got it).
Top off cup with more breakroom coffee.
Stir and enjoy! Caution, it's hot!
Ok, that's it. I'm getting back to work. I'll let the rest of my thoughts barrel around in the back of my head for now!
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