Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Have you been to Australia? HELP!!!






So I am feeling a bit antsy and think I am going to go to Australia next month. It's about time. Tentatively planning Oct 20-Nov 16 or so, and then another wine school class in Napa when I return.
I've emailed my Aussie friends but want as much advice as I can get to help form my ideal rough outline of an itinerary. I'd like to wing most of it, but think I may have to book a few flights ahead. So please leave some comments about your favorite don't miss locations. And let me know what to skip.

Am thinking :
Week 1- Sydney (mon oct 20-sun 26 or so)
Week 2 - up north, great barrier reef, cairns, maybe whitsundays?? somewhere else?
(sun oct 26-sun nov 2)
Week 3- melbourne, i was informed that the melbourne cup is the 4th and i shouldn't miss it. i don't know what it is, but have learned to trust woz. i'm guessing it will likely involve beer, men, and some rugged sweaty sport. (mon nov 3-sat nov 8)
Week 4- see ayers rock (2-3 days??), head over to perth / margaret river area and drink wine for a few days (sat nov 8-fri nov 14)
Then back to sydney for the final weekend and leave on sunday the 16th

how does that sound? do i need more or less time in places? what did i miss?
and, since i'm so damn close, do i have time to see new zealand too? if it is not to be missed, i'll look for flights a few days earlier...

thanks, guys! i'm so jealous that so many of you have been there already and figured i should stop hating and just get on the plane.

And thank god for google...it just occurred to me that i might need a visa.


Monday, September 29, 2008

Girls' Night, with Teens and Cougars...SYTYCD Live Show in San Diego 2008






So I did one of the dorkier things I've done in awhile, and went with some girlfriends to see the So You Think You Can Dance live show last night. I thought it would be all kids and teenagers, and the parents who took them there, but it was a very mixed crowd and we actually weren't the only ones of driving age who attended. And also surprisingly, it wasn't a dry event. We didn't realize this until after halftime, but good to know for the future. The top 10 and a few extras from the show danced as (too short) solos, pairs, and in a few group numbers...seems they picked the season's highlights and just fine tuned them. The show was more entertaining than I expected, but also too long. And nobody fell or messed up badly, so that was kind of a bummer.

If you are planning to see it when it comes to your city, here are some of our post show thoughts...

Pros-
*Dancers have been practicing and are in better shape & dance better than on the show
*The guys with the really hot bodies had their shirts off for most of the night. Thank you costume team.
*It's not a dry event
*Songs were mostly pretty good- mix of mellow, hip hop, and a few showtunes
* I was reminded that I needed to add Twitch to my Tigger list (see first blog post). I *knew* I had forgotten someone...


Cons-
*Crappy sound system with too loud music (it was a slightly low budget run down venue, so not the show's fault, i guess)
*Dumb mini-skits they had the dancers doing in between dances. The kids seemed to enjoy them. We say stick to dancing.
*Not enough (any?) new performance material, with the exception of the solos
*Too much product placement and show promotion / constant highlight recaps...and I think we could have lived without the dancing Snuggle bear at halftime...
* Speaking of, it didn't need an intermission, but i guess people spend money then, so they had one, which killed the momentum of the show and made it too long
*Area restaurants packed pre-show- so if you're going to Sports Arena in SD, don't plan on a quick bite a Chili's or the oh so trendy Olive Garden. Don't even plan on being able to get through the front door. There's a nice empty thai place just up the road on the right....
*Not the best type of show when seated a bit far away / up higher. Try to sit on the sides, floor level, close to the stage so you can see their faces (ok, glistening sweaty rock hard bodies) better.

I also discovered a few mellow pretty songs that I like...
Hallelujah and also Misery Business- Vitamin String Quartet
Hometown Glory - Adele
Rock Your Soul- Elisa
The Garden- Mirah (a bit creepy)
And they did a cool Bollywoodish thing that I think was Shankar Mahadevan...a song called JBJ. (No mich, not him)

But hands down, the highlight of the evening was the latest in cougar fashion, being sported by our (50 something) neighbor in the photo above. That we had to stare at for the entire show.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Work it , Bruno!




I don't know about you, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing whatever Sascha Baron Cohen manages to pull off in his upcoming Bruno movie. I will miss Borat, but if today's events are any sign of things to come, this next one could be just as entertaining....





Borat actor crashes Agatha's party at fashion show

1 hour, 29 minutes ago

MILAN (Reuters) - Actor Sacha Baron Cohen, best known for his eccentric character Borat, burst onto the catwalk at Agatha Ruiz de la Prada's show in Milan on Friday, bringing the playful show to a halt as security guards stepped in.


Baron Cohen is in Milan making a new film about fashion centered on his character Bruno, a flamboyant Austrian fashionista.

He bowled onto the start of the catwalk rolled up in what turned out to be a long, black caped outfit with eccentric accessories.

After a few minutes of darkness while Baron Cohen, or Bruno, was escorted off the catwalk, the show started again. Models had kept their cool but the designer was visibly upset when she appeared at the end of the show.

Baron Cohen's film is titled "Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Male."

Agatha Ruiz de la Prada's show restarted after the actor left.


Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Smoke 4 a Joke



What did the redneck say before he broke his back?

Here, hold my beer, watch this....



Thanks, Dom!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Chick at her first Chargers Game







Last night, I decided to check out my new football team, the san diego (super) chargers, and headed down to Qualcomm stadium, along with 74,000 other people. Unfortunately, my new stadium has only 10,000 or so parking spots, and crappy public transport, so to say that getting in and out was a complete clusterfuck is a bit of an understatement.
But we persevered, made a few questionable u turns, and last minute merges, and found a nice little neighborhood about a mile away from the stadium, with a guy just leaving his spot. (thank you again, parking karma.) It was an easy stroll downhill to the game, and we chatted with a nice gentleman out on probation and his lovely girlfriend, but this left us with a nice refreshing uphill walk (steep climb) after the game. I am happy to report that we survived. And didn’t have to pay for parking, and actually ended up being closer to the freeway than those stuck in hopeless gridlock in the "premium" lots after the game. so i'm not bitching.
But next time, I will be taking the trolley, and leaving plenty of time for tailgating.

It was a total mob scene at the gates, but while waiting, we got to see those super loud supersonic looking air force fighter jets cruise over the parking lot and then the stadium, and I got excited like a 5 year old. I think I even clapped and said "yay" as i jumped up and down. And then karma showed up again, and let all the chicks go to the shorter frisk-you-and-pretend-to-check-your-purse line.

We made it to our seats just in time for kickoff. They happened to be playing the NY Jets, one of my old favorite teams. My loyalties were torn throughout the whole game and I found myself secretly cheering for both teams, and when my neighbors questioned me, i stuck with the political answer of "I just want to see a good game where both teams play well, and the quarterbacks get sacked a lot." And we got just that. A whole bunch of touchdowns, interceptions, long runs, and my favorite part, the post sack and post touchdown dances. we have some promising dancers in sd and I look forward to their upcoming performances.
But honestly, other than LT, I don’t think I can name 5 players yet. I learned that our QB is Philip Rivers and we have 2 guys named antonio (LT= LaDanian Tomlinson…that was an easy one, half the stadium was wearing his jersey, and he's the only one ever on the news. Lawrence Taylor LT, as it turns out, has *not* made a comeback in San Diego)
I bought a program on the way out, and will have to study it before my next game to avoid embarrassment as I try to sound like I have a clue while tailgating with potential suitors.

but cut me some slack, this was my first trip to the stadium , and anyone who has attended sporting events with me knows, it's really all about locating the best nearby food stands with the shortest lines. so I did a recon half lap and missed a good part of the 3rd qtr while searching for pizza. but I found it, and the good news is that it was well worth the walk, and was probably the best $6 slice I've had in awhile. ( Though tempted, I decided not to spring for the $40 pie.) Unlike our baseball stadium, the football one is not so new. Very giants stadium like, big and made of concrete, and nothing fancy as far as concessions go. I did find a grill that made some tasty looking sandwiches, but the cheese fry hunt was a complete failure. beer still costs $8-9 so it's not just a ny thing, and the pretzels were warmish but not stale or hard.

back at our seats, they had concession guys walking around selling snacks, but I noticed the absence of the 'beer here" guys yelling at the crowd. i will have to investigate this further. but the other good news- you don’t have to leave your seat to get your churros fix taken care of. I was so full by the time I saw them and the last one I ate years ago was like a dripping grease stick, so my stomach went into minor spasms as the guy approached my section. but I have to expand my horizons and will give them a try next time. Can you dip them in anything? Like cheese? Or fudge? Or a handful of paper towels?

I was also happy to find that the chargers crowd is a lot louder and more into their team than the fan-like people who attend padres games. petco park sounded like the library compared to the echoing roar of the stadium last night. It was the only time since I've moved out here that it actually felt like ny energy for a bit. the chargers won, 40 something to 20 something. You can check espn if you want the real game stats. It was cool to see Brett Favre playing in Jets uniform, and hope he stays awhile before retiring again.

I have to say, my favorite part of the whole night…after the chargers get a touchdown…fireworks!!! They scared me at first,when they shot out of the endzone score board near us, I almost hit the deck to avoid the gunfire, but by the 3rd time, I was ready for them! I had no idea i'd see fireworks when i got up this morning...I thought I'd have to wait until next 4th of july. life is great sometimes...I will definitely be returning again this season. By trolley.






(photo way up top is an actual TD in progress, with the guy in the bottom right just crossing the goal line....above is steve with his my name is earl facial hair. and the bottom one is a random couple that was taking awhile, so i just included them, and their attempted self portrait.)

Monday, September 22, 2008

The Prime Time Emmys



I caught the second half of the Prime Time Emmy Awards show on tv last night, and for someone who I thought watches a reasonable amount of tv, I obviously am not watching enough. When are all these shows on? What are Mad Men and Breaking Bad? (Please fill me in if you like & watch them...don't want to let another Arrested Development slip by...) And when do they air all these Mini-Series? (serieses? )

As I watched, 2 things kept bugging me about the show:
To the folks who make this show: please book another 1/2 hour or so of air time next year...you have some pull with the network people, no? I was trying to relax on the sofa and the whole show felt hectic and rushed, like it was trying to break some olympic speed record. All night, the hosts, presenters, and winners were racing at this frantic pace because the orchestra music was coming on and the commercials had to air on time. Even the little montages with the nominees felt like they were being played on fast forward. As for the winners...Give these people some space to speak and enjoy one of their 15 minutes. Some of them actually had some funny things to say. And we need a bit more time to really digest what they're wearing. My favorite line was from Sarah Palin look alike, and one of my favorites, Tina Fey. "I want to thank my parents for raising me with confidence disproportionate with my looks and abilities."

My other thought, which I will apply to all awards shows, is that the winner must be present to win. Ok, maybe you have to shoot a movie, or deliver a baby, so I'm willing to bend a little on this one. Winners can be not present if they do a *live* webcam acceptance speech. None of this pre-recorded bs. If you can't even show up, why should they have the courtesy to tell you that you won ahead of time? That's crap.
Can't be there or webcam in?....Sorry, bud, award goes to the second place person. Assuming they are present.

I did really enjoy the appropriately scripted over-drama of the reality show host award, presented by Jimmy Kimmel. (Nominees were Tom Bergeron, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Ryan Seacrest and Jeff Probst )
Nice to see them experience what it is like to stand and wait for their own results through the agony of a commercial break. Heidi was my favorite, but when I think about it, the survivor guy's gig is a little bit rougher.

One final thought, I wish Betty White could be my adopted grandma, she is adorable. And I think her and Grandma Gloria would have a fabulous time together.

I also watched the last game at yankee stadium yesterday and cried several times. I am still collecting and processing my thoughts...will get to that this week sometime, but hope y'all saw it!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

A Smoke for A Joke




So this is an old one, but it was recently used for cigarette barter, and it makes me laugh. I prefer my jokes to be as un-pc and offensive as possible.

What do you tell a girl with 2 black eyes?

Nothing, I already told her twice.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Outgoing Mail




Like most apartment complexes, mine has a little outdoor mail center downstairs with a box for each apartment. Every time I walk down to check the mail, I see the slot marked "Outgoing Mail" and I wan to run upstairs and print out a label to affix below it that says "Shy Mail". Or maybe "Introverted Mail."

Friday, September 12, 2008

Welcome to The Nocturnal Nomad - The List of Lists



Hi all!

So I finally got around to making a real blog. And I'm going to try to post somewhat regularly. I tried the other day, but I was really stumped for a name, and I figured I should decide on that first, because it's probably one of those things that's a pain in the ass to change later.

So my first thought was 1001 Places to See Before I Go Back to Work...but it's a bit lengthy. And those book people would probably sue me, and I don't really enjoy lawsuits. So I thought, hmm, what can I call it? It was approaching 4 am, and the word Nocturnal somehow sprang to mind. And since I was unpacking at the time, and seem to always be packing and unpacking and wandering lately, Nomad also seemed somewhat appropriate. And I don't think nomads are really the litigious type, so I think I should be safe in that department. I toyed with "The Nomadic Nocturne", but it doesn't quite flow off the tongue with the same grace, and made me sound like i had some type of sleepwalking issue. So the Nocturnal Nomad it is. And will stay until I think of something better and then figure out how to change it.

So as I was making my To Do list for the day (yes, I actually make them,... sometimes, I actually do the stuff) I realized that not only do I have a lot of things to do, I have a lot of lists I need to make. So I decided to back it up a step and make a list of lists. Some of these I may blog about later, others, I'll spare you the details.
Here goes:

- People Who Look Like Tigger - Kobe Bryant, Mario Lopez, and my most recent addition, Michael Phelps...

c'mon . don't you see it??

and my latest addition
twitch! from so you think you can dance

- Fab 5 Fave Freebies-or something like that- Recently, I learned that I'm supposed to have a prepared list of people I could cheat on my partner with and it wouldn't count. I was unaware of this, but I like it, and will definitely implement it. I just have to think about my list first. But David Duchovny was instantly my top pick when asked several weeks ago. And that was *before* his little recent scandal. If he could be elevated any higher than #1, he would be now.
And on this topic, I think that chicks should just get George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, The ER Guys, and The Grey's Anatomy guys as freebies...like the TRSNL E thing on wheel of fortune. Guys, you can have Angelina as a freebie, and who else? Halle Berry? And you can have the guys too. Enjoy.

-Recap of Trips from the Past Year - I have to post photos / stories from quite a few trips. The original plan was to blog as I went. But I'm really good at procrastinating....

-Stats and Highlights from my leisurely cross country drive- # days on the road, miles driven, # hotels slept in, toiletries taken, # accidents, cookbooks purchased, $$$ gas, oddest art exhibits (Mobile, AL which also happened to have *the best* eggs benny in the country, hands down...)





- CA trips- Napa, Carmel / Monterey and aquarium, LA La BreaTar Pits (they found bison and mammoths and eagles and wolves and all sorts of fun stuff in there, and they still bubble and smell like tar, right smack in the middle of LA), Cabo (almost Cali)



-Reality Shows that Don't Make Me Puke -
They mostly involve
--Food (top chef, no reservations...ok so i have crushes on tom colicchio and anthony bourdain, so that helps too)
--Fashion (project runway, what not to wear)
--People falling down (wipeout, american gladiator, jon & kate plus 8)
--People dancing like I like to think I look like when I go hit the clubs (america's best dance crew....i will make an exception here, the bad dancing in the first few rounds of crappy reality shows is definitely a guilty pleasure)
--Beautiful people (Make me a Supermodel...mmmm.what a slice of the gene pool they found for that cast)

???I am on the fence about america's next top model because although I like the concept, and that nigel guy keeps me tuned in at times...
1) tyra makes me want to puke with all her posing and narcissistic setups.
2) nobody has ever become america's next top model. ok, so the one chick is banging bobby brady. whoop dee do.
3) most of the girls are those almost very attractive but butt ugly too thin model types with big facial features that look weird on the street but perfect in vogue with heaps of makeup and big odd hats and/or sunglasses
4) i think tyra really needs some help. maybe her meds need to be rebalanced? sometimes, she scares me a little bit

-Joke for a Smoke Jokes - Was recently trained by a friend to ask for a joke when someone bums a smoke off me. I will one day write these down. And then post them.
For now- one told to me by a nice mexican gentleman outside a bar in Carmel, CA
What did the mexican say when his house fell on him? (Answer below, at bottom)


- People I'd Like to Be Reincarnated As- I'm fine with me for this life, but it would be pretty cool to be some saucy little spanish or brazilian number born with natural rhythm and an ass...or maybe an asian chick (all guys love asian chicks, no?)...or a really tall guy who can dunk a basketball

-SE Asia highlights, and the best of mis-translated English....Cambodia easily took the crown, here are 2 of many...



-Questions to Ask My Grandparents - they're getting old....stuff like how to grow the perfect tomatoes and roses, where exactly they grew up in nyc, and their first family cars and telephones (they shared the same line with neighbors and had to call the operator back then. and then the dinosaurs connected the lines for them)

- Stuff That Should Be in Every Good Junk Drawer- and random things I found in my junk drawers...I recently inherited one when I moved in with my roommate, and the guy stuff in there *fascinates* me. Way beyond duct tape...all sorts of little metal knobby things. I need a lesson.

- Reality Shows I'd Actually Audition for - Amazing Race, Not sure about Fear Factor & Wipeout, but think my arm could be twisted into an audition...Around the World and In the Bedroom with Tony Bourdain and/or Mike Rowe (ok, so they're not shows *yet*, just planting the seed...)
I would totally be up for some makeover show as long as it didn't involve throwing out my entire wardrobe. And Pimp My Ride? ...that's a no-brainer...I love my Lucy, but she could definitely use some updates to bring her into this millennium...I don't need flat screens in each seat, maybe just a giant sunroof, some cruise control action, and a pink jersey glo-lite underneath? dancing light license plates and windshield wipers, too? am i pushing it? OK, just get the Airbag and Check Engine lights to stop flashing when I drive uphill & I'm a happy camper....Someone please call mtv for me...i'm getting excited.

-Easy Green Changes- this one requires some planning- i'm planning to email y'all about what you've done over the past few years to make the world greener / reduce your so-called "carbon footprint" - like switching to cloth napkins, offsetting your flight pollution (continental.com has an easy option now), getting a drain catcher for shower hair...see photo below of packaging for the one my landlady gave me after a hairball the size of a small raccoon was removed from my drain. (Looking back, I really do wish I had asked the plumber for a photo with the hair pile before he carted it off. .. I wonder how often he gets that request) Apparently, this high tech hair catching apparatus, aka "The Hair Snare" was bought at the 5 and dime in the 1960's and kept in her closet (or drain? ew!) I have to say, it looks ugly, but it works. No more drain rodents from this girl's shower.



Ok
,I am going to split this in 2 and post more next time... I think I have plenty of lists to work on once I tackle my real life to do list. Or procrastinate some more and tackle my fake to do lists.

Any topics you'd rather hear about first??? What did I miss?
Thanks for reading this far, and stay tuned!
They won't all be this long...


And a special moment of silence for Johnny Cash, who passed away 5 years ago today at the ripe age of 71. I'll let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away.


Answer- Yo! Get off me, homes!