Six Degrees of Topher Grace.

As many of you may know, I'm a huge fan of Topher Grace. I fell in love with him on That 70s Show, and my love grew even stronger when I watched "Win a Date With Tad Hamilton" and "In Good Company" (I wasn't too impressed with him in P.S.). When I say love, I mean luve (a mixture of lust and love). Let's just put it this way, if I was single, and if he would be desperate enough to go out with me, I'd fly up to wherever it is that he lives and call it a day. Does that make me crazy? Possibly.

So, for the past few weeks they've been building a set about a block from my work. There are about 20 headstones set up in cemetery-like fashion. With the weather all gloomy and cold, it's the perfect backdrop for whatever sad, sappy movie is about to be filmed here. Which, by the way, I just found out is a Brad Pitt film called "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (comes out in 2008).

I usually eat my lunch and read by the Lakefront, so I was especially curious today when I saw that parts of the park were being partitioned off by barricades and police tape. Since I'm nosy as hell, I came back to work and told my co-worker about it - she immediately wanted to go check it out. Who am I to argue? We march down to the lakefront and start chatting with everyone who has gathered.

This is what we hear while we're standing there...

"Brad Pitt is going to be filming today!"
"No, Brad isn't going to be here!"
"Yes, Brad will be here!"
"No, Brad isn't coming!"

So, being the investigator that I am, we started chatting up some LA guy who was there to help setup. After he tried being smooth and flirting with us - spare me - he said that Brad won't be there and that some character actor guy would be filming a scene at 4.

My point is this - this LA actor guy said he just got finished wrapping up Spider Man III - which, my friends, stars none other than Topher Grace - my future husband. So, in some sick and twisted way, I experienced a Six Degrees scenario with my favorite actor. I couldn't care less about Brad Pitt at this point.

Oh, when we were walking back to work, one of the photographers there from the local paper said that the movie company asked them to come out and photograph. It's unspoken that Brad WILL be there. I guess that none of the assistants can verify that he'll be there - perhaps it's some sort of breach. I'm not sure.

I will be there at 4 just to see. I'll post an update later.

Random.

Joe is a child at heart. He truly is. For anyone who knows him, they will agree with me here. With that in mind, you should know that my dear husband has a new "get rich quick" scheme every week.

This week's money maker? Spice. Yes, spice.

He calls me a while ago and asks if I can make a website. After I told him no, he said he and his friend Shawn (if you remember, he was part of the duo known as Shish in my "more meat ma'am" blog) decided that they could start up a website that sells New Orleans spices all over the world. They both think they could earn a substantial amount of income from this idea. They probably could have if they'd been the first to think of it, but Tony Chacheres and Tobasco already have their own sites, so why would anyone go to joeandshawnspice.com when they can go straight to the manufacturer?

Get rich quick scheme #2...
A few months ago Joe wanted to invent a portable A/C that keeps your car cool all day. It would run off of solar power and essentially cool your car while it's parked in the sun. Great idea, just a little too late. After Joe told me about it, I saw an infomercial for that very thing.

Get rich quick scheme #3...
Before that, Joe and Shawn wanted to invent a coffee cup that had a temperature guage. So, if you know you like your coffee at a certain temperature, you didn't have to test it and either scald your tongue or freak out b/c it's too cold. This one has yet to make it off the drawing board.
If it's not about ways to make money, it's about ways to spend money. Joe watched an episode of Everest and decided he wanted to summit Mount Everest. Of course he'd need the $3,000 - $4,000 worth of gear to accomplish that.

A few weeks before that he wanted to be a super mountain biker. So, he goes out and spends an arm and a leg on a mountain bike and all of the gear that goes along with it, and what happens next? It ends up collecting dust and cobwebs in our messy garage (another project he started and never finished).

Now he wants to be a scuba diver. He and Shawn are planning on diving this summer, so Joe is about to get his license or whatever the hell he needs to dive (Shawn is already registered). So, there's another $$$ down the drain.

Shawn is so darn nice, and his wife is great, too. I always feel like I'm the spoil sport. I guess there has to be someone like that in a relationship otherwise we'd have massive amounts of debt and unused sports equipment for every known sport under the sun taking up huge amounts of space in our little garage.

So, for all the women out there who married men with the heart of a child, I feel your pain. Perhaps we should start some sort of support group or something. What do you think?

Groundhog Day.

As my alarm went off at the butt-crack of dawn this morning (more like 6:30'ish give or take a few minutes after hitting the snooze button about 10 times), I realized that my life is starting to feel like the poor slob's life on Groundhog Day. My first thought was - wait, didn't I JUST fall asleep? Wasn't I just waking up yesterday, January 9?

While I was in the shower, I was thinking about '06 and how quickly it flew by. With the exception of a few brief moments, I had a hard time remembering any of the events that transpired throughout the year. This memory lapse isn't from my pre-mature Alzheimer's, no, it's because time is passing by too quickly, and I'm not taking the time to slow down and appreciate each day for what it's worth.

A close friend of my mom's recently passed away from a very aggressive form of breast cancer. She went through periods of remission and periods of non-remission. At the end, the cancer had spread throughout her entire body. I met her years ago when Joe and I were insuring my engagement ring (she worked for State Farm). She was the picture of health and beauty.

My great uncle passed away yesterday. He went into the hospital complaining of some back problems on Monday. The doctors ran some tests that day and discovered he had a malignant grown on his liver. They also discovered he had some clotting and made arrangements to perform surgery early yesterday morning to prevent the clots from circulating throughout his body. About an hour prior to his surgery, he passed away. It was that quick.

I didn't go to the hospital to see him because I thought I had more time. I had some things I had to finish at work. In the grand scheme of things, were my menial tasks at work that important? Why didn't I spend more time with my Uncle Bob at my sister's wedding? Had I known it would've been the last time I'd see him alive, I would've attached myself to him the entire night.

I wish I could press an easy button and slow down time. I'll be 29 years old in a few months. My sister is a married woman now. My parents are approaching their mid-50s. My cat Sam will be 13 in July.

I remember when 29 seemed so old. I remember holding my sister when she was a baby. I remember when my parents were close to my age. I remember buying Sam from the Pet shop at Lakeside Mall. All of this seems like it was yesterday. How did all of this time pass without me realizing how quickly life flows? Why didn't I take the time to appreciate Sam when she was a kitten or play with my sister more when she was a child?

I'm not sure why I'm so pensive right now. I hate being like this, actually. Maybe it's the time of year. I'm usually always kind of bummed around this time of year. Perhaps it's because this year has already started off in such a crappy fashion.

My post is very random. I just re-read it and really can't make sense out of it, so I'm sorry if you're confused. I guess my point is that life has become so routine. We wake up, go to work, eat, sleep, workout - not necessarily in that order. We don't try to make our days significant. It's sad that I can only remember a handful of significant days in '06. I'll bet my mom's friend lived each day to the fullest after finding out about her cancer. Each day of life was a special gift, and she cherished it and made it the best day she possibly could.

I'm not talking about taking trips to Fugi or climbing Mount Everest to make your life meaningful (we all know how dumb I think that idea is). I'm talking about going to PetSmart on your lunch break to play with the kittens for adoption or bringing your spouse/significant other a surprise lunch at work or walking along the lakefront/beach and smelling the water - these things are significant. These are the memories that fill our days and carry us through the years. Taking the time to appreciate the little things, not dwell on the big things, and to look forward to all things - this is what I need to focus on this year. I need to change my outlook.

We all need to look at life through the eyes of someone who just found out they have a terminal illness. Make the best of the time we have on this Earth and focus on ways we can improve our life and the lives of those we love and care about. Bake some cookies for the elderly neighbor who has no family. Take a care package to the lady down the street who is caring for her dying husband. Sometimes we need to take the focus off ourselves for a while.

Is Beano Safe for Dogs?

My dog farted so loudly in his sleep that he actually woke himself up and started to bark.

Moral of the story...

Own a dog and you'll never stop laughing.

Fork.

When people eat with their forks upside down, it makes my skin crawl. I have no idea why this is, but it's something I've noticed about myself lately.

Example:


My reaction when I see people doing this:

Example:

Obesity and Dry Pine.

I'm feeling very random today, so excuse my ramblings. (Is that a word?)

Random thought #1...
Have you ever watched a show on obesity where the camera person gets shots of obese people from the neck down? I often wonder if those people are watching the program at that exact moment and say to themselves, "Hey, I have that exact same shirt! Hey, I have those exact shorts! Whoa, I've been there before! Wait a damn minute, that's me!!"
I mean, seriously, don't you find it strange that these camera operators are videotaping people without their consent or knowledge? I highly doubt they have to get permission since the person's face isn't in clear view. Just imagine if you were one of those people they were videotaping and you saw yourself on camera for all the world to see.
It's just something I've pondered lately since my Tivo has been recording lots of shows of this type.

Random thought #2...
Did you know that if you climb Mount Everest and you suddenly die or find yourself dying, that a) no one is going to rescue your ass and 2) your body will be left there for eternity? Why is this? Well, the altitude is too high, so flying in a rescue helicopter is impossible and it would take at least 20 trained people to move one average-sized person down the mountain. So, let's just say you get a wild hair up your butt and try to summit the mountain. If you take too long to hike up/down and use up most of your oxygen, you're basically screwed. Forgot to bring enough water? So long, amigo.

If you really think the bonds you've established with your hike-mates will save your life, you're wrong. They will leave you faster than Lindsey Lohan leaves her man. Then they will call your wife/husband and tell them that your body will be a human sicle on the side of Everest as long as the Earth is in existance. There's no possible way they can ever get you down from the mountain. If that's not enough motivation to prohibit idiots from ever climbing that mountain again, I don't know what is.

Random thought #3...
If you're ever stranded in the African Wilderness and decide that you're thirsty, just squeeze a delicious lump of elephant dung into your mouth and you'll be A-OK.

Random thought #4...
My mom tells me the other day that my dad was so enthralled with an Olsen Twins movie that he was actually visibly aggravated when he had to leave to go somewhere before the movie ended. His response, "Now I'm not going to know how this movie ends!" My dad is 6'5", 220 lbs. and a true man's man. The fact that he was even watching an Olsen twins movie is comical.

Random thought #5...
On my way to work this morning I saw my first dead Christmas tree sitting on a curb waiting to be picked up by the trash collectors. This made me unbelieveably sad for some reason. Christmas came and went WAY too quickly this year. Now there aren't any good holidays for about 10 months ('til Halloween). This sucks!