I'm a Cartoon Duckie

I am calm...

Up All Night - Bishop

Things to eat: pie, sushi, cookies, food...

Songs: Word Girl - What's Going On? - Rio

Places to go: Philly, London, Chicago, my Mom's crib, Seattle, Spain, North Carolina

Movies: LOTR - X-Men - Batman Begins - Rear Window - Victor/Victoria - Bye, Bye Birdie - 300 - Clerks - Big Eden

TV Shows: Lost, Heroes, V(eronica) Mars, X-Files, Golden Girls, Designing Women, SATC, Six Feet Under, I Love Lucy, 3 Stooges, Star Trek, cartoons

Outfit: pants, shirt, shoes

Boys: Kevin Sith, Seth Rogan, M.P., Bill Goldberg, Aquaman, Taye Diggs, Ed Norton, Greg Gruman

My most loveable qualities: I have good hair...

Here's what I want to be when I grow up: President of Cuba

Here's why I love sleepovers so much: Snoring...

Susan Sarandon in Interview

If memory serves, I bought this magazine at a shop on South Street in Philly, sometime in the mid to late 90s. They had a decent stack of them, but either the price or the size of the mags made me just buy the one with Susan Sarandon on the cover. I'm so glad I kept it all these years!

Philly 2013

Back in October of 2013, Kayla and I were in Port Richmond and we did a little photoshoot in a rundown area of town. Here are some of my personal faves that I took of a place in desperate need of some TLC.

Fabulously Famous People...

Three Wishes

I'm a full-time dreamer and so whenever that genie-in-a-bottle question comes up of what would your three wishes be, I tend to ponder it, so as to choose the exact perfect wishes. Here's what I came up with, one for the world and two for me:

- an end to all forms of violence toward children

- infinite financial solvency

- perfect lifelong physical and mental health

I feel like if violence and abuse never touched a person's life throughout their childhood, they would grow up to become more confident and not carry the scars of brutality that so many people take into adulthood. 

People say that money can't buy happiness but honestly, if I had infinite amounts of money I could afford to take better care of myself and have the time to really focus on becoming a better person. I could buy a small home on a decent plot of land, away from noise and people. I could get Bishop to quit his day job and pay him a small fortune to be my personal chef. He could teach me how to cook and have more time to follow his own dreams. I could publish my writing and become a philanthropist, helping those in need around the globe as well as at home in the States. I could make Rickster Rick an offer he couldn't refuse and put his Dark Forest on the radio for real. It would be so nice to be able to help out friends and family with their own dreams, instead of me always being the one to ask everyone else for help.

It's so hard to live with depression and to constantly have to fight back this exhausting hopelessness. I wonder what it's like to feel normal; to not always feel like there's no point. And physically, I miss being able to not think about my body constantly. I'm always thinking about my teeth, my creaking and sore knees, my weight, menopause, watching my skin age, and generally just feeling horrible most of the time. Oh, to have a guarantee of perfect health! Think of all the things I could focus on and all the work I could get done if I wasn't forever stressing over my body.

The National

Wild Cats

This was one of the puzzles that I scored dirt cheap from Badge Bomb last year. They had a pallet that got smashed and therefore some of the puzzle boxes were damaged. This one was fun, but I felt the need to pass it along and the day after I did it I passed it off to Ms. Isabella.

The Fog

Yesterday I took the day off, picked up Xavier at 5:30 and we were off to drive the winding backroads of Chester County to reach The Colonial Theatre. We had dinner at El Burrito and then hit a few breweries before settling in to see John Carpenter's The Fog. I saw the movie for the first time maybe 20 or so years ago. It's not, in my opinion, a masterpiece, but as soon as it was over and back at the DVD menu, I remember instantly hitting play again. It's bright but eerie and chock full of famous faces and solid performances. I've always liked it and loved getting to see it on the big screen. 

Xavier wasn't as taken with it as I was and maybe the lack of smooth conversation on the drives and while eating was because he wasn't feeling 100%, but I can't help but feel we aren't the great pals we used to be. I guess I've lost him to the married-with-kids graveyard, along with Marina, Ashlee, Terri, and Kat. Either that or I've become utterly intolerable. I do worry about when Kayla and Bella start their own families with little ones, but for now I try to push that thought away. The rational side of me realises that working eight plus hours then coming home to help straighten the house and get dinner ready and take kids to drum lessons or after school programs drains any desire to do anything on the little down time available, but it still stings when former besties slowly morph into, at best, acquaintances. Thank gawd I have Amy and Bishop. They may be married but it's the not having kids that keeps them in my life. Sorry for the rant on this! Regardless of the disappointments, one shining moment was before Xave and I left, Mary came home (sporting a new 'do with bangs) and asked what we were seeing. I said The Fog, the original. Xave said about he saw the remake and that it was pretty good, with some people from Walking Dead in it. "Oh wait. I think that was The Mist." Mary did her classic giggle laugh and said, "Different precipitation." So cute.

BONUS: I messaged JeffreyMixed via Instagram because The Fog is one of, if not his all-time, favourite film. He was nice enough to reply. I know it makes me an even bigger nerd that previously imaginable, but I love his posts and how often I've cracked up over them.

Feel It All...

Up All Night - Lauryn

Things to eat: Chinese, Italian, chocolate, & other stuff

Songs: Anything Grateful Dead, The Doors, or Pink Floyd

Places to go: Concerts! - Home - OLD FORGE!

Movies: The Princess Bride - Momento (sic) - The Usual Suspects - Evil Dead II

TV Shows: Law & Order (all 3) - Dexter! - CSI

Outfit: My birthday suit ha ha ha

Boys: Yes please! Oh sorry Dark hair - FUNNY - Nice Smile

My most loveable qualities: According to others, my sense of humor & my laugh.

Here's what I want to be when I grow up: ME "Grow old, NOT up!"

Here's why I love sleepovers so much: What could be better than talking about boys in our PJs while eating junk food? Or Truth or Dare!

Bishop & Pax's New Year's 2003

My first New Year’s Eve-slash-Bishop’s bday shingdig was in 2003. It was the party that kicked off many more gatherings at their place over the next several years. And boy-howdy, were they a blast! My calendar entry for that day stated that I worked (at the café) from noon til 6:30.

see Jesse & Jackie, close w/Will, me & Em (Marina) home to get ready, Bishop's by 10ish, see Pax, Buddy, meet Dave & TJ and others, smoke, chat, see Bruce & Pollitt on LavaLife and crack the fuck up!, home and bed by 2am

Until I read that entry I had completely forgotten about that! Bishop and I were chatting about co-workers and I told him that Bruce said he was looking at all the losers or sad sacks (can't recall his exact phrasing) on LavaLife (does anyone remember this online matchmaking site?!!?) and came across the profile for fellow café crew-member, Pollitt, who was, in two words, not good. Not good at life and not good to work with and definitely not good to date. After several drinks, Bishop logged on to the PC and went right to the website. While scrolling through the Men Seeking Women, looking out for Pollitt we came across a photo of a young man playing a guitar. "Wait....is that Bruce?!!?" Uh-huh, seems lile Bruce wasn't so keen on people thinking that he was online looking for ladies. We did come across Pollitt's and from what I can remember, it was all lies, making him seem like a catch. He was anything but.

Bishop and his oldest and dearest pal, Dave

TJ (Dave's then-partner/boyfriend), me in Marina's shirt which I still haven't returned to her!, and Buddy

Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office

When Claudia Winkleman took over hosting duties for an episode of the Graham Norton Show, she mentioned Toby Jones' TV series, Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office. I checked my ReelGood app and was delighted to see it available on PBS. I watched it on Sunday, all four episodes, and was shocked at the absolute injustice of it all and especially how freakin' long it is taking for these people to be compensated. It was heartbreaking and inspiring all at once. I definitely recommend it. Here's a little summary from PBS.

When money started to seemingly disappear from its local branches, the government-owned UK Post Office wrongly blamed its own managers for the apparent loss. Hundreds were harassed, accused of theft and fraud, even sent to prison—leaving lives, marriages, and reputations in ruins. But the issue was actually caused by errors in the Post Office’s own computer system; something it denied for years. This is the story of decent, ordinary, and real-life people who were relentlessly pursued, coerced, and controlled by a powerful corporation, and their seemingly unsurmountable battle to right so many horrific wrongs.

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2025!

I was lucky enough this year to get an adorable card from Bishop and one from Ireland that Barbara sent. Plus one I mailed to myself, since I'm a great big goofball.

From Bishop:

From me!

From Barbara:

And this morning Squiggles woke up to find that the Finch team had gifted them a dashing hat and shirt for St. Patrick's Day! I helped jazz Squigs up with fancy pants, boots, specs, and a cane. Ain't they the cutest?!