Happy New Year 2007

"For last year's words belong to last year's language

And next year's words await another voice...

What we call the beginning is often the end

And to make an end is to make a beginning."

-T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)

Looking for Roger Waters tickets

It's a sold out concert and people are getting mighty desperate.
This ad on craigslist cracked me up:

who needs a date to roger waters - $1
I'm a guy looking for a girl with an extra ticket....I will meet you at or near the venue and I'll buy the drinks....I can show you a good time...went on friday and just want to go again... be between 18-30...if they are really good seats you can be older.

We love Amsterdam

We're all smiles in Amsterdam, Holland. We might be back for Christmas. We'll see.

Love in Ibiza

Astrid & I in Ibiza

Enjoying the sunset over the ocean with my daughter in Ibiza, Spain.

When in Rome

Letting my hair down after walking up the Spanish Steps (made up of 138 steps). The view of Rome, Italy from up here is breathtaking.

Me in Venice

You never know what you'll find going down narrow streets (tiny alleyways) in Venice, Italy.

Proof we're in Venice

Shorts for sale at a vendor booth in Venice, Italy.

Me in Vienna

A self portrait. Walking along a path surrounding a vineyard in Vienna, Austria.

Astrid & I in Munich

Above a rushing stream in the English Garden in Munich, Germany.

Me in Paris

Along the Seine River.

Me in London

Standing next to a Beefeater (Yeoman Warder), the ceremonial guardian of the Tower of London.

Sometimes men just can't handle the truth

Today I was on a conference call with a client and a consultant. Now keep in mind both are men. The client had questioned a large medical claim and the use of "Dition" in describing a complication during the childbirth. I relayed how nurses sometimes use this acronym to refer to damage to the uterus and went on to explain that in essence this claim was a result of complications of a c-section due to a scar on the uterus.

The response I got from my client was, "Oh. You could have just said it was a 'girl thing." and then both normally mature men started giggling like little boys. As I sat there, the only woman in the room and in on the conversation, wondering what was so funny (did I say "Uranus"?), it donned on me that sometimes men just don't want to know about female things, as it makes them uncomfortable. Women on the other hand will talk about it with other women and it doesn't bother us in the least. (Probably because we've all gone through it and go through it every month).

So after the giggles died down I jokingly responded with, "Well since we're all grown ups here, I thought we could all handle it."

When did liberal become a bad word and patriotism become republican?

I've been labeled "liberal" which normally I would say is correct, but when it's muttered by a right winged Republican who thinks I graduated from Berkeley (which I didn't), believes Reagan was the best President (obviously delusional), and voted for Bush twice (I repeat...obviously delusional); then it takes on a whole different meaning. Doesn't liberal mean progressive, and broad-minded? When did the word liberal become a bad word?

I'm guilty of the latter - associating patriotism with being a Republican*.

Background: Uwe and I have this beach towel we got at a gift shop some years ago when we were on vacation that looks like the United States flag with star and stripes, and is a bold red, white and blue. We needed a towel and rather than buying one that had something cheesy on it, Uwe picked the US flag towel which he found funny. (One of the things I love about him is that he finds humor in the little things.)

We bring this towel with us whenever we go to outdoor events, to sit on. At the 2006 Coachella Valley Music Festival this past April I was embarrassed to be seen with this towel. I felt like people were looking at us like we were flag waving, patriotic, Republican, pro-war nuts. I mentioned this to Uwe and said we needed to get a new towel because people were getting the wrong idea by our towel. He responded, "No way. People don't think that. Look at Woodstock! The flag was everywhere." True, but I still feel that carrying a flag around now has a different connotation than it did back then. When did patriotism become Republican?

*Disclaimer: My dad is a Republican. I love my dad, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with his political views. Strangely enough when we talk politics now we agree on many points....including the war, global warming, and how much Bush sucks. =)

The kiss of death

Bush kissing Lieberman after the State of the Union address.

A pet peeve of mine

A pet peeve of mine is when people park too close to my car. It was never an issue before because I'd still be able to squeeze into my car no matter what. But now that I have a baby and I'm usually carrying a big diaper bag and my 30 pound baby (all the while trying to keep the bottom of Astrid's shoes from dirtying my clothes), and it's hot; it's a big ole pain in the arse.

An ode to Samantha Morton

Samantha Morton is a favorite actress of mine. She's appeared in many films, independent and a few bigger production movies. She brings such haunting performances to each of her roles. Even if the movie is a dud, or isn't that great, it's worth watching because she's so memorable in it. She's one to watch for, to win a Best Actress Oscar someday.

I recently saw a movie she starred in called "Code 46" thanks to On Demand. (I love that cable feature!) It wasn't an especially good movie, but the idea behind it was intriguing and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.

Code 46 (2003) - costarring Tim Robbins is about a futuristic 'brief encounter', a love story in which the romance is doomed by genetic incompatibility.

I love science fiction and this movie brings up controversial issues such as cloning and big brother controlling where you're allowed to go, who you're allowed to be with, and what memories you're allowed to keep.

Taglines include:

1) How do you solve a crime when the last thing you want to know is the truth?

2) Can you miss someone you don't remember?

3) Can a single moment ever disappear completely? Samantha Morton first popped up on my radar in the movie Jesus' Son (1999) costarring Billy Crudup about love, drug addiction, and redemption.

Samantha Morton's character, Michelle, is a lovable, free spirit, but also a drug addict. In an act of desperation to show her boyfriend how much she loves him, she overdoses on pills and writes a letter to him, hoping that he will read the note and save her. It is the ultimate immature act of a person spiraling out of control.

Her boyfriend (Billy Crudup's character) comes back to the motel room feeling bad about the fight they had earlier that night, snuggles up to his girlfriend in bed (who he thinks is sleeping), gives her a kiss on the cheek and goes to sleep. In the morning he wakes up to find his girlfriend dead next to him and discovers the note about her suicide/cry for help. That scene is so filled with anguish, confusion and love that it brought me to tears.She also starred in Minority Report (2002) with Tom Cruise. Another movie she got critical acclaim for was In America (2003). Her performance as always is good, but the movie itself is a stinker.

From imdb it looks like there are a number of movies and even a TV show she's filming and/or are in production now:

The Golden Age (2007) (filming) .... Mary - Queen of Scots
Longford (2006) (TV) (filming) .... Myra Hindley
Mister Lonely (2006) (filming) (attached) .... Marilyn Monroe
Control (2006) (filming) .... Deborah Curtis
Expired (2006) (post-production) .... Claire

Artifact in my car

I was driving and listening to my car radio when I reached down and accidentally pushed the eject button on my stereo. Guess what popped out? An audio cassette tape! I haven't seen one of those in years. It was like unearthing an artifact. Nothing was written on the tape, so I couldn't wait to play it to see what was on it. It was EDM (electronic dance music). It must have been one of Uwe's old tapes. Anyway, it was just funny and it made me smile.

My daughter Astrid will grow up not even knowing what a tape is. Kind of like an 8 track was for me. By the time I was old enough to buy my own music, 8 tracks had gone the way of the dodo bird. The only 8 tracks I saw/held/played, were my dad's old 8 tracks. I marveled at how archaic, but kinda cool they were in the vintage sense.

Today's my last day in Ohio

I'm flying back home to Los Angeles tonight. I miss my family and I'm ready to go home. One week was a long time to be separated.

A nice hotel suite, dinners and gifts are no substitute for the hugs from my husband, and being able to talk at night about what's going on in our crazy world. I also miss my daughter's smile and laughter and chubby cheeks that I love to kiss.

I've learned a lot from the conference I attended, and I even got used to the 3 hour time difference (EST vs. PST). But every night I've been here, I've fallen asleep to CNN's news coverage of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. It's alarming and I'm surprised I didn't have nightmares. Instead I've been dreaming about my daughter, as she's always on my mind.

I wonder what the little one's reaction will be when I walk into her bedroom Saturday morning and say, "Good morning Astrid." Like I said, one week is too long to be away from home and my family.

Al Gore Movie - An Inconvenient Truth

This evening we had an optional outing to the Easton Mall in Ohio. I'm not a mall person but I jumped at the chance to go so I could see a movie. Since Astrid's birth, I don't get to go to the movies that often.

I finally saw Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth about global warming. With the heat wave we've been having across the United States, the hurricanes, tsunamis, and glaciers melting, there's no doubt any longer that global warming exists and is a real threat.

Al Gore came out in front of an audience (in the documentary) and said, "I used to be known as the next President of the United States." He has such a great sense of humor and it's a shame that he didn't really show that side of his personality during the Presidential election.

The photo of Al Gore on the cover of Wired magazine (posted here) is obviously retouched, but still a powerful photo. Uwe has a subscription and once I saw this issue the photo was burned into my memory.

I enjoyed the documentary. Al Gore took a subject that can be difficult and dry to explain, and made it understandable and entertaining. I was happy to see it in the movie theatre to support it. And thrilled that it was playing in Ohio!

Unfortunately I missed the last 10 minutes as the shuttle was scheduled to pick us up at 9 PM, and due to the trailers in the beginning, the movie ran long, and I didn't want my group to have to wait for me. So I left early to make the shuttle on time. That's okay, because I still want to rent the documentary to watch it again with Uwe.