My Desk is Who I Am

If you ever want to gain better insight into the personality that is me, you only need to glance upon my desk. It can give you so much insight. On my desk are the following:

A coffee mug with the phrase "Innocent Bystander". It's currently holds my scissors. It's symbolic of my sharp wit, I suppose : )-

A mug with the phrase "Mug of the Soon To Be Rich and Famous". In actuality, I'd rather be just rich, not famous. It holds my rulers and some ancient Middle Eastern potshards, given to me by my high school English teacher, who always encouraged my writing. It's there to remind me of other places and people out there -- that my neck of the woods is indeed a small one.

A green M&M character coffee mug, bought from the M&M store in Times Square. It reminds me of the close calls we had while riding in taxicabs to and from Laguardia. A thrilling ride, but not one I'd like to repeat.

A Grad Nite '92 mug, back from the old high school days. It holds some personal notes, including an old note from the first bunch of flowers Dave ever bought me. Reminds me of the good old days with good friends.

A Dr. Evil doll, complete with Mr. Bigglesworth and walkie talkie accessories. When you push the button, he says the following: 1. 2. Throw me a freakin' bone here 3. I'm the boss, need the info. What can I say, I was going through my Austin Power's phase at the time.

A cat lamp, complete with minature cats hanging from the lampshade. A Christmas gift from the in-laws. It was the Christmas I was innundated with cat-themed gifts.

A small green dinosaur with the words, "Long Live Wash" added to it's side. If you are not a fan of Serenity, you will not understand. If you're a Browncoat, you'll shed a tear and sing the themesong from Firefly while getting drunk on Mother's Milk.

A post it note with the phrase, "In the dark where fairy tales live.." It's a phrase I saw somewhere, and really liked. I mean to incorporate it into a story someday.

A siberian husky tape dispenser that doesn't dispense tape very well, but is nice to look at.

A small sign that says, "What would McGyver Do?" I put it on my desk after re-watching all of the classic '80s show McGyver. Richard Dean Anderson was my first love. I was 8 or 9 at the time, and he was the only boy I could tolerate. I loved the fact he was so smart and so handy. I wanted to grow up to be an adventurer just like him.

Pet nail trimmer, which I use to trim papers. Hey, everything should have more than just 1 use. If not, you're not being creative enough. : )

Hey, I never said I was normal. Slightly weird, Yes. Eclectic tastes, Definitely. Somewhat disturbed, possibly. But normal? Never.

When I Grow Up I Want To Be Just Like...

If I could be the person I really wanted to be, the person I should be, then I would try to be more like these people:

Mark Twain, who never lost his sense of humor, even after life no longer gave him much to laugh about. He was also pretty good about re-inventing himself, as during his lifetime he was a steamboat captain, writer, printer, lecturer, entrepreneur, reporter, and iconic wit. He didn't mind failing, so long as he learned what he had to learn for the next big idea.

Milton Hershey, who failed many, many, many times in his quest for making the best chocolate, but persevered in spite of incredible odds. The result: the unequaled perfection of the Hershey bar and chocolates, a product that gives millions of people great enjoyment. He also started the Hershey School, to provide a better life for orphans.

Marie Curie, who was the first person to win TWO nobel prizes, but also faced incredible odds as both a woman and a Jew. Fortunately, she had extreme faith in her abilities as a scientist, and ultimately discovered radium. Without her, we would not have many of the diagnostic tools we have today, including xrays, radiology etc, which has saved countless lives. Her dedication to her work should always be an inspiration.

Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird, who refused to write a sequel and pander to the publishing industry. As she stated, "Mockingbird still says what it has to say; it has managed to survive the years without preamble." It was her first and only book, and no book has ever generated as much controversy over the years. And yet, it still stands today as America's greatest novel.

Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers, and all those who fought for civil rights, in spite of beatings, jail, threats, and even death. They faced the ugliness of human nature, and yet still believed enough in people as a whole to push for equal rights for all.

Ghandi, who believed in making the worlda better place one person at a time. He was also a great proponent of civil disobedience -- if you didn't like what your government was doing, you had the right to tell them so, and work towards a greater good.

Dhali Lama, whose love of all things is unparalleled. He is a great student of human nature, and believes that each of us has the ability to find our own happiness by reaching out to others and doing good work.

Lise Meitner, one of the scientists whose early work on nuclear physics helped in the eventual creation of the A-bomb, refused an offer to work on the project at Los Alamos, declaring "I will have nothing to do with a bomb." Because of her anti-bomb stance, she was forced to find work in Europe after the war, and watched as her fellow scientists received Nobel Prizes for "their" work in nuclear fission. She later stated she cared nothing for prizes or accolades, only for working towards the betterment of science. She is best known for being "a physicist who never lost her humanity."

John Muir, naturalist and preservationist, who helped ensure the protection of the giant Redwoods in California, was one of the first people to recognize the delicacy of ecosystems, and one of the first to witness man's influence on those systems. He lobbied President Roosevelt to create a park where man's influence would be limited, and where the last of the old growth forest would remain untouched. Because of his influence, we can now enjoy all of the wonderful parks and forests maintained by the Nat'al Park Service.

I think I have a long way to go...

If I were on Inside the Actor's Studio...

I don't watch a lot of TV (I DVR most of the shows I want to see), but I am kind of an addict when it comes to the Bravo show "Inside the Actor's Studio". For those of you who have not seen it, it's basically a Q&A session with an actor, hosted by James Lipton. They talk about everything, from their childhoods, to their start in Hollywood, to their film/TV roles, to their future projects. They discuss the art of acting in great detail (sometimes too much detail), but my favorite part of the show is the end, when Mr. Lipton quizzes the actor on their likes/dislikes. You find out some very interesting things...

So it got me thinking about how I would answer Mr. Lipton, should I ever become a guest on "Inside..." I know... I know.. the chances are extremely remote, but I wanted to be prepared should the event ever arise. So, for your viewing enjoyment, here are my answers to the Actor's Studio quiz:

What is your favorite word? chocolate
What is your least favorite word? No or Can't
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? creativity/humor
What turns you off? cruelty, spitefullness
What is your favorite curse word? son of a *****
What sound or noise do you love? wind blowing through Australian pine trees
What sound or noise do you hate? telephone ringing, anyone/thing crying in pain
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? radio performer (like old time comedy/mystery radio)
What profession would you not like to do? politician/ambassador
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? It's good to see you, but there's been some mistake. You'll have to go back.

What would your answers be?

Out of the mouths of babes...

My five year old niece was trying tell me about her ballet lessons. She was in the middle of her story when, in the background, I could hear my 2 year old nephew start to cry and carry on as only a two year old can. He was apparently jealous that his sister got to use the phone first.

At this point, I could barely hear what my niece was saying. After a couple of minutes of trying to continue her story in spite of the noise, my niece, sighed loudly and said, "Aunt Kathy, he's just so... so...exasprat... exsparaging... " The word was on the tip of her tongue.

"Do you mean 'exasperating'?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's it!" she cried joyfully. "My brother is so exsparaging!"

Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have another journalist in the making. Heaven help us!

A Day In The Life of a Cat

Sleep. Eat. Stretch. Curl up with humans. Sleep some more. Eat. Puke on any surface that is not easily cleanable. Race around the house with no particular purpose in mind other than to break things and drive the humans crazy. Wait for the humans to take the dog outside, then scoot through the semi-open door.
Freedom. Explore in the gardens and dig up plants. Check out what's under the cars (where the humans can't reach). Wander through the woods. Enjoy the sunshine. Savor hearing the humans call out in vain. Return only when everything on the feline to-do list has been accomplished.
Allow human to escort you back inside. Jump on bed. Yawn. Knead covers. Sleep some more. Hear activity in the kitchen. Slowly meander towards the sound of food being opened and cooked. It could be tuna. Loudly express opinion regarding the sharing of the food. If food not forthcoming, express opinion louder. Volume + intensity = higher success rate.
Return to bed. Sleep again. Hear TV in the next room. Stretch and go investigate. Jump on human. Insist on sharing blanket. Curl around human's leg. Use human as heated pillow. Sleep. A few hours later, human escorts you to garage, where you are to remain for the evening (aka: Lock up). You vow to get revenge by throwing up on the human's shoe's tomorrow. Curl up and sleep in kayak.

In the morning, repeat.


Top 5 functions of a cat:

1. Couch anchor: Make sure all couches/chairs remain in their current positions. You never know when furniture might decide to move by itself.
2. Biological heater: On those cold winter nights, you'll always be toasty warm with a few cats laying on/near you.
3. Dog tormentor: Never let a dog get too self-assured. A cat will be sure to bring some perspective to your canine, and let him know his ranking in the household.
4. Bug catcher: The bigger the bug, the better. The more dangerous the bug, the better. The more pinchers, stingers, and otherwise harmful appendages, the better. Cats love a challenge.
5. Sleeping aid: Lay down in bed. Pull covers over body. Allow cat to find comfortable position (usually sleeping on head). Sleep and in a few hours wake up with a mouth full of cat hair and a contented friend.

Manatees, Christmas and the New Year (Oh My!)

In case you are wondering, that is me, and swimming next to me is a genuine Florida manatee, possibly the gentlest and most amazing creature to ever glide through the crystal clear waters of the Homosassa River.

This year, I finally managed to get Dave something that he really wanted and really liked for Christmas. (No small feat, I can assure you). I took him on a See the Manatees tour, which put us smack dab in the middle of a group of 6-8 manatees. We followed all the rules carefully, and never chased or bothered them in any way. We just let them come to us, and the result was unbeliveable. These magnificent creatures swam all around us, allowed us the gentlest of touches, and generally amazed us with their immense size yet gentle natures. They were more curious about us, I think. In the end, as we tried to get back on the boat, they blocked our path because they wanted us to keep rubbing their bellies. The more attention we gave them, the more they wanted. It was an incredible experience, one that left us in awe and respect of these wonderful creatures. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend trying it for yourself. It's the thrill of a lifetime.

Now let's talk about the holidays. I have but one word to describe them -- WHEW! We ended up spending 3 days driving from house to house, trying to squeeze in as many people as we could for some quality holiday time, and in the end, we were exhausted. But, we were able to do many important things while in town, including taking Big Dave's parents to the "Ice" exhibit at the Gaylord Palms (our gift to them), which they enjoyed very much. Afterwards we pigged out on the awesome buffet at the hotel -- you haven't lived until you've tried their apple crepes, or their chocolate fondue fountain. Good stuff. We spent Christmas Eve Day with my parents (at a Chinese Buffet), then spent Christmas Day with the inlaws, then drove back Christmas night. We couldn't leave the "kids" unsupervised for too long. I need a holiday from my holiday.

Fortunately New Year's Eve was a little more quiet. We spent it at home, trying to catch up on some of the shows we DVRd over the past few months (Moonlight, Chuck, Bones, etc). We stayed up late enough to see the ball drop at Times Square, then Dave went to his game room and I went to bed. What can I say, we're PARTY people! : )

I spent New Year's Day using up some of my gift certificates. Picture it: Me, unsupervised, in a book store with gift cards, a discount card AND New Year sales, pumped up on mocha coffee. It wasn't pretty, people. Not pretty at all. I've got a nice little stack of new things to read, but I want to take the time to apologize to the book store employees who tried to be helpful, but foolishly got in my way. Sorry, but Momma needed some new tomes, and ... well... ya just don't get in the way of a book addict when she's trying to look at the new fiction. Ya just don't do it. : )