Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

It was the third, bi-annual, girl's weekend escape of debauchery and carnal delight. Which basically just means we eat as much fattening food as humanly (or inhumanely) possible in one weekend. I know…we take the phrase living on the edge to a whole new level.

The interesting fact here is that each year we’ve lost one member of the group. The first trip we were all there. The second trip mom was in Australia and we were forced to tote around her head on a stick for all the pictures. (Not her real head you sicko - an 8X10 photo.)

This year, Kristin dropped off.

Next year there is a high probability that Amy or Lisa will be gone if this trend continues. And then…THEN I will be all alone. How do I know I will be the last one standing? Use your noggin - I am the spinster. I alone have no commitments, strings or obligations and I alone was given (as a birthday present from my best friend) the song "all by myself" as a video tribute.

I digress. Let's stick to the present.

There were many highlights, but in the interest of time I’ve narrowed them down to a top 8 list:

1. For Todd: I fell again. In the lobby of the Hampton. in front of many, many people. Who might not have seen it if the security guard hadn't gasped at about 100 decibels as he rushed to try and save me from certain death. Fool. If he only knew I fall about 10 times a year and I am well practiced in the art. I was wearing a relatively short skirt, but I think there was minimal exposure, as I quickly stood, brushed myself off and calmly thanked the kind man for his assistance as I moved toward the elevator. My sister in law Amy simply said for all to hear, "Oh man - I wish I had been watching!"


2. I wasn't joking about the food. We ate at Tavern on the Green,
The Russian Tea Room, Patsy's, Grimaldi's, and everywhere else we could find good eats. Each day was literally planned around all the places we wanted to eat. And we were only saddened by the fact that we couldn't justify more than 3 meals in one day.

Lisa fixed this by snacking between meals on cupcakes from Magnolias, bags of candy and ice cream.
I think my favorite part of eating at the Russian Tea Room was the expression on all three of our faces when the food arrived and it was a tiny round portion (like they eat in them thar fancy places)
that was all pretty..and foreign and it wasn't a plate heaped high with familiar foods. As we snapped pictures of it (and by we, I mean Lisa) I'm sure the wait staff and other patrons were impressed by our high level of culture.


3. Lisa's shoes hurt her when we were at our Broadway show, so she once again shared her cultrual saavy by removing them and walking around barefoot.



4. Amy bought a knock-off Gucci bag on Canal Street. In a van. We literally had to climb in a van, shut the door and turn on a light to see all the goods. When the transaction was over, Amy made a move to get out and the lady told her to wait. She called her spy outside to make sure the coast was clear and then we were allowed to exit. Meanwhile Lisa was tapping her foot outside muttering about the bloody hands of the poor Asian children that were tortured to make that bag.

5. Did I mention Amy was 9 months pregnant? I lived in constant fear of becoming a mid-wife on a subway. She did remarkably well and our bell hop told her "If it a girl, she be my girlfriend. If it a boy he just be my friend." Fantastic.


6. Amy really, really wanted to see Ellis Island. We supported the decision, but had only around a 3 hour window of time before our dinner/show. We spent 20 minutes on Ellis Island. We spent 2 hours and 20+ minutes getting there. She still seemed pleased.

7. We got pedicures. The Mexican ladies who gave them to us included leg massages. And by leg massage, I mean severe beat down. Lisa woke up with black and blue marks on her legs. I told them good jokes about how their boss-lady was a big fat liar in Spanish that they laughed hysterically at, so I know they liked us. I can't imagine how they "massage" the people they don't like.



8. Lisa insisted we go to Grimaldi's (famous pizza under the brooklyn bridge) and walk across the bridge. We were starving when we got to the streetlight across from Grimaldi's and we noticed a group of about 8 Asian tourists who were clearly also going there. I told the ladies - we gotta move it and not let the Asian Invasion beat us or we'll never get to eat. Without waiting for the light to change we ran across the street, and one of the guys took off after us. Clearly, he was picking up what we were laying down. We just beat him across and in to the line, but to our chagrin there was a Grimaldi's "Nazi" seating people and for some unknown reason he went right past us and took the AI group in first. He then proceeded to seat another group of 3 farther down the line from us and then finally decided we were worthy. Some people really let power go to their heads. And all the running for naught.

(I'm the one with the glowing head. Every picture ended with an unfortunately placed rain drop or flash on my face. A sign? Perhaps.)

I could continue, but I'm starting to get carpal tunnel. All in all it was a successful weekend although Kristin was very missed (sniff, sniff.) Three cheers for sisters and for girls' weekends!

Color me Confused

Look, I'm the first person to get in line and cheer for a happy ending at the end of some serious persistence, and a hard fought victory, but come on, there's a big difference between persistence and just choosing not to live in reality.

Someone on match, who goes by a name that includes the word lucky, sent me several "winks". Let me first say, a "wink" is the chicken-*** way of contacting someone to see if you can elicit a return wink before you take that daring plunge of sending an actual email that says, "I'd like to get to know you." But I ask you, for someone with no picture (like lucky***) and no risk of face to face contact, how much guts does it take to just send the bloody email? I mean you're already online - go crazy. Of course he found the courage and sent some emails when he got no response to the winks.

His emails included:
#1: Write me please.

#2: I'm not giving up. Why won't you write??

#3: i am not giving up just yet :-) come on one email won't hurt you......come on, don't be too stubborn :-)

I have been waiting,
for a girl like you,
to come into my life..
Yeah waiting, for someone who
Could make me realize,
that I've been waiting for you.

I have never seen a more blatant misuse of foreigner in my life.

Finally, when I was online checking my messages, he caught me and sent an IM. An IM popping up is both sneaky and scary. Because it comes while you are online, and they know you are online which is why they sent it, it feels like they are watching you. This makes me feel much less comfortable about ignoring them. It's as if someone came up to you in a room and said, "Hello." And you just look at them and then walk away. That's IM to me.

So, I responded.

We chatted briefly, he asked why I didn't respond, and I told him I don't respond to people without pictures. Seemed like a fast and easy out, I could be on my way. He told me he would email me pictures and then I could decide. Hello--talk about a trick-play. I mean, it essentially says that 1. If you reject them based on a picture you are a shallow beast, and 2. If you reject them based on a picture you could smash their fragile ego.

Of course on the other hand, if you agree to go out when you aren't interested and didn't like their picture you are also screwed. It was a very clever play. Touche lucky***.

I told him I was late, had to get off IM and would check my email later. He sent the pics, I saw them, I wasn't interested. In my defense, I wasn't interested even before the pics. I didn't respond to the email. I know, I suck. But WHAT DO YOU SAY??

He told me when I signed off that he would not contact me again, the ball was in my court. Lies, all lies.

Two days later and email came asking why I hadn't responded and telling me I was very mean.

He may be right. But so is he. I figured this would never end if I didn't reply, so I did. I told him that I didn't think he was my type, and that frankly he was a little too aggressive and challenging, but I wished him the best of luck in his search.

He wrote back a reply thanking me for the feedback, and I washed my hands of a very uncomfortable online encounter.

Apparently lucky*** believes not only in making his own luck, but he also has a very short memory. I truly believe this is how Bill Murray felt in Groundhog Day when...

Today in my inbox....a "wink" from Lucky***. More Foreigner to come?

Life-long Learning

Just a brief note and a flash of Pride. Which, yes, I do realize cometh before a fall. I'm not worried...much.



About a month ago Kristin decided she wanted a header for her blog and didn't want to spend the money on hiring someone to do it for her. I took it upon myself to create one for her, using it as an opportunity to learn a little more about photoshop and blog design. I'd never done one before, but I'm kind of proud of how this one turned out. Don't comment if you disagree.

BTW, I'll also use this as an opportunity to send a shout out to Kristin (and maybe this will help cancel out that whole "fall-thing.") You should check out her You Got Served blog for great recipes and meal ideas. This lady cooks fantastic food EVERY single night, and I am fairly certain there are very few of us out there who still do that. (Ordering CPK, or thawing a frozen hungry man dinner do NOT count.)

Match-o-matic: For Reals, Yo

You may remember that I mentioned back about, oh, a month or so ago that I was signing up on Match.com to help create more engaging content for all y'all people. I mean what good is a spinster blog if there's no men to write about? Can I get an amen?

I extended this promise to you, and then I failed you. I apologize. But I'm back in town, back in business, and the online experiment has officially begun, promising to bring you hours of delightful or appalling reading. Depending on your perspective.

Before I mention the actual date I went on last night, let me just say there are some major whack-jobs online. This shouldn't be surprising considering there are some major whack-jobs in real life, and what more natural forum for them than the online world, but still...I never fail to be surprised. I'm not sure if it's early onset Alzheimers or just that I'm an eternal optimist, but it certainly keeps life fresh for me.

Shock #1:

Man emails me. I ignore it. Man emails me again and tells me this: "I noticed the home shot, looks like Stonebridge, I'll bet I could find the bb hoop...but trust me i'm not stalking." Right, sure, that's NOT stalkerish at all. Ummm..scary. Did he think this would elicit a reply?

Shock #2:
Scary man who looks like he stuck his finger in a light socket. Is anyone else startled by his expression? Another one who wouldn't give up although he pulled the religion card on me. Said he really wanted to learn about "The Ypsi LDS." When I didn't respond, he pulled the guilt card. As in, I wish you wrote - I really wanted to learn about God. I mean- he's on match for religious lessons? I don't think that's why he contacted me, do you? I did write back at that point out of guilt, and recommended the missionaries as a good source for understanding the Ypsi LDS.

There's some characters out there. I wish them well. I really do.

Last night I went on my first Match meet-up. Here's all I'm going to say right now. Major disappointment. He was normal, there was good conversation, and I'm going to see him again. Is that the kind of thing I want to write about here?? Nay. I apologize. I assure I will do a much better job of selecting "interesting subjects" for all future meetings.

Get off the Political Fence

Looks like my decision has been made.

Thanks to a new website -Matchomatic: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/MatchoMatic/fullpage?id=5542139

I no longer have to go back and forth and be indecisive. Apparently, based on my selections I am going to be voting for Obama. It's a big relief to not have to go back and forth any longer trying to figure it out for myself. Give it a whirl and see where you land.

As a side-note, I also feel validated in my indecision. In looking at the match-o-matic results, 6 of my views lined up with McCain and 7 with Obama. Truly a tight race.

With results that close I might still be on the fence if it wasn't for two things.

1. SNL. Really helped me get clear. Thanks Tina Fey.

2. McCain's ad campaign. Annoying, jerky, oodles of proven lies. Honestly, he gave himself a shot and then shot himself in the foot. I'm back to disliking him too much to even consider the issues. What a relief that I agree approximately 50% with Obama.

(Oh, and thank you match-o-matic for only 13 questions. If they did 12 or 14, I might still be up a creek.)

Goodbye Helicopter

For Max's birthday I took him to Target to pick out a present. We ended up with two. Two helicopters. Apparently they are a current obsession. Newly minted when he saw them no doubt.

One of the helicopters had a remote control and it could fly. On Sunday we found some batteries and gave it a try. Kristin grabbed the remote to show us how it was done. She crashed it several times, but appeared confident so Max, Keely and I let her keep "showing us how to do it."

She insisted we take it outside where there was more room. We moved it to the porch where Kristin once again took the controls. I held it on my hand and she set the propellers in motion. We all watched as it sailed higher, and higher and higher. I wondered when she would turn it or bring it back down.

It continued to climb...about 20 or 25 feet until it got as high as the tallest roof. Just as i was about to say, "shouldn't you bring it back down?" it took a sudden turn towards the roof and dropped. Keely, Max and I stood with mouths agape wondering what happened to our little "hewicowpter."

Kristin and Abram tried to get out the ladder and make it work...impossible. It was too high, and the ladder could not be dominated.

And so, the first flight of the helicopter was it's last. Goodbye helicopter. Thank goodness there was another one left.

If there is one thing I have learned from Lisa and Kristin - - confidence, even extreme confidence doesn't always mean they really, really know what they're talking about.

Career- Stopper

I think Abram said it best - "Michael Phelps agent should not have let him be on SNL." Seriously. The worst actor ever. With the possible exception of his entertaining performance on the tuba with his retainer.

On the other hand, The Sarah Palin/Hillary Clinton opener was perhaps the funniest skit I've seen on SNL in years. Tina Fey was spot on in her imitation, and the angle they used for Hillary of "just try harder, any woman can make it if they just try" was, well, really, really funny.

You can check it out here if you missed it: http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/palin-hillary-open/656281/

Regardless of what your politics are, you have to admit this is darned funny.

Family Time

I failed to mention that Travis, Garrett and I DID have some quality family time that didn't involve watching sports. For our special evening out we went to Brick Oven where they turned the heat up to 81 degrees so you get the really special experience of feeling like you're actually in that oven with your pizza, and THEN we went home and played sports trivia. (Yes, Travis DID dump his glass of water on his head to cool down in the restaurant.)

Luckily, since we had been watching it all day I was ready to dominate. Garrett kept telling us on each move about how he was going to, or was dominating us but Travis won the day. In what Garrett and I are very clear was a tainted victory. He didn't beat the buzzer on one (though he claims he did) and the last move was also quite controversial since he saw a team logo on the screen to identify and he said, "I know it's not the San Antonio Spurs, but..." then the buzzer went off and it was the San Antonio spurs and he claimed that was his guess. What? It's fine though, the sports Gods have been punishing him ever since and he will know truth.

We really did have a great time playing since there were cool tiebreakers on the DVD like "If your birthday is closest to Muhammed Ali's you win" and "Rock, paper, scissors for it." Good times. Good times.

People love politics

(Look at that embrace. See--they're getting along. Can't we? )

How about the number or responses to my Obama/McCain blog? Wow. It's interesting how fired up people get too. I never understood the old adage that you should never talk politics or religion with someone because it was too personal. Maybe because I never made politics personal to me. At any rate, thanks for all the thought-provoking repsonses. I defintely think there are two sides and two stories and for me, anyone who is so completely one way or the other and doesn't see the other side at all is probably a little closed off to reality. Most good political answers to me, are somewhere in the middle of both sides of rhetoric.

Everyone's opinion is a good opinion. Let's try not to be angry at each other for our difference's of opinion. I actually love when people write in with facts about the candidates because I learn from them and apply it to my decision. I want to hear what real people think and not just the media and pundits.

So a few thoughts on the comments I was left on my last post:


1. I will vote for either McCain or Obama and not write in, because I really do support both of them for different reasons. And bottom line, even after I make my decision, I'm not going to angry if the other guy wins. I think for the first time in an election that I can remember (and I'm pretty old) I am excited and happy about both options. Usually I can't stand either one.

2. After long political discussions with Travis and Garrett (And Garrett is a strong Democrat) it was decided that it doesn't matter how much experience Palin has. (And if your argument is that McCain is going to die and you don't want to be left with inexperience than how can you support Obama who will start in the exec position with the same amount of inexperience?) The president is surrounded by advisors who have oodles of experience and he/she make no decisions w/o their direction anyway--so if you're smart and you tend to make good choices (witness Pallin a staunch Republican voting to support homosexual rights) then your amount of experience is mostly rhetoric. I hardly consider Palin a PTA mom and not a government leader. She's done more and made more bold moves and implemented more change and rooted out more corrupt politicians than any other presidential or vice-presidential candidate in this race.
Finally, I will be thrilled to have candidates who DON'T have experience. Maybe they'll try something different that actually works!

3. McCain was not being brave or even liberally minded in choosing Palin. He chose her because it was his only shot. It got people talking and put him back in the spotlight and he hoped it would get him the Hillary voters. It won't. I am glad he chose her, but I don't give him any credit beyond his own best interest for the decision.

4. I was moved by both Obama AND McCain's speeches in their respective conventions. I found a lot more to like in McCain than I ever have previously. I really liked that McCain said he will use not only Republicans, but Democrats and independents in his cabinet choices. This is huge, and I believe he will. I think Obama is the most eloquent and charismatic speaker and I like his authenticity. I think he is our best bet to improve diplomatic relations. I am optimistic that both will move beyond party lines to make good choices and do things differently. Again, I believe balance is the answer.

5. I can't believe people aren't struggling with the choice. I hope no one comes in with their mind already made up. If you can't be open enough to really look in to and learn about the other candidate how can you make a truly educated decision?

Love to hear any thoughts you have. Kristin sent me a link to an article about Obama and the economy that dispels some of the over the top Republican rhetoric on his views. You can read it here: OBAMA ARTICLE.

Open your minds people - look at both sides. The coolest thing about this election is a-political people like myself actually care. The numbers for the Obama's speech were higher than we've ever had in an election and actually reached or surpassed American Idol numbers. Imagine that. People give a crap. No matter which way it goes, this is good news and refreshing and energizing change is in the air!

The Mancliner

I flew out to Utah this weekend to meet up with my film editor and talk to some media outlets and make sure things were still moving in general and in the process had the great good fortune of spending quality time with my brothers.



They also felt quite fortunate and soaked up every minute we had together plying me with questions and begging to interact in some meaningful way.



And by meaningful I mean sharing the wonderful world of sports together. In this case, the Bo Sox. I think there can't be a time too far distant when laptops become a permanent appendage to the male human body.




Actually, here's the invention my brothers would be the first to sign up for - consider this patented: Big fluffy recliner chairs that have a button you press to pull down giant egg-like surround walls. On the wall (now in front of them and encasing them) there is a TV screen that plays all sports all the time, and out of the arm of the chair a computer monitor unfolds and connects wirelessly to the internet. They no longer have to carry it around. Oh the freedom! There will be a hole at the top of the egg so that they can both breathe and have people hand them drinks and food. This is where they will spend their whole weekend, so I suppose it should also fully recline for sleeping purposes.

Behold...the Man-cliner.

McCain or Obama...that is the question

Has anyone else out there changed political parties several times over the last two years? I realize I can be indecisive at times, but this race has been surprisingly difficult for me in a couple different ways. 1. Sometimes I am challenged to choose my candidate because I don't like either option (Like when I thought it was going to end up Hillary vs McCain) and 2. sometimes I have positive feelings about what both sides have to offer: Obama and Pallin.

Recently I've been an Obama girl. Sorry, but I can't deny getting caught up in the whole I have a dream stuff and the passionate speeches about a new start and new opportunities. I mean, it is historical - and long overdue to have a black man in office.

Then he picked Biden. I don't care for Biden. I don't not care for him either. I just don't care and he's just another boring white man in a suit that Obama chose to play it safe and get some experience on his side. Boo.

On the other hand, I figured if McCain chose Romney I could seriously get behind that ticket and some economic know-how in the white house. When I first heard Sara Pallin...well I thought...Done. Don't know her, he's just picking a woman for the sake of picking a woman, it's not Romney - Game over.

BUT...then I started learning about her and reading about her and suddenly she's getting me excited. The idea of an outsider with Executive (even limited) experience is cool. And she's way more of a change agent and a renegade than Obama. She stopped the Bridge to Nowhere, she outed all the dirty politicians in Alaska, she fired the chef as soon as she took office because "I'm not going to be governor forever and I don't want my kids to expect a chef all their lives." She played basketball and was known as Sarah Baracuda, she's tough, bright and a go-getter. But she's not a Hillary kind of femi-nazi woman--she has 5 kids, one with Downs syndrome and they're not perfect and she cares equally about family and her work life. In a nut-shell, she's very likable.

So I'm back to ground zero. I really can't make up my mind and choose yet. But I do know this - - I'm thrilled that no matter which way the election goes, new ground will be broken and that my friends, is CHANGE.

Thoughts?

Goodbye Sweet Summer

Although it was sheer chaos around this house for the last weekend, I felt a little pang of sadness to wake up this morning and have it be silent...all visiting family and friends gone. It's been a long time since we've had so many family members in Michigan together, and I was especially sad to see Travis and Garrett go.

The weekend ended with a bang because after much persuasion, anger, threats, promises and tears the boys finally granted Kristin and I permission to play basketball with them and their friends. It was the highlight of my weekend when we finished playing and Garrett said, "Girl - you were ballin' out there." Really, you can't get higher praise from him. So of course all the pain it took to get there was forgiven. Another glass ceiling broken through for women everywhere. ;)

Steve insisted we end the Labor Day barbque with a picture of him holding Aviva and showing how much she enjoyed it. Why? So that he could rub it in Travis' face:



Because.. poor Travis pulled a scare tactic on Aviva early in his visit that made her effectively scream and cling to the nearest person in fear whenever he came around after that. Maybe he'll learn a lesson...don't scare babies, or they'll even turn to Steve.

As Abram said before grace: Good People, Good Food, Good times. A great weekend all in all.

For the Labor day crew: more pics from the weekend posted to
silentspinsterstories.blogspot.com

The House Bunny

Think Legally Blonde without the good ending and convincing moral, but WITH Hugh Heffner. Who by the way, shouldn't quit his day job.

I knew this movie could go either way (and was forewarned that it might be "crass") but Lisa and Debbie convinced me that a little crass-ness never hurt anyone so I agreed to go. I didn't want to hurt their feelings you see.

Here's my take: It's funny-for about an hour. Then it loses the thread, and some of the humor as Happy Madison follows their typical approach to humor with a long moral speech at the end that is supposed to be funny, but isn't. Some of your old favorites like Shooter McGavin make cameos, and of course Adam Sandler has to throw in some wierd physical humor like girls punching each other in the chest - why? I don't know. But there are some laugh out loud moments up front. I know because I heard Lisa.

Anyway, with the serious dearth of options right now, it's at least worth a few laughs.