I am so LOST

Let me correct myself, I am so INTO "Lost." As in the TV series about the stranded survivors of a freaky plane crash. I don't have cable so a friend & I rented the first DVD of the first season DVD's and immediately became hooked--we went thru & watched those 24 episodes like junkies on a smack binge (slight reference to one of the "Lost" characters, the defunct rocker, Charlie). It's like "Survivor," "X Files," "ER," and "The O.C." (for the pretty people factor) all rolled into one. I'm not really one to schedule my life around TV shows, but I've been really drawn into this one despite the occasional cheese factor & cliche'd characters (strong, handsome doctor who becomes the leader, the tough, beautiful female character with a mysterious past...etc...) I've reverted back to when I faithfully caught every episode of "Melrose Place," long, long time ago. Saddddd. But I still loves my island castaways!!!

Life is a Sine Wave

Hills / valleys, peaks / troughs, neutral turning points. It's interesting how much easier it gets to navigate the sudden twists & changes of directions as you get on in life. Just my introspective little thought for the day.

Post Non-Drinking Stint Summary

Tried a wacky personal challenge during the 2005 holidays: no alcohol throughout the holiday season, starting Thanksgiving, ending New Year's Eve. The following are some key results/take-aways:

Pros:
1. Tolerance has dropped a couple notches (read: cheap date)
2. Newfound appreciation for Diet Pepsi (was hardcore Diet Coke purist) and black tea (preferred green tea before)
3a. Didn't have to constantly refill the beer inventory in the fridge (it's a bitch trudging up 2 flights of stairs with a case of suds)
3b. Still have a full bottle of ibuprofen (handfuls of which were typically popped as a pre-emptive strike against a raging hangover)
5. Skimmed a couple pounds off the pot belly

Cons:
1. Tolerance has dropped a couple notches (read: cannot form full sentences after drink #2)
2. Have discovered there are a few people who are tolerable only when I am drinking
3. Could not enjoy the effects of beer coat during the cold nights

On the whole, there were a lot more positives than negatives, so I think it was a useful and healthy experiment in social alcoholism. It's good to be able to partake of the drink these days--I still think I have the tendency to overdo it, but I think I may have pared back on the frequency. Moderation. Willpower. Growth. Yea, right.

"Outsiders" Flashback

Remember little Ralph Macchio & the guy that played Ponyboy (I forget his name) in the film adaptation of S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders," that staple on the reading lists of 8th grade literature classes? Was chatting with a friend over a glass of wine last night and as we were looking at the Rittenhouse park scene outside the restaurant, it sparked a memory of that part where Ponyboy reads that Robert Frost to Ralph's character, Johnny:

"Nothing Gold Can Stay"

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

-- Robert Frost

My friend and I were discussing how nice all the holiday lights looked in the park trees (see previous post), but I started thinking about how cheesy the sight of them would become if they were up all year. Everything inevitably just gets tired & old. The cold is bringing on the cynicism. (Acutally, the weather has been extremely fair these past few days, supposedly 60 F tomorrow!)

Trying to stay gold...& out of the cold...

I like [insert fruit of choice]...

...persimmons!

You thought I was going to say GRAPES, didn't youuuu? Grapes give me ghastly incontinence which often leads to my wallowing about in my own feces. Wot tha deuce?!?#@

Bwa ha ha!