Okay, there are times when I need to stop, beathe, and do something to remove myself from a frustrating situation…..this is one of those time.  The only reference I’m going to make to the CAUSE of this need is that it is work related……

SO!  Writing – it helps bring back the sanity.

Some of you may live in the dark or, perhaps, don’t have a TV in your house…..but Twilight (the movie, based on the book written by Stephenie Meyers) was released on DVD this past weekend.  I can tell you, without much embarrassment, that I was one of thousands of women and young girls who purchased the DVD.  I even watched a bit of it before hitting the books for my never ending homework!  And, I am one who can fully admit that I like the series and the movie very much.  I even said as much in this post, where I did a little review of sorts.  So, know that I am first a fan of the book series and also a fan of the movie.

Having said that, this was not an academy award winning production.  It is no Slumdog Millionaire.  It doesn’t touch you deep inside and make you think for days like The Reader.  It doesn’t make you want to punch an LAPD officer like Changeling.  In fact, some of the special effects and editing left a bit to be desired.  Yet, the two times I went to the theater to see this, it was pretty full….and the second time was a LONG time after it opened!  So, what makes this movie (and the book series) SO GOOD????

Well, it helps that so many girls/women find Edward, via actor Robert Pattinson, outrageously edible.  Kudos to Meyers, though, for creating such a loveable vampire in the first place!  And, well, truthfully the whole idea that a vampire could be so sexy AND loveable is cool IMHO.  The other characters – Bella, her Dad, Jacob – add great debth to the story too.  But I think to REALLY appreciate the movies, you had to read the book….probably ALL the books……to get a sense of the deep running water of the story, the potential of the characters, and the interactions between Edward and Bella.  And THAT is a huge part as to why this movie has been so well received – its foundation is built on a strong , well written story that was already well received by millions of readers.  Fortunately, the characters were very close to the ones that found their birth in our minds as we read page after page of turmoil, love, struggles, and hope.

So what am I really saying?  Kudos to Meyers for creating the hit that is now in my living room, sitting in a special edition, 2 DVD set!  And when is the next movie being released, dammit!

Gina OUT!

This song is by Tyrone Wells, one of my favorite performers and also who I will be seeing in concert Saturday in Hermosa Beach! This is one of his older songs, but one of my favs….which also makes me feel all googly inside…….Learn more about him at www.tyronewells.com.

Anyway, when I hear this song my mind starts racing…..yes, I have a specific face in mind….remember the yearning I felt and the exhilaration I felt when a certain person would walk by, or I would hear their voice.  And my heart, beating in my chest…..I so want to shared…….Hmmmm.  Love this song

Lyrics

Will you like to watch the sunrise
Will you have blue or brown eyes
What are the dreams you long to share

I hope you like Stevie Wonder
Are you afraid of thunder
I close my eyes and say a prayer your out there somewhere

Chorus:
I’ve been waiting all of my life for you
I’ve been wishing on every shining star

I’ve been watching out of my window

Wondering where you are

Wondering where you are

My heart’s my only treasure
I’ve been saving it for your pleasure
I can’t wait to give my heart to you

We’ll walk this road together
That leads us to forever
I close my eyes and say a prayer your out there somewhere

Chorus

Too many nights alone
And this house won’t be a home until I’m with you

I’ve been waiting all my life for you
I’ve been wishing on every shining star

Chorus

Wondering where you are Wondering where you are
Wondering where you are Wondering where you are

Okay, I am a little early but I wanted to throw this idea out there……..since I am a GEEK, have and love thousands of songs, and well…..have a brain that things about lyrics and thoughts and STUPID STUFF!  So, to work within this dilemma of the neurosis of my life, I am instituting the following days to post a song and lyrics under a theme.  Right now, I have:

Friday Love Songs Day

Saturday Fun Songs Day

Monday Heartbreak Songs Day

Let me know if you have any other suggestions for other days!  Here is what I am gonna do – pick a song for the theme, post the lyrics, and IF I CAN FIND IT, link an audio or video file for your review.  THEN, if you want to play along, you can comment about what memories/emotions/thoughts the song brought to you.

Additionally, if you want to, post a comment or email me at gmdimples33@yahoo.com and suggest song(s) for the next week!  My hope is that I can bring you into my neosis as well!  So, I have to go think about the song for tomorrow’s Friday Love Songs!

I have gotten out of the habit, but I used to go to Wikipedia everyday to find out what happened “on this day”. It’s fun AND educational! I know, I know, I might sound like a bit of a nerd……well, I probably give you myriad reason to call me that……but hey, it is what it is!

Anyway, I haven’t checked it out in a while but decided to this morning (since, among other things, I can’t sleep…..and well, it’s time to get up now anyway…..). Low and behold, some pretty exciting things happened on March 26th!

Hapyy Independence Day to Bangladesh!

• As a person who LOVES LOVES LOVES to read and who happens to speak English, I was excited to learn that, in 1484, William Caxton, who was the first printer of books in English, printed his translation of Aesop’s Fables.
• It saddened me to learn that, in 1942 – in Poland, Auschwitz received its first female prisoners.
• But – now this is cool! – in 1953 – Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine.
• And (this made me tear up!), in 1976, Queen Elizabeth II sent out the first royal email, from the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment.
• In 1997, thirty-nine bodies found in the Heaven’s Gate cult suicides. Wow, I remember this too well to realize it was 11 years ago! Does that mean I am getting old?!?!!?!
• As an avid emailer, I shuttered in remembering that, in 1999 – The Melissa computer worm was released, infecting e-mail systems around the world.

And let’s not forget birthdays!

• 1874 – Robert Frost, American poet (d. 1963)
• 1911 – Tennessee Williams, American dramatist (d. 1983)
• 1930 – Sandra Day O’Connor, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
• 1931 – Leonard Nimoy, American actor and director (he reminds me of my brother, Joe)
• 1940 – James Caan, American actor
• 1942 – Erica Jong, American author
• 1944 – Diana Ross, American singer (Supremes)
• 1948 – Steven Tyler, American singer (Aerosmith) – boy he rocks for his age!!!!
• 1950 – Martin Short, Canadian comedian

Okay, there is a bunch more, but I need to get ready for work! But before I go, let me share some of the peeps who have been in Du-par’s lately:

I was right next to Eric Stolz yesterday! He was with another actor, but I can’t remember his name so sorry.

The other day, Danny Trejo stopped by. For a tough guy, I have to admit he was pretty sexy!

Gallagher was in and, yes, he was bald on top.

ABC News Anchor Marc Brown is a regular. And he is way more buff than he looks on TV!

Okay, I really need to go! Chat at you later! Gina OUT.

If you want to see poorly taken pics of my place, check out this link. The pics were uploaded to Facebook, so email or comment if you have a problem.

Gotta get back to my sunflower seeds and Shiraz……aaaggghhhh, the life of the decadent! Too bad I worked 12 hours before it!

Oops, am I really complaining?!!?!!?!

Oh, and if you’re REALLY bored, check out my new page……Gina’s School work or something dumb like that.  It’s to the right…….over there……

Okay, so right now my garage is still filled with junk; stuff to unpack, things to donate, and storage. Because of that, I am forced to park on the street where I live. SUPPOSEDLY, there is ample parking because the CC&R’s state you must use your garage – with the exception of a period of time after you move in. LOL Had to throw that in to elevate me, right? ANYWAY, this is NOT the case as there are several neighbors that have FILLED garages…..worse than mine! So, to sum it up, parking is a bitch.

To further complicate things, the street in front of my house has areas that go in for parking. You just can’t park anywhere. Fortunately, there are two right by my house. Except, for the past two days, one caring and loving neighbor felt fit to park in such as way as to take two of the three parking spaces. Monday I was able to find parking in a different place, but yesterday the car was alone so I thought I would give it a shot. Since my car is not huge, I parked REALLY CLOSE to the car so that, in the event another small car came around, they could park there too.

Well, this morning, as I took Gracie out to potty, I saw a HUGE TRUCK parked behind me. And, to be legal, they needed to park REALLY CLOSE to me, too. So, in essence, I can’t move my freaking car. To make things even more comical, a car parked in front of the original “I took two parking spaces” car, (really, both “end” cars are outside of the allowed parking area) – so the car in front of me is stuck, too. I would have taken a pic but I was irritated with Gracie, who was too busy checking out the surroundings to poop this morning……

So……the question for today: Was I even “being nice” when I parked my car that way? Or was I just thankful to be able to park so close to my house?

And, do people even realize they are blocking me in? Probably not.

And, is this a sign that I should stay home from work?????

Whoa….I sense my complaining nature is getting more strength – better go shower and hope for a better attitude STAT!

And, to keep this blog hip and up-to-date, check out this article. I just don’t get it – I mean seriously, shouldn’t a firm that has lost billions of dollars and needs the government to bail them out be allowed to give their incompetent executives $50+ million in bonuses…..paid by you and me?!?!!?! After all, THIS IS AMERICA! Not!

Oh my, now I have the urge to question the whole “should the government bail out private firms?” thing! Or, “isn’t capitalism about taking the risk of making it or closing down? This bail out thing sounds a lot like socialism…..” NO! Fight it Gina, FIGHT IT!

Gina OUT!

….and other rhetorical questions I ask at work lately!

So, a synopsis of how things have occurred at my work in relation to the recent server upgrade:

1.  Prior to the upgrade, 5 things didn’t work

2. The upgrade itself, which was to last “two business days at the most, and will be seamless to accounting”, actually took five business days, two of which accounting was unable to work.

3.  The five things that didn’t work?  Three now do.  Progress, right?  However, about 24 other items have now stopped working.

Presently, my vendor is trying to fix ONE of them so we can process payroll this week.  Sigh.  Can’t do anything for a couple of hours, which I fear will really mean the rest of the day.  But who am I to complain????

And since I’ve let my hair down to complain, I might as well add this article too!  Basically, if red meat (which I love, although have been trying to cut down on….) can kill me not only with cancer or heart disease, but myriad other ways as well!  Thank goodness this news was just published about insurance!

And sorry ladies, another sexy bachelor has tied the knot.  NOT.

And for those who love the bizarre, read this!  I wonder where she is getting the money to pay the nannies she kept?

Okay, you can probably glean from this post that I have nothing to do here.  AND I didn’t bring my laptop to work, so I can’t even work on my paper!  Dun dun dun!

But, alas, it IS a beautiful day!

Okay, I could write paragraph after paragraph right now about how agonizing my day was at work. I won’t do that – not just because I have about 20 pages of paper to write tonight for school, but primarily because I feel the need to focus on the positive! So, let the fun begin!

~ Today, I have my own cable internet! This is GREAT NEWS! I had DSL through the owner of the place I lived for over a year, and it really sucked. And the last place I lived the signal came from the house…..I have no idea if it was DSL or cable, and remember I was in the converted garage. So now, I have MY OWN service, I have a new modem, and IT IS FAST! I am very happy.

~ Along with that, I also have cable television! While TV has never been the focus of my life, it’s great to be able to watch the news if I want. Also, we have a DVR, so I can record important things and watch it when/if I have time. Law & Order, here I come!

~ Many may not see or appreciate this, but I LOVE my drive to work! I used to love to drive through Brea Canyon, especially during this time of year with the green hills and clear skies. That is true for the Santa Clarita Valley, too. This pic doesn’t really do it justice, but I LOVE looking at this each morning:

~ I am happy with music. The longer drive has allowed me to, once again, have more access to the thousands of songs stored on my iPod. It has made me even more anxious to play again and maybe mess around with some more songs.

~ I am happy with my new digs. Quiet. Comfortable. Safe. NOT DAMP! Yes!

~ I am happy with Facebook – I have reconnect with so many people lately! I am very thankful that it works so well. I hope that some “old” friends find me or find it in their hearts to try being friends again. Wow, that sounds cryptic….SO not what I was going for!

~ On that note, I AM very thankful for my friendship with Nancy Goens. Thanks for being there!  (THIS WAS A HUGE MISTAKE!  I DRANK THE KOOLAIDE!)

Well, I could go on and on, but I DO have to get to work on the paper……sigh. I feel so unmotivated! Maybe I should pretend its this blog?!?!!!?

Wishing you the best! Gina OUT!

Today started EARLY……leaving soon to see Zack’s baseball game.  I haven’t been to any of his games, so I am looking forward to it.  And, I am bringing Gracie!  Woohoo!  Would’ve liked a few more hours of sleep, but alas…..

Also have TONS of homework!  What else is new?

Okay, have decided on going to the Huntington Library AND The Getty Villa (thanks Mickey for reminding me about this one!).  Anyone want to come?  For the Villa, you have to get “tickets” (which are free) ahead of time.  I really want to see the Lincoln Exhibit at the Huntington Library!  I am a history buff and Lincoln is one of my favorite Presidents……Anyway, seriously, if anyone out there wants to tag along, let me know!

I think the next boring post will include a description of my new digs, and maybe pictures.  It is very roomy and comfortable, and the neighborhood ROCKS!  But for now, I have to run!

Wishing you all a pleasant day!  Drop me a comment once in a while!