My Looking Glass

Fly Me to the Tomb

For those of you who have asked about it over the past year, the celebrity death pool in which I partake each year is here: Fly Me to the Tomb.

You have until 12/31/06 at 11:59 p.m. EST to submit 13 picks plus 1 alternate for the 2007 contest. No fee is required to play, but donations are accepted. The rules for play are on the website, and you can surf around to see the current 2006 entries and standings to get an idea of how it works.

It's a well-run game. I've been playing for probably 5-6 years now. You can see my 2006 picks on the site, I go by the moniker Mistress of Doom.

Cheers!

posted by LA @ 5:34 PM 8 comments

Fickle much?

I know, I know. My celebrity obsessions seem to come and go at an alarming rate. My latest obsession is the delightful George Gray.

I'm unfamiliar with most of George's work, but I've seen nearly every episode of the show he hosts on HGTV entitled What's With That House?

On each episode, George takes us to three homes that are strange, quirky, bizarre, and/or unusual. Then, he interviews the homeowner, and poses the burning questions you're dying to ask, like, "just why do you have 86 gnomes in your front yard?" Boyfriend's a scream. Plus, he has a 17-pound orange cat named Stinky.

On the HGTV message boards, someone started a thread about his show where they talked some George smack. Not only did his fans come to his defense, but George himself got on there and handled the criticism with his usual wit and playfulness.

What's With That House is on HGTV, Monday at 11:00 pm, Tuesday at 6:30 pm. Check it out and swim in the fun that is George.

posted by LA @ 11:36 AM 4 comments

Holidays in the Hospital

A few years ago when I still worked "on campus" (which is how we say "at the hospital"), I wrote and faxed a holiday parody to the emergency department. Names have been changed and it has been generally edited so I don't get dooced. Medical translations denoted below in italics.


Twas the night before Christmas
When Santa checked in
To the emergency department
And saw the intern, Dr. Quinn

He had a chief complaint
Of painful hemorrhoids
From sitting in malls
And delivering toys

He was also plagued
With abdominal pain
Epigastric in nature
Not relieved with Dalmane

No history of MI, TB
Nor CVA
But Santa was positive
for IVDA

His heart tones were normal
His skin was not pale
Gross inspection revealed
An uncircumcised male

His pupils were round
With equal reaction
But rectal exam showed need
For acute disimpaction

Fluids were hung
By the bedside with care
Abdominal series showed stool
Negative for free air

Labs had been drawn
And were currently pending
When Dr. Quinn made the decision
To call in the attending

On check of the monitor
It was duly noted
His BP was dropping
Santa had coded!

On Johnson, on Jackson
On Smith and McDruthers
They rushed to his bedside
Followed by others

Then what to my wandering eye should appear
Clergy was called
Was the end really near?

When in strode Dr. Big Man
Wearing surgical greens
And he resuscitated Santa
With a box of Krispy Kremes

The waiting room erupted
With pediatric cheers
The gomer with epistaxis
Bought the ED a round of beers

With pagers a-beeping
And his floor bed delayed
It was suddenly discovered
Santa left the department AMA

By the end of the shift on
Christmas day morn
A miracle had occured
Worthy of music by horn

A new Krispy Kreme franchise
Drew a sensational panic
Erected overnight
At the corner of 1st Street and Blahnik

And we heard him exclaim
As he flew away with glee
"Happy Holidays to all
of you working the ED!"


Footnotes
MI - myocardial infarction also known as HEART ATTACK
TB - tuberculosis
CVA - cerebrovascular accident also known as STROKE
IVDA - intravenous drug abuse
BP - blood pressure
gomer - "Get Out of My Emergency Room," someone without an acute medical emergency
epistaxis - nosebleed
AMA - against medical advice
ED - emergency department

posted by LA @ 10:28 AM 8 comments

A Holiday Update

As you can see, Ruby is 1) adorable, 2) growing, and 3) enjoying her first Christmas. One of her favorite hobbies is chasing Rocco (a cat) around that tree. So far, there have been no casualties.

So I've been rounding out my Christmas shopping the last couple days, and today I faced a big challenge. My family is fairly pragmatic. To that end, we compose holiday wish lists each year, and this season, my brother wrote the following:

My wallet from Italy is getting thrashed. I really like having the gay coin dept in my wallet, I don’t care what people say. Don’t want a huge George Castanza wallet though.

So I set out to find a wallet bearing a "coin dept." Thing is, while the change compartment may be common to the European man, it is completely foreign to his American counterpart. Thus, finer American department stores, namely Nordstrom, don't cater to the coin department-seeking American man. I searched high and low, only to repeatedly strike out and garner strange looks from men's department employees. My feet were aching and my mind was weary when I finally had a brain storm. I sought out a luggage store in the mall, and sure enough, their inventory included men's wallets that accomodate coinage. I told the salesman, "you have no idea how happy you've just made me." I damnably meant it, too. I was so pleased to find the right gift.

posted by LA @ 11:05 PM 7 comments

A Christmas Meme

A Christmas Meme, accompanied by a piece of of my beadwork (go ahead and click it).

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot choclate.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wrapped!

3. Colored lights on tree/house? Lots of white lights.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, not consistently.

5. When do you put your decorations up? When I decorate, I usually do it pretty early, like Thanksgiving weekend or the first weekend in December.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Christmas cookies, especially the ones I call "snowballs." I think they are rum balls.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: See #13 below.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I was always cynical. I figured it out and confronted my mother. When she confirmed, I said, "I guess that's ditto the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy."

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Actually, we open all our gifts on Christmas Eve.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Three table-top trees, each has a theme. One is toys, one is oceanic, one is elegant.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? It's not an issue in Southern California. I guess you could say I miss it (I lived in Chicago from ages 3-13).

12. Can you ice skate? I used to when I was a kid in Chicago, but now I don't think all my subsequent ankle injuries would tolerate it.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? A heart-shaped watch with a shiny pink band. I think it was from the Sears catalogue, and I was about 7.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? It's sappy, but spending time with friends and family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Cheesecake.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Crazy stocking gifts. There are no rules... gifts range from the sublime to the ridiculous.

17. What tops your tree? My parents: Depends on the tree, but for my biggest tree, I have a cool star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Carol of the Bells, but I also LOVE the version of Ava Maria by Chris Cornell and Eleven.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? I don't eat candy canes unless they are in peppermint bark or one of those peppermint cappuccino drinks.

posted by LA @ 9:51 PM 4 comments

Ears and Eyes Open

Keep your eyes and ears open, and you will be richly rewarded.

Tonight as I was leaving the supermarket, I passed the ATM near the door. It featured a HUGE sign on top of it that clearly read DO NOT USE. Standing in front of it was an idiot with his card already inside the slot, punching the keys, blissfully ignorant to the same HUGE sign that still clearly read DO NOT USE a mere six inches in front of his face. I walked out the door laughing, before the kicking and cussing began.

I turned on the radio to catch a few minutes of Loveline. The caller was a 17-year-old girl who wanted to ask Dr. Drew if the blueballs her boyfriend said he was suffering was a real disease.

I found Malingering's World through Flickr where she posts her sardonic photographic observations of Los Angeles. I'm a big fan.

posted by LA @ 11:24 PM 10 comments

Sharing is for ...

Here's a song for you to check out by my pal John Hoskinson. It's called Homeschool Billy so click on it if it doesn't open. It's a short little ditty, but you need to listen to the whole thing to really enjoy it.

posted by LA @ 6:53 PM 6 comments

A Couple Grey's Spoilers

Watch for these two new couples, they are ON!

- Alex and Addison

- McSteamy and Izzy

OMG, two couples more or less swapping? Hot, hot, HOT! (Izzy and McSteamy are going to have pretty, pretty sex.)

I hear George and Callie are going to have a highly physical reconciliation, too. Oh, and someone's gonna die soon, too. I think it's kind of easy to figure out who that will be, but I'll let the speculation fly in the comments.

Has anyone else noticed they Grey's Anatomy has become even more of an ensemble show this season? They've added to the regular cast, and they've additionally stepped up the storylines of people who aren't Meredith. Also, and I commented on this on another blog (GetFlix) but it bears repeating, until this season, only Meredith Grey did the voiceover narratives that started and ended each episode. This season, they've mixed that up quite a bit. On a recent last episode, no one narrated the beginning of the show; one had Cristina narrate; one ended with Denny's answering machine message; and yet another episode had all five interns each say a line in the opening narration. You know what I think? I think that the producers realize that Meredith/Ellen Pompeo isn't all that popular with their audience. Oh sure, she has her fans, but she also has tons of detractors. And I think the producers realize it and are responding by subtly spreading the story lines out a bit more equally among the rest of the characters.

Discuss?

SPOILER UPDATE (From TVGuide.com):

Question: I heard that someone on Grey's will get pregnant. Would you happen to know who?

Ausiello: Not sure about that, but I can tell you who's getting engaged: George and Callie! Although no one within six degrees of Shonda Rhimes would confirm it (shocker!), one well-placed mole tells me that they'll make the announcement during February sweeps. Now, why do you suppose George and Callie — who were still broken up in the last episode — would rush into marriage so quickly? Hmmm…

posted by LA @ 5:04 PM 10 comments

Le Meme

• A-Available/Single? yes
• B-Best Friend? I don't like to rank my friends. Besides, what if they see this?
• C-Cake or Pie? Cake
• D-Drink Of Choice? Nonalcoholic: Henry Weinhard's Orange-Vanilla soda Alcoholic: A fine single-malt scotch
• E-Essential Item You Use Everyday? My computer
• F-Favorite Color? Today, it's cobalt.
• G-Gummy Bears Or Worms? Let's try Reese's peanut butter cups instead
• H-Hometown? Seal Beach
• I-Indulgence? Good yarn
• J-January Or February? February
• K-Kids & Their Names? I don't have any, but my pets are Alfie, Phoebe, and Cleo
• L-Life Is Incomplete Without? Music
• M-Marriage Date? N/A
• N-Number Of Siblings? Two.
• O-Oranges Or Apples? Apples!
• P-Phobias/Fears? I'm claustrophobic. I'm also afraid of the Vincent Thomas bridge.
• Q-Favorite Quote? "What is language, what is lost?"
• R-Reason to Smile? Animals communicating with humans.
• S-Season? Autumn
• T-Tag Three or Four People? What Ffleur said... whoever wants it, grab it!
• U-Unknown Fact About Me? Made in Hawaii
• V-Vegetable you don't like? Pickles (that's a veggie, right?)
• W-Worst Habit? Procrastination
• X-X-rays You've Had? Ankle, knee, hand, neck, back, and dental
• Y-Your Favorite Food? It varies, but a good pumpkin squash tortellini is always welcome.
• Z-Zodiac Sign? Pisces

Courtesy of Ffleur, Mishy, and Diane.

posted by LA @ 12:26 PM 15 comments

Guy Love - Cannot WAIT

posted by LA @ 5:18 PM 6 comments

Anna Mollie

What's the deal here? My sister HATES Incubus. I like them. I don't love them, I don't own anything by them, but I also don't change the radio station if they come on. In fact, I usually find myself singing along.

Fun fact: Brandon Boyd and at least some original members (I'm not sure about the current lineup) are alumni of my high school. I graduated approximately 100 years before Brandon.

Anyway, high school affiliation aside, are Incubus worth the scathing hatred being heaped upon them by my sibling or are they listenable?


(This is possibly a sample, if it works.)

posted by LA @ 4:34 PM 7 comments

The PT Lofts - An Update

Finally, there have been a couple developments in the PT Loft project, my potential future home. The first piece of good news is that the environmental impact report was certified by the Long Beach Planning Commission a couple of weeks ago. According to the website, full entitlement by the City Council is expected to be granted in March. That's essentially the greenlight they need to begin construction which is expected to take 2-2.5 years. In addition, the building was vacated this past weekend when the newspaper moved out after 81 years. You can read about the Long Beach Press Telegram's history with the building here.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: I found this article with details of the planning commission meeting. Hysterically enough, there was an ad banner for one of my favorite gossip blogs, Defamer, across the top.

posted by LA @ 11:55 PM 6 comments

Ruby Tuesday

My brother is completely whipped. (click to enlarge for maximum cuteness)

posted by LA @ 11:39 PM 6 comments