Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum

So, after touring the Colosseum, we walked right across the street to the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum.

The Palatine Hill (Latin: Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus) is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. It stands 40 metres^[1] above the Forum Romanum, looking down upon it on one side, and upon the Circus Maximus on the other.

It is the etymological origin of the word "palace" and its cognates in other languages (Italian "Palazzo", French "Palais" etc).

The story goes that Romulus (of Romulus and Remus fame, you know the twins who were raised by a she-wolf), founded the city of Rome on the Palatine Hill. True or not, who knows? What is known is that Palatine is where the Emperors of Rome had their palaces.

Entrance to Palatine Hill.

The Hippodrome of Domitian. What exactly it was used for it debated; it's too small for chariots so a lot of people figure foot races took place here. Think of it as a big outdoor track.

A lot of the excavations of Rome's ancient treasures were begun by Mussolini, as part of his yay-Italy! fascism campaign. After all, fascism is all about national pride. This is a museum that he built on Palatine.

These are the remains of what is thought to be the residence of Livia (58 BC-29), wife of Augustus.

One of the coolest things about Rome is their water system. The city is fed with water from springs, just like in the old days, and the water is naturally cool and clean. All throughout the city there are fountains just like this one, that constantly run with water. You can refill your water bottles, wash your hands, or drink from the stream without any trouble. You'll just be walking along and BAM!, there's a fountain.

Palatine is a hill after all, so it has some great views of the city. The large dome right smack in the center here is St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

Rome from another angle.

From the top of Palatine Hill, you look right down on the Roman Forum. In the background of the picture is the Colosseum, with the Arch of Titus and the entrance to the Forum directly in front of it. From wiki:

The Roman Forum, (Latin: Forum Romanum) sometimes known by its original Latin title, is located between the Palatine hill and the Capitoline hill of the city of Rome. It is the central area around which the ancient Roman civilization developed. Citizens referred to the location as the "Forum Magnum" or just the "Forum".

The oldest and most important structures of the ancient city are located in the forum, including its ancient former royal residency the Regia and the surrounding complex of the Vestal virgins. The forum served as a city square and central hub where the people of Rome gathered for justice, and faith. The forum was also the economic hub of the city and considered to be the center of the Republic and Empire.

The large building on the left is the Basilica of Constantine. It was the largest building in the Forum and was completed by Constantine in 312 AD. Remember, he was the guy who made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Moving to the left of the Basilica, here is some more of the Forum. The large structure on the far right foreground is the Temple of Antonius and Faustina. It was built in 141 and was later turned into a church, like most Roman temples.

This gives you an idea of the size of the Forum. Just imagine walking down main street in the city of your choice, and that's it. These were all huge buildings and temples in the main downtown area of Ancient Rome.

Looking again to the left, the three columns standing in the foreground are the remnants of the Temple of Vesta. And if we look directly down from Palatine we see...

The home of the Vestal Virgins, keepers of the flame. Apparently, if a vestal virgin was busted with a dude, she was buried alive. Yikes. But they were also released from their service if they made it to 30. So, yay?

We walked down from Palatine and began to follow the Via Sacra, the Sacred Way. This was the original main drag of Rome.

The Via Sacra runs right through the Arch of Titus, that was built to commemorate the capture and sack of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Due to the subject-matter, many Jews refuse to walk through the arch, even to this day. In 1948, during the founding of Israel, a large group of Roman Jews walked under the arch as part of a march. Think of it as a big "eff you" to the Romans from back in the day.

At the other end of the Forum is another arch, the Arch of Septimus Severus.

Between the Temple of Julius Caesar and the Arch of Septimus Severus, is the Column of Phocas, the last thing built in the Forum (directly in the center of the picture).

Here's me!

In front of the Temple of Julius Caesar is the place where his funeral pyre was held. This is the actual spot where Caesar's body was burned.

To come out of the Forum, you walk up a long staircase. Here's a picture looking back. The large brownish cliff-looking object in the background is Palatine Hill, and where I stood to take the earlier pictures looking down on the Forum.

Here's a pic of our hostel room. It was teeny tiny, but the beds were comfortable and...

The bathroom was really nice. Really, that's all I need to be happy. Having to climb up those three flights of stairs every night (no elevator) was no picnic though. Especially carrying our luggage.

Kent really enjoyed the room. Look at him dance! Actually, he couldn't wait to get on the cruise ship, and kind of hated the room. But whatcha gonna do?

All over Rome, there are people trying to sell you something. They have lots of schemes (handing a woman a rose, saying it's free, and then turning to the guy she is with to get money is just one of them). Kent actually bought a belt off some guy outside a metro stop, and bargained him down from 50 euros to 5. Nice!

And here's the belt!

That's it for today. Look for pictures of the Borghase Gallery, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain tomorrow. Woot!

I'm Baaaaack...

Hey kids! I am back from my epic journey through Italy, Turkey, and Greece. I had a great time, have a ton of stories to tell, and a ton of pictures to share. I figured the best way to do this was to post a bit at a time each day. To draw out the fun for you of course. I am always thinking of my peeps.

I'll include copies of the emails I sent to my family, but will of course supplement with additional information. So let's get started with some info about Rome!

Email #1 :

Bonjourno! I am in Rome safe and sound, jet-lagged, but none the worse for wear. We arrived after an uneventful (but long) flight at 8:30 this morning Rome time. It took us another couple hours to get our bags and take the train to the Termini (the big train station in downtown Rome) and walk to the hotel, which is only about 4 blocks away. It's a hostel, so the room is tiny, but the bathroom is really nice and the beds are comfy.

They let us in the room at 1:00 (we snagged lunch and walked around before it was cleaned) and we all showered and took naps for a few hours.We got up, got dressed, walked the city, had dinner, and saw the Trevi fountain by night. Gorgeous! Even a little rain did not deter us.

Our first full day in Rome, we hit the main sites: The Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. This post will focus on the Colosseum, which was amazing. First some background (thanks wiki!):

The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre is an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of Rome. Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus. Originally capable of seating around 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. As well as the gladiatorial games, other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

The Colosseum as it looks today.

Me, Kent, and Chris in front of the Colosseum.

To the right of the Colosseum, is the Arch of Constantine. It was erected to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312. Dedicated in 315, it is the latest of the existing triumphal arches in Rome, from which it differs by spolia, the extensive re-use of parts of earlier buildings.

To get into the Colosseum, you wait in a line just inside the first row of arches. As you can see here.

This is a view of the interior of the Colosseum. Where the people are standing (in the background) is where the stage covering the main floor would have started. Directly under the stage were the cells where the gladiators lived (in the foreground)--they were slaves after all. The upper levels would have been covered by marble seats. The more important you were, the closer to the stage you sat.

Here you can see where they have restored a portion of the stage covering the floor.

And some of the marble seats. Make sure you bring a cushion! Marble is hard on the bottom.

From the top of the Colosseum, you can see the remains of the Temple of Venus, the largest known temple in Ancient Rome. It is directly across from the Colosseum, next to the Roman Forum.

To the left of the Temple of Venus is the Arch of Titus and the entrance to the Forum.

Here is me, Chris, and Kent at the floor of the Colosseum.

During the 16th and 17th century, Church officials sought a productive role for the vast derelict hulk of the Colosseum. In 1749, Pope Benedict XIV endorsed endorsed as official Church policy the view that the Colosseum was a sacred site where early Christians had been martyred. He forbade the use of the Colosseum as a quarry and consecrated the building to the Passion of the Christ and installed a cross at the floor level, declaring it sanctified by the blood of the Christian martyrs who perished there.

Wandering around the Colosseum are guys in gladiator wear posing for pictures with tourists. In the background is the Arch of Titus, marking the entrance to the Roman Forum along the Via Sacra. To the right are columns that lined the road, and on the far right is a tiny bit of the Temple of Venus.

Coming up tomorrow: Palatine Hill and Roman Forum plus pictures of our hostel!

See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya.

Well, tomorrow's the big day! Vacation day! I managed to finish all my projects at work, which means I'm leaving a clean desk behind, and I HOPE I've managed to remember everything I need to take.

Speaking of which, I had an anxiety dream a few nights ago where I arrived at the airport without my passport. I woke up completely freaked out. And now, when I am in the full packing stage, I am really nervous about forgetting something important. But at this point, I've made the necessary lists, done what I need to do, and I just need to figure out how to sit back and relax and enjoy the ride. What I keep telling myself is that no matter what happens, if my luggage gets lost, if it rains the whole time, the point is to enjoy myself and have fun in new and exciting countries. So that's the plan!

I'll be back Thursday, October 2, so have a great rest of the month everyone and see you a couple weeks!

Cruise countdown: tomorrow!

I don't know about you, but I find it awfully off-putting when my pharmacist yells across the parking lot at me to inquire how my medication was "working out."

I swear to God, this actually happened.

The pharmacist in question is a very nice man. He actually kind of looks like Norm from This Old House and Old Yankee Workshop. Remember that guy?

Well, Byob...my father always taught me to measure twice, cut once.

So I'm walking out of CVS having bought plastic spoons or something else equally mundane. I unlock my car door, put one foot in the car, and hear from further down the parking lot, "Miss. Riley! How is that medication working out?"

I'll give him points for 1) remembering my name and 2) remembering that we had had a conversation about my new med. But, the relationship with your pharmacist is a weird one. Basically, he knows everything that happens with your body. But you don't have the same kind of face-time and chit chat that you get with your doctor. This guy knows nothing about me except what meds I'm on, so talking to him outside the store is like seeing your teacher away from school. It's just weird.

Now, I'm not saying what he did was unprofessional. I mean, he was just checking up on me, asking me how things were going in pharmacy-speak. But it just so jarring running into him that way, and talking about something like medicine without the pharmacy counter between us. Not that we had an actual conversation. I believe I said "Great, thanks!" And then drove off.

I guess I just like boundaries.

Oh, and also. Cruise countdown: 3 days!

Look for my album on Itunes, coming soon!

There are many things that are awesome about Carly's new roommates; their bangin' marinara sauce, their adorable little dogs, but the best thing, hands down, is that they have a huge tv and the game Rock Band. If you have never played Rock Band, you are missing out. Take guitar hero and add drums and vocals and then you have Rock Band. And AWESOMENESS.

A few weekends ago, Carly, Doug, Erika, and I got the band together and rocked out. And had a bit of a photo session with Carly's roommate Mark as our photographer. Check out the results below, and look for our album to drop soon. On your head.










And here's a bonus Maggie-posing-with-motorcycle-helmet-picture! This one is for the CD liner notes.



I think it's clear we have a big future in music ahead of us.

Things on my mind.

These past few weeks I've been really distracted. And that's because I've been brooding. If you know me well, you know I'm a brooder. I brood, ruminate, obsess, etc. I could probably try to come up with more synonyms, but it would require consulting a thesaurus, and I am far too lazy for that.

I don't want to go all TMI on you, but there has been a health thing I have been dealing with. It's not a big deal, it's like an acute infection, and I'm fine, but it's something where the doctor doesn't know what's going on and it's been going for about three weeks. Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal, I've just been kinda occasionally uncomfortable, but the there are two things that have been really getting to me.

First, that I leave for my cruise in a little over a week, and I need to get this taken care of before then because what happens if something happens while I am on this ship in the middle of the ocean and they have really crappy doctors and can't do anything to help me...ok, *deep breath*

The second thing I have been concerned about is the NOT KNOWING. I wouldn't say I'm a control freak (*shoot dirty glance to all my friends laughing at me for making that statement*), but I like to know what's going on. Let me put it this way: I don't need to be the person calling the shots, but I need to know that somewhere someone has a plan. And the problem with what's going on right now is that I don't know what's going on! I need to know what's up, and then I can formulate a plan to fix it. Is that so much to ask for?

OK, enough whining. I have a prescription that is working, I'm feeling better, and I am going to the doctor again on Monday for the last time. I am about 75% confident that I will be totally fine come cruise time, and on Monday the doc should be able to give me a definitive diagnosis. So, yay! But if I seem a little withdrawn for the next few days, you'll know why.

Cruise countdown: 10 days!!

Sweet Set-up and OMG how can my trip be only 2 weeks away??

Labor Day. The supposed last hurrah of summer (except it will stay hot for a good 4 weeks around here). The time of BBQs, festivals, and being stuck in traffic. Although hopefully I'll be able to avoid one of those this weekend.

The highlight of this labor day weekend, other than not having to go to work on Monday, was going to Doug's new pad for a housewarming/pool party. And this place is SWEET. Since Doug works way the hell out in BFE Manassas, he needed to find a place out there. So he ended up renting a room out of a house belonging to an older couple (maybe in their 40s?). But it's not just a house. It's a freakin MANSION. This place is so huge, their rec room is the size of my entire condo. And it comes with a super nice pool with a diving board. And a hot tub. And a landscaped patio, huge flat screen tv, and bar. Yeah, this place was nice.

And it comes along just in a nic of time, since my pool is officially closing for the season after this weekend. So at least someone I know will have a pool! Now I just need to work on the art of inviting myself over in a casual, yet manipulative fashion. Hmm.

Best quote of the party:

Me: It's all girls in the pool! What's the opposite of a sausage party?
Selvi: A clam bake?

Oh, and here is a fun pic from the party. After the sun set we moved inside and listened to music, which ended up with all the girls dancing around, because that's what girls do when they have been drinking and someone puts on AC/DC. We eventually convinced some of the boys to come over and pose for a picture with us, but some of them clearly tried harder than others.


And here's me and Carly in the pool. Nice!


The other thing I realized this weekend is that my vacation cruise through the eastern Mediterranean is only two weeks away! I have been planning this trip with Chris and Kent for almost two years, and the idea that it is almost here is mind-boggling. We're actually going to do it. And I have so much to do to get ready! There are lists to be made, things to procure, Italian phrase flashcards to learn (I am so not kidding about that one), and a myriad of other details to sort out. But the fact is, the day is almost here, and it has totally snuck up on me.

I hope our cruise ship doesn't get attacked by pirates.

Cruise countdown: 14 days!!

Clue, Daleks, and an Oxford Comma

This past weekend, Kristin and I journeyed to Charlottesville to visit Selvi and meet up with Jeff, Andi, and Pete. It was a regular bridge club reunion! Except we didn't actually play any bridge.

What we did do was visit this huge bookfair that is off of I-81, just south of JMU. It's held in a warehouse, and we found new releases and some old favorites at huge discounts ($6-3 for hardback books!). Check it:

Jeff and Andi outside the book fair warehouse.

Here is one of the rooms (the smaller one). Look at all those books!!

Andi was tuckered out from the book shopping.

After returning from the book fair, Andi and Jeff had to hit the road and head back to Salem, but Pete came over and the four of us (Selvi, Pete, me, and Kristin) played Clue and Yahtzee, drank, and discussed the Oxford Comma. We are a wild bunch, aren't we? But it was good times. I definitely got my ass kicked at Clue, but nobody ever believes me when I tell them I am bad at deductive reasoning. You would think lawyer = good logic skills. And you would be wrong.

After some gaming action, we embarked on a cooking project, making dalek-shaped cupcakes, take 2. And by "we" I mean Selvi, because the rest of us were basically too lazy to actually make the cupcakes. Here are the results:

DEC-O-RATE THE DAAAALEK.

If you don't know what a dalek is, this is not the forum to find out. Suffice it to say, they are evil and need to be destroyed. As Selvi so helpfully demonstrated:

EXTERMINATE!

In honor of our daleks, we watched the Doctor Who episode Blink, which actually doesn't feature daleks, but is so freaking scary, Selvi and Kristin were screaming and almost fell off the couch. I am not kidding.

The next day, we lazed about, walked through the grounds of UVA (which is pretty, but cannot compare to WM, of course) and ate at a Charlottesville staple, Littlejohns Deli.

Adorable.

It was a fun weekend all in all. But who the crap decided it was a good idea to shut down part of 29 South on a Saturday morning in the middle of summer? We had to drive a good 25 minutes in some lame detour through Nowheresville Virginia. At least gas is cheap. Oh, wait. Shit.

Me in Manga!

At this website, you can create your own avatar self, as you would appear in Manga/Anime. Here's me!

Pretty cool, huh? I think everyone looks better in Manga.

Out of control rainbows

Ok, this is getting kind of ridiculous. I don't remember there being this many rainbows last summer. For some reason, this year, they are out and they want your blood!

Just kidding. But they are definitely out.

Here's another set of double rainbows (the second one of the right is hard to see) from last weekend.

Games of a Trivial Nature

My law school buddies and I are always talking about how we should hang out more. So this month instead of just saying it, we decided to do it. Usually, us girls have a poker night once a month, but in addition to that, we decided to bring back the old law school tradition of trivia night. I'm talking balls out trivia smackdown here, people. For the most part, this month's trivia night was a gentleman's game, except for that one little argument over the difference between polygamy and bigamy in Utah law. I wish I was kidding.

It was a close game, the lead switched back and forth in the beginning, but the team comprised of me, Arista, Todd, and Monique ended up taking the lead by two pie pieces. We made it to the center several times, but missed the last question. Because of some lucky rolls and (in my opinion) easy questions, the team comprised of Mike, Lori, Dave, and Dori ended up vaulting to the win at the last minute, snatching victory out of our hungry maws!

Ok, maybe that was a bit dramatic. The point is, we were winning until the very end when they won.

But the highlight of the night was without a doubt, my discovery of the ultimate party snack. Rolos on top of square pretzels, stuck in the oven for 2-3 minutes. Juuuust enough so that the rolo gets all gooey, but it stays on top of the pretzel. And when you bite into it, the rolo is all chocolatey and caramely....awesome.

Much like Friday night, Nate's fashion choice was again the source of much amusement. He's clearly waiting for a flood. It makes me feel bad for teasing him, I mean he's really tall, but maybe he should look for some longer pants? That's all I'm saying.

Sitting around, having a good time, playing some Trivial Pursuit. Ok, maybe really just chit-chatting, but the board game was definitely set up.

Monique had brought over a car seat for Mike and Arista (since they are expecting their first baby in January), and if you look really carefully, you can see how uber excited Mike is to get it. Aw, bless him.

Inaugural BVA Game Night

Last weekend was a weekend of games. Not the bad relationship kind, but the good kind with cards and dice. In an effort to make work seem more fun (yeah, good luck there), Chris and Stephanie have organized a Board of Veterans Appeals game night the first Saturday of every month. We started things out last month with a rousing round of poker! Here are some pictures to document the evening:

I think Kent is really enjoying the cookies I brought. But who can resist the lure of peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies?

See, I'm doing my best Blue Steel here, but remember what I said about Kent enjoying those cookies? Yeah, looks like they were a hit.

The big joke of the evening was how short Nate's shirt was. He has to be at least 6'3, and when Stephanie and I went to pick him up, he was waiting in the street, wearing this shirt, and looking like an overgrown kid. He stands by his shirt-length though. I'll leave it up to the public to decide.

Stephanie REALLY liked the pizza from Costco.

Todd flexes his muscles and the power of the big stack.

I'm playing the dealer in some heads up action between Todd and Chris. Who will come out the winner?

Yeah, Chris totally won.

All in all it was a fun night with games, great food, and good friends. See you crazy kids next month when the game of choice is euker. Oh, yeah. We're wild and crazy!

New Rugapalooza!

Can you be a "palooza" with only one thing? Well, getting this new rug is exciting enough that I think it merits the suffix.

I have been searching for the perfect rug for my dining room ever since I moved into my condo (almost two years ago). The one I have been using is from my rental townhouse in Williamsburg, and was a 3x5 rug purchased at Ikea about 5 years ago. Fun, bright, with color blocks, it was ok, but it didn't really match the decor and it was a little juvenile for the room. Also too small, since the dining room table barely fit on it.

But getting a new rug is not something I wanted to rush into. I wanted to find the perfect thing, because as we all know, a rug can really tie a room together (so says the Big Lebowski. Or actually the not-Big Lebowski. You know what I mean).

Then finally, one day I found it. While out at the yuppie Herndon Target with Carly, I found the perfect rug. I foolishly decided not to get it then, confident that I could locate it at the Target closer to me. Oh, how naive I was.

Three weeks and three Targets later, I got it! Of course it was "in store only." Bastards. But the story has a happy ending and here it is, making it's public debut, my new dining room rug:

Behold! My new rug!

Extreme close-up!

Ultimate extreme close-up!

Results of Swimming

Now that it's summer and my pool is open, I have been trying to swim about 4-5 days a week. This has resulted in some effects, some hilarious, some mundane. Here they are:

--Sore arms afterwards. Who knew swimming laps every night would result in sore upper arms? I could barely open the refrigerator door. So pathetic. I have no upper body strength.

--Freckles. Lots of them. In fact, I am hoping that my freckles will eventually merge into one giant freckle and it will look like I have a tan!

--Needing to switch to a darker shade of foundation. All this outdoor exposure means I had to move up from the lightest shade of bare minerals to the next-to-lightest. That's kind of a big deal for me. You know the kids at the pool when I was young used to call me "Casper."

--Sudden cravings for chinese food. I don't know what it is about swimming, but it makes me really hungry and it makes me want chinese food. Thus far I have resisted the siren call. But I'm not sure how long I can hold out.

--Higher kid tolerance. The same group of kids swims in the pool every evening, but instead of finding their insistent shouting and laughing annoying...I kind of like it. They were playing sharks and minnows this evening, and was actually really cute and made me nostalgic.

--Less conscience about walking around in a bathing suit. Once it becomes old hat, you kind of don't give a shit anymore.

--Making friends with the Eastern-European lifeguards. The one who was a total bitch to me the first couple days of the summer now totally loves me because my friend Erika and her adorable son Brandon have come to swim several times. Nobody can resist the lure of 18 month old Brandon!

--Better budgeting of my evening time. Spending an hour in the pool every night means I can't afford to just sit on my ass and lull around all night. I gotta get dinner done, do the dishes, pack a lunch for the next day, plus whatever various chores need to be done, and catch up on Weeds, Gilmore Girls, or So You Think You Can Dance.

So the moral is swimming = good!

A bat, a senator, and a red-head walk into a bar...

Ok, not really. But on Sunday I (the red head) went to see The Dark Knight (the bat) with Kim and Mike at the restored Senator theatre in Baltimore (the Senator).

First of all, thoughts on the movie: really good, of course. A bit long, and jam-packed with plot. Maybe too much. Obviously, Heath Ledger was brilliant (and totally freaking scary). I have to say though, for a movie about Batman, it didn't seem to really be about Batman. Harvey Dent (i.e. Two Face) was, in my opinion, the most interesting character.

And now some general thoughts on Baltimore. I used to make fun of Baltimore and describe it as as basically completely ghetto. I would tell people that I had seen Homicide: Life on the Street and knew what was up, which is actually a total lie since I haven't seen Homicide but I do know that Andre Braugher and Richard Belzer are awesome.

ANYWAY, I kinda love Baltimore now. It all started with a two-day training course my job made me take in Baltimore. Walking around downtown, I thought that this was actually a really nice city. And then I saw Hairspray and really loved the portrayal of the city. Yeah, they acknowledged it basically a craphole, but it just had so much character. And then, I began to visit Kim and Mike pretty regularly and began to notice all the pretty architecture, the diversity of the people, the good food and fun in the Inner Harbor....

I'm not saying I want to live there; if you know me at all, you know how I feel about Maryland. But I don't mind visiting. And I can understand why Mike loves it so much.

Oh, and according to Mike, the area of Baltimore Street with all the strip clubs and liquor stores that is like right downtown? It's the safest part of town because the police station is on the same block. Nice.

And now for your viewing pleasure....

Kim is shocked, SHOCKED, by the lack of movie trailers at the Senator Theatre. Seriously, we didn't get to see The Watchmen trailer. Boo.

Me and Kimmy eagerly awaiting the movie. Hey, did you guys hear that Christian Bale just got arrested for assault?? Crazy.

Here's the Senator in all it's glory. Yeah, it's kind of a big deal. For a movie theatre.

Tolerability Index

In a complete rip-off of The Onion, I have decided to prepare my own list of things I've been thinking about this week, rated on a scale of "Oh, Hell No" to "More Please!"

Things that make me want to gouge my eyes out: All these celebrities and their baby pictures. Seriously. First of all, most babies look the same. Like aliens. You can disagree, but until they get to be AT LEAST a couple months old, babies look like aliens, or maybe more accurately, really old people. But the idea that "celebrities" get paid millions of dollars from magazines for the right to first publish their baby photos make me want to be sick. At least Angelina had the decency to donate the money from her baby's pics to charity. As for you, Jamie Lynn Spears and Jessica Alba, shame!

Barely Tolerable: The hype surrounding Dark Knight. Yes, I'll see it (in fact, I'm driving up to Baltimore on Sunday to watch it with Kim at the old restored Senator Theatre), but it's a movie, not the second coming. I am sure Heath Ledger is fantastic in it, and I am trying not to be too hard on the people who are already talking Oscar (but an Oscar? really?), since I haven't actually seen the movie yet, but when I turn on the morning news to find out the weather, I don't need to hear a 10 minute feature on how people without jobs were lining up to see 3 a.m. showing of the movie last night.

And I am actually really looking forward to seeing the movie, it looks like a good flick, although I was disappointed with Batman Begins. I think I'm just too much a Tim Burton girl at heart. Michael Keaton = Batman!

Oooh, I kinda like it!: Trader Joe's Garlic Basil Linguine. Yum!

I could do/watch/listen/read this every day, and twice on Sundays: God, I have gotten so addicted to So You Think You Can Dance. I am actually glad that it is on for 3 hours every week. Especially since I have a DVR, otherwise all the commercials would probably drive me crazy. I love that show awards people who are not only talented, but have worked hard to hone their craft. It's not like they pulled people off the street and are having them compete as dancers. These people have worked their asses for years to become skilled, and it shows! Yay, good competitive reality shows!

Love: Going to see 1964: The Tribute on Wednesday with Doug and Carly. First of all, the Birchmere is a great venue; everywhere has a good sightline, they offer food and drinks, plenty of parking, the atmosphere is chill, and the shows start at 7:30 so I was at home in bed at my usual time. About 20 minutes into the show we decided to screw this sitting thing, and just made our way to the back and danced during the rest of the show. Unlike, RAIN, this band focused on the Beatles early music, stopping just shy of the Sgt. Pepper era when the songs became too complicated to perform live. But it meant that the focus was on the rock-pop and the early Beatles sound. Which was fine by us! Although I think we were some of the youngest people there, it was still a great time and I am definitely planning on seeing them again!

You gotta read this shit to believe it.

Go, J.R.!

File this one under 1) celebrity sightings and 2) balls of steel.

Suck on that, Wolfy.

Postcards from the Edge

I thought I would update everyone on how Mom is doing. She had surgery last week to remove her esophageal cyst (although the cyst ended up being located right at the junction of her stomach and esophagus). She came home from the hospital last Wednesday and has so far been doing fine, although I think she is a bit surprised at how slow the recovery process has been. To be fair, the Doctor did tell her it would take approximately 6 weeks.

She is not able to eat solid food yet, her stomach and esophagus are still too swollen, but has been getting along fine on pudding, yogurt, jell-o, rice pudding, and various pured items such as tuna and pasta salad. Oh, and Vicodin. Gotta love the pain killers.

Anyway, she is hanging in, and while I think she is starting to get tired of feeling icky, every day she gets a little better. And she has a pretty cool incision midway down her chest, like Frankenstein! Just one more battle scar to talk about at dinner parties. ;o)

Shut yo mouth, I'm just talking bout America.

As the birth of our nation approaches, this seems like a good a time as any to think about what it means to be an American.

US fun fact: The Declaration of Independence was actually signed on July 1, but was formerly adopted and read aloud on July 4.

We Americans have had to put up with a lot of crap lately. And yeah, it's our own fault, since we elected that baboon of a President who has basically tarnished our reputation with everyone in the international community. And our economy is in the toilet. And our citizens stupidly bought McMansions they knew they couldn't afford and are now being foreclosed every which way but loose.

But that is neither here nor there.

I think it's up to every person to determine what being an American means. To me, it means bearing the responsibility of living in one of the freest countries in the world. You can become complacent, choose not to vote, sit on your ass with your playstation and bitch about how the world is going to hell in a hand basket....or, you can do SOMETHING.

It doesn't need to be a big something. You can read the paper and stay informed. Volunteer your time occasionally. Donate money occasionally. Talk to your friends, engage them in discourse, learn about differing points of view. Talk to people who have different experiences than you. You know, easy stuff.

But most of all, to me being an American is about the responsibility to learn. To not just accept the world at your doorstep. You don't need to become a world traveler. Books can teach us a lot of stuff. So can other people. And magazines, and newspapers, and tv shows (what up, NOVA?). By learning, you better yourself, and by bettering yourself, you better what is around you.

Freedom = the right to have your ideas heard.

To me, one of the best quotes about what America is comes from the movie The American President. Yeah, yeah, bear with me. Aaron Sorkin may be a coke-head, but he is a brilliant writer. So check out this speech from President Andrew Shepherd:

America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free".

So, yeah. I'm proud to be an American. It's better than being Canadian, right? Just kidding!

What will I be doing July 4? Watching 1776 of course. One of the most historically accurate movies ever made. I'm serious. I'm not saying the Founding Fathers would burst into song, but the movie is brilliant.