Calling Ma Bell

Tom Pepe brings up some valid arguments and capital ideas for reducing the money we fork over for the "privilege" of going wireless.

Note to self: add some of this to New Year's Resolutions...

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Things to ponder at year's end, part the third

Ganked from Natalie. Thanks, Natalie.

Things I’ve done are in bold.

What I’ve done:

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland World

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (only memorials to concentration camp victims)

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Read an entire book in one day

Things to ponder at year's end, part the second

I stole this from a Muppet. I'm not saying which one.

Where did you meet the last person you were in a car with?
I've known him since he was born

Besides this survey, what are you doing right now?
Talking to Annie on FB chat and plotting classroom assignments

Will you be up before 7am tomorrow?
Unfortunately, yes

Would you like to put last night on repeat and live it forever?
Last night was good

How old do you think you'll be when you have kids?
I won't

Are you waiting for something?
To hit the lottery

Do you like the song "So What" by Pink?
Not really.

When was the last time you hugged a member of the opposite sex?
Saturday night

Do you take walks when you're mad?
Sometimes

Who were you with last night?
Brandt, Cory and Price

Were you happy when you woke up today?
Not really, 'cause I was waking up to go to the office

What are you listening to at the moment?
The clatter of fingers on the keyboard. Perhaps I shall turn to iTunes random play. Ah, The Posies. Much better.

Who did you last get in a big argument with?
Cory

What was the weather like today?
It still is: sunny and cold

Do you want a different hair style?
Yes

What was the last thing you hid?
My laptop

What did you do this afternoon?
I don't know. I will let you know when it becomes afternoon.

What kind of mood are you in at the moment?
Complacent

For the most part do you like your life?
Eh

Is Friday your favorite day of the week?
Only because it bookends Saturday!!

How did you get your last bruise?
A wolf bite

What's the last thing you searched for on Google?
Les Roseaux sauvages

Are you taller than your mom?
I was before she died, after the osteo took hold. She was a very statuesque, elegant woman. She carried herself well.

Have your ever done cheerleading/gymnastics/da

nce?
No

Have you ever been to Los Angeles?
Yes

Did you pass Algebra in school?
Yeah, Algebra I. Algebra II was a bitch.

What was the last song you sung out loud?
This morning, when no one was around.

Love really is a beautiful thing, huh?
That's what the songs and greeting cards say. I'll let you know when I find out.

How are you feeling at this exact moment?
Eh

Are you someone who worries too often?
Yes. Too. Often.

What are you wearing?
Khakis, gray pullover cotton sweater and Steve Maddens

Do you miss anyone?
Mom, the Michaels, Trevor D.

Is there anyone who doesn't like you?
Survey says, "Yes."

Do you know anyone that smokes weed?
Who doesn't?

How has the week been?
Get back to me. Today is Monday.

Have you ever fallen asleep in someones arms?
Ah, yes, but it's been years

Last person to tickle you?
A black-haired wolf

What made you sad today?
Nothing yet, but the day is still young

How many TRUE friends do you have that you can tell ANYTHING to?
A handful, and I do tell them.

Who's thinking about you right now?
Haven't the foggiest idea

Have you ever kissed anyone on your top friends?
Sheesh, are we in high school?

Are you talkative?
No, I'm as quiet as a churchmouse...yeah, riiiight!

If you could move somewhere else, would you?
Yeah

Like anyone?
Yeah

When was the last time you got a back massage?
It's been a while

Are you easily scared by horror/thriller movies?
Eh

When was the last time you were truly, completely happy with your life?
I can't remember

When was the last time you wanted to punch some one in the face?
Prolly this weekend

Do you remember how you were a year ago?
Yeah

If you died today, would there be anything you wish you could’ve said?
Plenty

Things to ponder at year's end, part the first

Okay, so everyone seems to be doing some variety of these multiple question surveys that predict the future/reflect on the past.

Guess I'll join the rest of the lemmings and head for the cliff... but I’m gonna be just a little different and list one observation for each week of the year concluding, plus one more for good measure.

52 Personal Observations at year's end (ranked in no order of importance):

1. I have a big heart, and I'm easily hurt; I care for others, and I’m easily hurt.
2. I worry about being used.
3. I detest being lied to.
4. I’m really digging the Melissa Etheridge right now.
5. Most of my attempts to get diverse friends together for movie nights this past year have been for naught, but Mr. Never-Say-Die is going to continue.
6. I truly have a core group of friends who would do anything (or most anything) for me.
7. A huge variety of people moved into and out of my life.
8. There are but a few people I would take a bullet for, perhaps only a handful.
9. I hate more than anything being alone.
10. I need to get my effing house in order, get boxes unpacked and throw the detritus of life in the garbage can.
11. Annie Freres can make me smile (or laugh outrageously) by singing “Silent Night” in the persona of Ethel Merman. If you’ve never seen this phenom, ask her to perform it for you.
12. Molly Fontaine Lounge has become a place I like to hang out, drink and people watch.
13. Michael Eason, Michael Moore and Bruce Huffman are gifts that keep on giving and investments that keep on returning.
14. Di Anne Price makes me happy when she sings “God Bless the Child.”
15. I worry about the future.
16. I miss Mom terribly, and it get no easier.
17. The Muppets keep me entertained (and only one of them makes me reach for a bandage).
18. I have grown to love the AIDS Marker Project and embrace it as a gift to the city and those who have been disenfranchised or damaged by the church. Year 10 upcoming, and I am seeking out national publicity for this memorial tribute.
19. I have seen a shit-ton of live theater this year (does anyone doubt this?)
20. I have seen a shit-ton of Hollywood releases this season (Milk 2 times, Valkyrie, Doubt). Still to come: Milk (again), Frost/Nixon, The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons, The Reader, The Soloist.
21. I would pay good money to watch Meryl Streep, Irene Crist, Michael Gravois, Christine Wellford-Scott and Kim Justis Eikner read the phone book from behind a fire curtain, so entranced am I by their talents.
22. I have grown to embrace the words effing (Wendy Carpenter), shit-ton and ginormous (Carly Crawford), wonky (Natalie Chamblin) and ridonkulously (Jake Rickert).
23. I’m still rockin’ and rollin’
24. I have a crush on too many, most of whom are unreachable.
25. Weather is getting more and more wonky as the years pass (and, no, it’s not always been this erratic!)
26. Jim Morrison was spot on when he intoned “People are strange when you’re a stranger.”
27. I want to belong, and I worry that I don’t. Sometimes I worry that others merely accommodate me rather than accept me.
28. I do try too hard to _____ (pick a verb).
29. I’ve learned to embrace the happiness borne by wolves.
30. Maintenance of the Church Archives is daunting, and I need to better organize it, as I’ve got some major anniversaries in 2009.
31. Maintenance of my life is daunting, and I need to better organize it, as I’ve got to streamline and simplify. Perhaps it’s time to call in an expert: “Suze, HELP!!!”
32. I’m definitely not a morning person, especially when I have to be at the office by 730; I do, however, like the overtime. But I hate leaving at 530 because it’s 615 by the time I get home (later if I have errands to run).
33. There are a few instigators that will make me cry (people, memories, music, movies), but it’s not always the catharsis I need it to be.
34. Pineapple salsa from Blue Coast Burrito and sopa de pollo from Los Compadres have become comfort foods for me (hummus from Casa Blanca runs a close second).
35. It really isn’t that easy to hang posters for two theaters all over town.
36. I really do love theater. Would that I could act rather than just warm a seat.
37. I love creating the Christmas Mix cds to give as presents.
38. I wonder how long the Jeep is going to hang on for me.
39. I am looking forward to change, both internal and external.
40. I really miss seeing Trevor Davis and Michael Moore.
41. Cara Austin is perhaps one of my best drinking/movie-going/theater-watching buddies.

42. It was great hanging out with Stokes after so many years.
43. I need to reacquaint myself with working out and Group Power.
44. Jason Blank is Snoopy.
45. My faith is still strong, but it has been tested this last year, moreso than since Mom died.
46. I hated not going to the Coast for Christmas this year. The consolation was the Celtic Christmas Eve service with the huge attendance. Not bad for a first time effort. Can’t wait until next year. The Sanctuary really does look lovely bathed in the glow of 60 candles, though I can’t take non-flash pics too well of that event in that light.
47. I have become one of the unofficial staff photographers for church events.
48. Price Bullock will one day take over the world. Don't be afraid. It will be a good thing. He will keep us laughing.
49. Just because I didn’t call you out by name doesn’t mean that you aren’t an important part of my life.
50. It just didn’t seem like Christmas this year without hearing Handel’s Messiah at Calvary.
51. I wonder if I had to list 10 seminal events in my life what they would be at this point in the journey.
52. I love playing trivia with my team, and I love helping with sound effects for Chatterbox (yes, these are related)
53. I can’t wait to see what’s ahead in the road.

The moving finger writes...

Okay, so here I am. On blogspot. Wonder how long this will last?

I was on LiveJournal for a couple of years, then just stopped going there and writing entries. I devoted all my energies to Facebook (after it seemingly replaced MySpace in my affections).

Now, here I am at year's end starting a new endeavor with a blank page. Let's see how long this lasts, and where it goes.