Suzine

Bing!

"This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather."

It's been one year since my exciting trip to Punxsutawney, PA for my VIP experience with my friends Josh and Adrienne Gruver.  We were lucky enough to get a connection with the president of the Groundhog Club that got us front row seats at Gobbler's Knob and a pass to hang with the top-hatted groundhog crew.

We partied all night, slept for two hours and were up at 3am to stand outside with other maniacs, dance around and watch the fireworks display before the prognostication. It was a great time -- so glad I got the chance to experience it -- and now that I've gone first class, I've done it all.

Check out more photos!

Six in '06

I usually don't like making any kind of New Years resolutions because of the pressure, the disappointment, etc -- so this year I made six. I'm not going to post what the six are until I've achieved them or they no longer become possible to achieve. I'm happy to say that one of the six was accomplished within the first two weeks of the new year, ironically on Friday the 13th. This goal was set not necessarily because I don't like the job I have, but because I needed a change after many years at the same gig. So I have officially moved jobs from AOL to National Geographic. By doing this, I also checked off #15 on my 100 life to do list. But that's for another post.

So the list stands as:

1. xxxxxxxxxxx
2. Get a new job
3. xxxxxxxxxxx
4. xxxxxxxxxxx
5. xxxxxxxxxxx
6. xxxxxxxxxxx

The Diaper Blues

My sister and I spent our early years in Kalamazoo, Michigan in a great house that backed to a large field. In between building forts and biking the neighborhood with the other kids, we caught frogs from the storm drains and kept them in a big cooler. Many times, my mom discovered dried, dead frogs I had "put to bed" in her tissue boxes. Once, my sister and I caught the frogs and put little blue, felt diapers on them and then set them free again. To this day we can't explain why -- I just have the vision of them hopping away with the turquoise blue death traps attached to their bodies restricting whatever bowel movements frogs have. They probably died. Likely from humiliation. Maybe we thought we were helping? I think they are planning revenge. I know I would.

...And A Bottle of Rum

I'm off to Chattanooga, TN this weekend for the burial of my uncle's ashes. He passed away from cancer several weeks ago. I come from a family of doers -- it's the best way for us to express that we care. I just hope that we're able to help my aunt Jane. She's such an amazing woman. I'll have to devote an entire blog entry to how cool a person she is.

Uncle Bernie was a true unique. The best story I have takes place in Toledo, Ohio where my family attended the wedding of my cousin. The reception was a dry reception, and my family is, well, not a dry family. One by one, we filled our glasses a third of the way with soda and then moved slowly to the parking lot, where Uncle Bernie filled the rest with rum from a bottle in the trunk of the car. After a few trips, the smell of rum began to waft up from our table and drift across the entire reception. Eventually we began to waft up and drift across the reception. It was a phenomenal time. Here's to you, Bernie...

Fish Balls

A friend sent me this website -- I LOVE it. Weight Watchers recipe cards, circa 1974

Wendy McClure, who authors this site is just funny, hands down.  She's coming out with a book at the end of April called 'I'm Not the New Me.' Check it out at Amazon.com if you can. The commentary on the props is a must read.

I haven't posted to my blog for awhile. I would make some excuse that it's because I've been busy, but I got struck with some performance anxiety again. Everytime I went to write something, I didn't think it was interesting, so I stopped. Going to try and stop doing that.

My current frustration right now is my car.  I bought an Audi on ebay a year ago after my Saturn died in a hit-and-run car accident with a guy who looked just like John Ashcroft (though, don't most people who are evil?). I was scared about buying a high end car -- that I'd end up at the mechanics every two weeks, so I asked every Audi owner I could find about whether they thought they were high maintenance. All recommended them. Apparently the one piece of advice they didn't give was "they fall apart after four years." What year Audi did I buy? Yep -- a 2000. So, it's crap. The alignment is so off that when I let go of the wheel the car naturally gravitates to a 90 degree turn to the right. Bits drop off all the time. I'm now in that mode where I'm analyzing every car I pass on the highway trying to decide where to head next. Maybe Honda, maybe Prius (I'm definitely over paying $40 a week for gas. Beer, yes. Gas, no). All suggestions are welcome...

Music of the day: Big Band & Swing Channel on AOL Radio.

What the...?

I feel like I've been surfing the Twilight Zone today. Here are just a few things I read that made me wonder what the hell is going on:

-- A guy that thought building a treadmill for an elephant would be 'easy' LINK
-- Wolfowitz confirmed as World Bank president (don't get me started) LINK
-- ABC considered hiring David Letterman to host 'Nightline' LINK
-- Terri Schiavo getting more press than The Pope
-- Jane Fonda used to have threesomes (which is interesting how?) LINK

Just decided to pass on the gym tonight...just can't deal

Our Odd Reality

Found this interview with Gore Vidal on a friend's website. It's a must read: City Pages - The Undoing of America.

Song of the day: 'De Usuahia a la Quiaca' by Gustavo Santaolalla from "The Motorcycle Diaries" soundtrack.

Mrs. Featherbottom

If you haven't seen the show 'Arrested Development,' correct that immediately. When you find a show that can actually make you laugh so hard your neighbors pound on the wall, you should buy the DVDs, buy Tivo -- whatever it takes. Those who did see it this past two weeks, I have one thing to say: Mrs. Featherbottom. Stop giggling, I dare you!

Perspective

Saw a fantastic film this weekend: Born Into Brothels. Photographer Zana Briski lived in the red light district of Calcutta and taught photography to the children of prostitutes. These wonderful kids began to examine their environment with amazing insight. You just can't help but share their joy and pain. A non profit organization has been formed to support these kids and others like them around the world, Kids With Cameras. Check them out at kids-with-cameras.org and please support them in any way you can. Go see the film, buy the book and then tell 20 friends.

Kids are so amazing. I believe it's the only time in our lives when we truly see the world with honesty. I remember being fearless, driven, confident in a way that we rarely are as adults. When I was about 12, I wrote a spy novel. Over a hundred pages, so this was no minor endeavor. I was so sure that this was going to be the latest thriller (it was the '80s so of course it involved Russians and some of my other favorite things at the time like manatees and beagles) that I printed out my manuscript and joined a writers group at the local library. Yes, I know this has become a movie (see 'My Girl' for reference), but my best friend died of a polar bear mauling, not bee stings.

Anyway, I walk into this conference room and it's full of documentary writers, PBS authors, some guy on his fourth novel, and me -- with my dot matrix print outs.  They adopted me instantly, and gave me great pointers like "Your main character's name keeps changing -- you might want to keep that consistent," and "when she returns home from the secret Russian scuba base it's 10am but she left the house at Noon -- try a timeline." They would include me in their conversations and even invited me to Big Boys afterward for coffee (I couldn't go, 'cause my dad was picking me up). Sometimes I wish I could tap back into that.

Have any of you ever had a best friend move far away? It sucks. My friend Gina moved to Ireland over a year ago and I'm so proud of her for going, but I miss her so damn much! It's really hard when someone who knows you better than anyone is now in a completely different timezone -- and I don't have that chance to get her great insight on life. Gina's one of the most creative people I know and I'm sure I'll be posting links to her books from this site soon enough.

Song for Monday: "Wonderful" by Adam Ant.

Kick your addictions,

SEP

For the Boys

You know -- constants in life are very reassuring. One of them is that no matter how much you feel you look like shit when you leave the house, a construction worker will think your ass is hot. I was worthy of three fox whistles this morning from the crew next door as I took in my garbage cans. Thanks boys, for thinking my other can was worth a stare. Note to self: Reached new low today.

I had a great conversation with my friend Julie yesterday. We met in the sixth grade and our lives have crisscrossed each other for many years since and currently we both work at the same company. Recently, I've been feeling like I've driven a hundred foot deep rut between my house and work. She reminded me of one key thing -- my life is my responsibility. The only thing I'm never lacking in at any given time is choice. Basic lesson, but one I needed to hear right now.

I also heard something on the radio this morning I never expected to hear: "And next up, Duran Duran's latest..."

Darth Tater

Everyone needs to own a Darth Tater. He has a cape and everything. He may be the dark lord of the universe, but you still store things in his butt.

Sweet Frogs

So I've decided to start a blog. I resisted at first, a combination of performance anxiety and feeling like I told my opinions and stories to so many people already they didn't really need to be posted as a global sticky note...but what the heck.

My blog name, Suzine, came to me on the side of a triple vente latte at Starbucks in NYC. A slight twist and I was handed an alter ego in a cup. I sipped it. I liked it.

I know blog is short for weblog, but personally, I like the explanation I dug up on another site, that blogs are the world's sweetest frogs. I dig frogs. More on that later.