May 31, 2004
Lazy Memorial Day
It's been a pretty quiet weekend, thus, the lack of regular posting. Archi-Sapper left town yesterday to give a Memorial Day speech, so Maggie and I had a girls' night in. We had dinner, painted our nails and watched a movie. We ended up watching The World According to Garp. I really love John Irving's books, but the movie version of that one was, well, weird. I could handle the feminists, the wrestling and the assassination attempts, but John Lithgow as a former NFL star who has a sex change operation? Weird stuff.
Posted by Kitty at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)
May 27, 2004
Mix Tapes That Suck
This article discusses iTunes and their celebrity playlists. The article mentions how, aside from the chosen songs being alternately lame and self-serving (making a playlist the majority of which consists of your own songs is a bit much), the "liner notes" from the celebs are often cringe-worthy.
My favorite example of deep, meaningful explanations of song selections is from Avril Lavigne, who wrote of Alanis Morissette's "Ironic": "I love how this song was written with all the different examples Alanis uses of things being ironic." I sincerely hope she was joking.
Posted by Kitty at 05:22 PM | Comments (1)
May 21, 2004
Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Lawyers
It started in law school.
The first day of law school we had orientation. One of the sessions we had to attend was a lecture from the Vice Dean of Academic Affairs, a guy I later came to love. He told us, "Whatever makes you an interesting person -- keep doing it. Law school has a way of turning you into a robot. Keep going out with your friends, engaging in your hobbies and doing as much interesting non-legal stuff as you can. It doesn't get any better after law school."
I thought he was crazy. Surely I could withstand the pressure to talk about law all the time. Surely I could rise above the fray and remain goofy (read: weird). Surely I would be able to easily buck the trend and be the font of fun and entertainment at my law school, while my fellow students sunk into treatise-induced catatonia.
It happened faster than I expected. I wasn't far into my first semester before I realized something -- I was incapable of having an interesting conversation with someone who wasn't a law student, law professor or lawyer (unless they were a non-lawyer asking me questions about law). All I talked about were cases. I dreamt about Contracts (was the hot guy who just approached me for a steamy night in my dreams making an actual offer? What was the consideration?) I wrangled with Constitutional Law (Did the insane study schedule inflicted by this law school violate the Eighth Amendment?). I laughed myself silly through Torts (How could a jury possibly think that a 12 year old riding a vaccuum cleaner naked was engaging in a "reasonably forseeable use" of that vaccuum cleaner, and thus entitled to damages when he got his member stuck in it?).
In short, I was in trouble. Interests? I had none. Hobbies? Only if doing book briefs counted. I didn't watch t.v., I didn't go to movies, I didn't go out drinking with friends (or alone, for that matter). I thought about, and talked about, law.
I'd like to say this has gotten better. It has -- marginally.
Last night, after Archi-Sapper and I went to dinner, we met up with some of my friends for drinks. We walked into Loa, a local bar, and found four of my lawyer-friends having drinks. It was great to see them because they're a fun group and I hadn't seen three of them in quite some time. We spent some time catching up and drinking and then we got a phone call that some of my other lawyer-friends were meeting at the Ritz for drinks. Why didn't we go join them?
As soon as we got there I felt bad for Archi-Sapper. He's such a trooper, and puts up with untold hours of lawyers, but I'm sure there are a million things he'd rather be doing than listen to us regale one another with deposition tales. About five seconds after we arrived, I was pulled aside by friends who just had to fill me in on the behavior of mutual acquaintances at a recent deposition. Interesting conversation? Yes. Sad that that's the only thing we can find to talk about? Yes.
Posted by Kitty at 10:16 AM | Comments (2)
May 20, 2004
Curves
In my quest to lose the weight I gained while taking Effexor, I've looked into various weight-loss programs. I have ultimately decided to keep doing the exercise DVD's I have at home, and to use the gym membership Archi-Sapper bought for me at a deeply discounted rate (he got a cheap rate since he's in the military).
One of the options I was considering was joining Curves, a fitness club for women which now has locations everywhere -- including one not too far from our house. I didn't join, but am still intrigued by this article from Salon.com. Evidently, there have been more than a few questions raised about whether the Waco, Texas based (male) founder of the franchise supports militant pro-life groups.
This strikes me as something that is a big concern for people who own the franchises, but not so much for people who simply go there to hang out on the stairmaster. According to the article, any money the franchise owner donated to organizations was his own, not the company's. If you own one of these franchises, I could see how you might want to conduct business with folks who are politically like-minded. If, like me, all you want to do is fit back into your cute, sexy clothes you were wearing a year ago, I would think you'd be less conflicted about this guy's views on abortion (especially since your money isn't directly going to support said organizations).
Posted by Kitty at 12:39 PM | Comments (5)
Cheddar X
1. What's your favorite board game?
See previous post regarding the board game Ubi.
2. If you had to sing a song on national TV (ala the bleh-worthy American Idol), what song would you sing?
If I were competing on American Idol, I would sing One Moment in Time by Whitney Houston. It is as cheesy as the songs the contestants sing but can showcase a good singing ability (not that I have one, mind you).
3. If you had to sing a duet, what song would you sing and with who?
It isn't really a duet, but I'd happily sing backup for Elvis Costello on (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?
4. If your life was made into a movie, what would the title be?
Too Far To Care (my apologies to the Old 97's)
5. If your life was made into a porn movie, what would the title be?
I guess the same.
6. Who would you want to play you in the movie of your life?
Jeneanne Garofolo.
7. In the porn?
I'm honestly not familiar enough with porn stars to pick one.
8. What are some of the top bumper stickers you've seen or thought of?
My favorite one I've seen is a bumper sticker on a Volvo that said, "0 to 60 in 9 Minutes.
Posted by Kitty at 09:51 AM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2004
An Offer
I've been to Alaska. While there, I visited the typical tourist sites -- Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, etc. I did not go to Valdez. Truthfully, I didn't have any control over my itinerary when I went (I was with a tour group), but even had I had some control, I don't think this offer of a free salmon to each tourist would've lured me there. I can't imagine that it would be very easy to keep the salmon fresh on the trip home. It might be more fun if they gave you a live salmon and you could keep it as a pet.
Posted by Kitty at 09:09 AM | Comments (1)
May 16, 2004
A Little Bit of Cheddar
1. How many computer passwords do you currently have?
One password and two pin numbers.
2. When was the last time you nearly went insane because you'd forgotten which one you were using?
Last week when I tried to pay my Sprint bill online. I always forget they want a pin number instead of a password, for some reason.
3. What's your favorite board game?
My favorite board game is this really weird game called Ubi (latin for: where), made by the makers of Trivial Pursuit. The board has a map of the world and you answer trivia questions, but your answers are given in geographical coordinates, based on where in the world the event happened. Given that I absolutely suck at geography, it is a mystery why I like this game so much.
4. How long have you been at your current job?
May 5 was my three year anniversary.
5. How much "push" would it take to get you to walk?
I would require: (1) the same amount of work/responsibility; (2) the same level of client access and (3) more money.
6. What's the best t-shirt slogan or comment that you've come across?
I like the t-shirt that says, "I'm blogging this".
Posted by Kitty at 10:50 AM | Comments (3)
May 15, 2004
Oklahoma!
On Thursday I got home from taking depositions in yet another case when my cell phone rang. It was my boss, offering me two free tickets to see Oklahoma! at the Saenger Theater (as an aside, I think I need a name that requires an exclamation point after it like Oklahoma! or Lamar Alexander). Oklahoma! isn't one of my favorite musicals, but I like it enough to see it via free tickets. The nice thing about Rogers & Hammerstein musicals, of course, is that you've already heard most of the songs before, so it is at least somewhat familiar territory (Oklahoma! includes "Oh What A Beautiful Morning", 'People Will Say We're In Love" and "Surrey With the Fringe on Top.")
The show was top-notch and has inspired me to buy tickets for 42nd Street, which plays next month. In addition, the Saenger will be showing classic movies this summer, including Casablanca, Dr. Zhivago and An American in Paris for only $6/ticket -- definitely money well spent. We'll be checking those out.
And for those of you poor souls who my husband called while we were waiting for curtain call, just because he wanted to look cool making phone calls on his cell phone, I apologize. I can't take him anywhere.
Posted by Kitty at 05:31 PM | Comments (3)
May 12, 2004
Things That Have Never Happened To Me
I can't say I'm a big fan of Ashton Kutcher, but he currently seems to be in quite an unusual predicament. It seems that he showed up to his date's home in Hollywood to pick her up to attend a party for the Grammys. She didn't answer the door, he looked through the windows of her house and saw dark stains on the floor, thought nothing of it, and went to the party alone. Turns out, she didn't answer the door because she had been murdered.
I think my favorite quote from this bizarre article has to be this one:
"Any responsible gentleman who goes on a date and finds a door not answered and evidence of some kind of disturbance would then call the police and let them know."
Just so we're all clear: If you go to pick up your date and there's evidence that she's been murdered, make sure to call the police if you want to be a gentleman.
Posted by Kitty at 06:31 PM | Comments (2)
May 10, 2004
Surreal Cinema
On Friday night, Archi-Sapper and I joined our churches' high school youth group in a trip to the movies. As a rule I'm not a big moviegoer. I will typically only go see a movie if it really looks like something I would like (think: Lost in Translation) or if I've been convinced to go and have given in to placate someone (think: any movie starring J. Lo and trying to get my mother to stop asking why she doesn't have any grandchildren). That said, I'm definitely not the best person to weigh in on current flicks and I am certainly no movie critic.
We met up with the kids at 6:30 and I spent about ten minutes cajoling people into their cars so we wouldn't be late (we're always late). We drove over to the theater, bought tickets and vats of Coke and sat on the front row (my neck still hurts just thinking about it). The movie we saw? Van Helsing.
This movie blew. And I know I'm overly harsh with movies since most of the time I don't want to see them, anyway. I don't care. This was truly awful. I completely understand that movies such as these involve the willing suspension of disbelief. Fine. I'm willing to temporarily suspend reality while I'm in the theater. I still can't get past the lengthy chase scenes, strung together in an endless loop, interrupted by painfully long "acting" scenes. I kept hoping that one (or more) of the characters would walk off the set in pursuit of an acting coach, but no such luck.
Despite the fact that this movie lasted over two hours, and despite the fact that the dialogue was atrocious and despite the fact that no one, but no one could act even if they'd had a decent script, this movie cannot be forgiven for two things: (1) the main female protagonist spent lots and lots of time attempting to slay vampires while she was wearing earrings that are longer than anything Sheila E. wore in 1983; and (2) the same female protagonist was attempting to slay the same vampires while looking so heavily made up she looked as if she'd just left the Estee Lauder counter at Saks. I can barely walk from my car to the office every day without smudging my lipstick and this idiot avenges her family's decimation while sporting the latest in lipstick shades. Freak.
Posted by Kitty at 09:26 PM | Comments (5)
May 06, 2004
Cheddar X
1. Name 3 things you absolutely love.
My husband (though he's not a thing, but let's not get picky), my dog (again with the "thing" thing) and music.
2. If you had to give 2 of them up which would they be (and why)?
Evil question! If I had to give up two of them, it would be the dog and the music. The husband's a keeper.
3. What is your all time favorite memory EVER?
Wow. It is really difficult to pick one favorite. I think it would be driving away from the San Francisco airport at the beginning of our honeymoon, riding in the bright red Mitsubishi Eclipse Spider convertible we rented, and blaring the mix tape a friend made for us. The first song was the cover of Everlasting Love, by U2.
4. What is the one thing that happened in high school that would make you avoid your class reunion?
Try a long, continuous stream of unrelenting torture inflicted by a bitchy classmate (n.b. I actually saw her at my five year reunion. She's a whale. Vindication!)
5. What is your dream job, no matter how untrained you might be or unrealistic and bizarre it might be?
My dream job is to be a federal judge. You get a lifetime appointment, so there's no running for office, you get interesting cases and get to boss people around. Seriously, where do I sign up for that? Second runner up dream job is to be an actress. On stage, not t.v. or movies.
6. What's one thing you think you're really good at?
Making people laugh.
Posted by Kitty at 08:22 PM | Comments (2)
May 04, 2004
Addiction
Most of my posts deal with fairly light matters. I've dealt with plenty of weighty issues in my life, but choose not to post about them on this site for various reasons. Today is an exception.
For the past year and change, I've been taking Effexor XR. For those of you who are just joining my blog, this was brought on by a variety of complications in my life, many of which had to do with my husband hanging out in Iraq for fifteen months. Suffice it to say that the extreme change in my life, combined with pre-existing conditions didn't sit too well. I was in need of some serious help.
Fortunately, my shrink is incredibly smart and can sense when I really need help (me sitting in his office sobbing uncontrollably is usually clue numero uno). So he prescribed Effexor for me and it worked like a charm. I was able to cope with everything life threw my way without dissolving into puddles of tears, and I didn't feel medicated. I just felt "normal". I felt "healthy". In short, I felt great.
Fast forward to some time closer to the present. Husband unit came home. Life issues resolved. I no longer felt the need for medication. I was increasingly irritated with the fact that I've gained 20 (yes, twenty) pounds while on this medicine. I didn't particularly want to replace my wardrobe with one made by Coleman. Definitely time to stop taking this stuff. No problem, right?
Since I'm writing this post you can probably guess the ending to this story. My brilliant psych advised me to slowly taper off the medication so I wouldn't experience side effects. Excellent advice. Too bad it didn't work. I began tapering off the medication without incident, but when I tried to stop taking it altogether, I thought I was going to expire. I felt light headed and somewhat dizzy all the time. I was disoriented and tired. I couldn't get a damn thing done at work (that was my excuse this time, anyway). When I walked down the street I thought I might collapse.
I called my doctor and he put me back on the lowest dose and told me to take it every other day to get this crap out of my system. In the interim, I have an appointment to see him.
Taking it every other day seems to be working, and I've actually gone for three days now without taking it. Before I start doing a victory dance and make a celebratory lap around my office, I have to remind myself that I keep a pill in my purse just in case I can't take the side effects any more. This is hardly a reason to celebrate.
I did some research on this crazy drug and, not surprisingly, I'm not the only person who has had these problems. In fact, several irate people, all of whom have had far more serious withdrawal effects than I, have formed an online petition to let Wyeth-Ayerst, the makers of this wonder drug, know how many people are suffering without it.
To my mind, if you market a drug and the people who take it are physically unable to stop without experiencing headaches, nausea, dizziness, light headedness and seizures (yes, seizures), you have created the single best anti-competitive benefit for your medication that you possibly could have. Furthermore, the FDA should not approve your drug. Period.
That said, there is a light at the end of this shaky tunnel. I have recently discovered via internet searching and talking with people that there is one surefire way to decrease the side effects of withdrawal from this medication : taking Prozac.
Posted by Kitty at 04:57 PM | Comments (12)
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