Roses and Thorns Jan 1 - 15

I'm going to skip over the Christmas season and just start fresh with the New Year. So... let's begin.

Rose

Jim n' I had a fabulous NYE at the Midnight in New Orleans Mardi-gras. There was lots to see and do, a good crowd of about 400 people, fabulous bands, lots of dancing, and waaay better drink prices than you'll find at any other function (besides a house party, of course.)

Actually, friends of mine spent a glitzy n' glamourous NYE in Vegas. They paid $170 for their party tickets at an exclusive club with the promise of champagne at midnight -- but by the time the had their turn at the bar, the midnight cutoff had passed and they were charged $16 for their glass of celebratory bubbly! Jeez... what a racket!! Yeah, I think NYE in Kelowna was just fine for me. :)

Thorn

In a word - Haiti. How absolutely heartbreaking!! If I had the means, I would go down and help by digging people out of the rubble or doing whatever I could. We donated a little money, but it doesn't feel like enough. You just want to physically DO something, y'know?

I've heard that the Salvation Army (or it might've been another organization) is either running low or have run out of supplies. So if you can afford to donate even just $5, I really urge you to.

Also, Soft Mocs stores are accepting donations of new or gently used shoes between the 15th - 22nd to send to the people of Haiti. There's a Soft Mocs store in the Orchard Park Mall, so if you have some decent kicks kicking around, please considering donating them.

And finally, my good friend Debbie has recently started her own little business making cards, (check out Fosten Designs on FB), and so she is making two limited edition Valentines Day cards, and is covering the printing costs herself, so that all profits will be sent directly to Doctors Without Borders.

The only thing is, she needs to figure out a way to sell them online without incurring Etsy listing/selling fees or Paypal fees. She really wants 100% of the funds to go directly to the cause. If you've got any ideas on how she can do this, please let me know, or post it on her FB page. T'anks!

Rose

We had a wunderbar (but supa long) meeting with our producers the other day. They were very complimentary on our latest draft. All of their notes included relatively easy changes, like describing things differently, cutting a couple scenes by a page or two, and changing a word here or there. No big deal.

Jim was very confident we could make these changes in a day (HA!), but we decided to tell them to give us about a week. Next step is sending the script off to pro readers (again), and seeing what they have to say. After that, we start contacting our potential Donovan's. *nervously nibbling fingernails*

Thorn

This thorn goes hand-in-hand with my last one - Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh.  No further comment necessary.

Rose

I just finished a 9 day cleanse, and feel pretty good about it. The supplements said 7 - 15 days, so I was going to go for 15, but then I ran out of supplements. Oh well. :P

On top of the milk thistle (for the liver) and detox pills (for digestion), I was to consume no white flour, no dairy, no sugar, no red meats and no alcohol. I was also supposed to eat as much raw food as possible and drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. Surprisingly, it only required a few minor adjustments to my regular diet, and so I found the cleanse much easier than I had expected.

I replaced the skim milk for vanilla soy (which, believe it or not, I actually discovered that I like a whole lot better), regular cheese for soy cheese, my usual focaccia buns for no-flour Squirrly bread and whole wheat pitas, coffee (which I usually put milk n' sugar in) for caffeine-free tea, and finally, I omitted my usual glass of vino in the evening for water. Sigh. That was probably the hardest one - no wine and no snacking in the evenings. Sometimes after 9 o'clock, I start getting hungry and like to have a couple slices of cheese or maybe some popcorn.

Anyhow, it didn't kill me and I'm proud of myself, even though I didn't last the full 15 days. In fact, I think I'm going to continue with most of these healthier habits from here on in.

Thorn

I tried to post something to my blog the other day and the article wouldn't format properly. Argh! It really ticked me off, so I just gave up. I didn't want to waste my time messin' around with it. Therefore, I haven't posted anything for the last couple of days because I didn't have time to write a "real" post, and news articles didn't want to paste correctly.

Regardless, I'll finally post the first paragraph of the article and the link. If you're feeling so inclined, you can read the rest of the story for yourself:

Audiences Experience Avatar Blues

(CNN) James Cameron's complete immersive spectacle 'Avatar' may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora....

Okay, personally I didn't think I'd fall in love with Avatar, but I have to say, I really enjoyed it. (Not loved it - but definitely enjoyed it. It's like a modern day Dances with Wolves.) It was visually stunning and must be seen in 3D. Without the 3D, I'm sure you wouldn't get the same awesome experience. But all awesomeness aside, after reading the article, I have to ask... Suicide? Really?

I understand that the make-believe world of Pandora makes Earth look pretty crappy in comparison. But first of all, it's MAKE BELIEVE! And secondly, gawd, open your eyes people! Seriously. There's plenty of beauty to be seen in the real world.

I know that a good movie should provoke waves of emotion, but I have to think that the people who walked away depressed or suicidal mustn't have very fulfilling lives, or else they are mentally unbalanced in some way.

Also, a side note, one of our producers was at Fox studios a week ago, when then guy he was speaking with received a phone call on Avatar's box office figures. Although it hasn't been officially publicized yet, based on it's current benchmark status, it is guaranteed to be the highest grossing movie of all time -- surpassing The Dark Knight, Return of the King, and Titanic. Crazy!

Rose

I found the BEST journal EVER! Remember how I was saying that I really needed a day timer for 2010?  Well, I found this one called The Sacred Journey, and man, it is so perfect, it's spooky! It's chalk full of various exercises for goal setting and connecting with your Higher Self. It even talks about dreams, goals, and desires, and practically quotes some of the stuff I wrote in my earlier post. Uncanny!

I was so thrilled to pieces with it, that I bought one for a friend of mine and sent it off to her. She's going to love, love, love it as much as I do, I'm sure! After only a couple short weeks, I already feel so connected and in tune, it's amazing. What an incredible tool! I just can't say enough about it. This journal was made for me!

Thorn

Well, this isn't really a thorn... but kinda. Earlier today we went out to buy a DVI cord so Jim could hook up a second monitor to his computer. For years he's been saying that he wants two monitors for his computer here at home. He uses two monitors at the office, and finds it very useful. On one, he all has his Photoshop tools and reference images. On the other, he draws his illustrations. Since he's going to have to start story-boarding soon, the need for a second monitor has quickly increased.

Anyhoo, Jim purchased a used monitor from the office, and the Help Desk gentleman said that in order to hook it up, he'd need a DVI cord, which should run us around $15. Not too shabby.

So since we had to do some banking, we popped in next door to Futureshop to take a look-see. And get this -- they wanted SIXTY effing dollars for that little cord! Sixty! The sales guy candidly admitted that they charge a premium, (no shit!), and that it might be cheaper on eBay. Jim sucked it up for the time-being, just in case, but then asked around to see if anyone could recommend a better place to go.

Shocked at the mark-up, both the Help Desk guy and our friend Vlad recommended this little shop called Interior Electronics, which is tucked away on a quiet backstreet, that you'd never think to go down.

First of all, the folks there were soooo friendly and helpful. Such super nice guys. And then, guess how much they wanted for the DVI cord? Yup. Only $15.

We promptly returned the cord to Futureshop and got our money back. What an unbelievable rip off! I can understand a difference of $5, or even $10. But $45? Honestly! That's insane.

Rose

I've had a few very nice phone calls and emails lately with a couple friends who I haven't heard from in a long while. All three conversations have been very honest, almost heart-to-heart type exchanges, and it  makes me feel so blessed to have such a rich tapestry of friends woven through my life. Even if we don't speak to each other every day - or for a couple years! - it's a wonderful uplifting sensation to take a moment to thank someone and let them know how much they really affected you.

At some point in my life, all three of these relationships have played a part in helping me discover who I am, in one subtle way or another. They are not my oldest friends, or even my bestest friends, but their words, their actions, or even just their presence changed something in me.

So, over the last two weeks, I've finally had a chance to acknowledge and thank them for it. It's also incredibly cool to hear how I affected their lives in one way or another as well. It feels good. Very good.

Thorn

I need my hair cut. Desperately. The ends are all uneven and I can't stand to look at 'em. I've got to make an appointment. Maybe this week? The only thing is the last time I saw my hairdresser, (like over 6 months ago! Eek!), she told me to promise to bring my wedding photos in at my next appointment. (I know, I know... I still haven't printed them off yet. It just hasn't been a priority.)

Because of this, I've been procrastinating making an appointment. Then in the meantime, my hair has probably grown a foot. (Really, I think my hair grows twice as fast as most people's. Even my hair dresser is always amazed, and I'm sure she sees her fair share of mousy roots.) So now my ends are starting to look all yucky. Not split-endy. But still, not very nice.

Maybe I should shave it all off and start over? I would do it for cancer research. The only thing holding me back is I don't want to be Jim's twin. Ha. Although really, that is a life goal of mine... to be Jim's twin. Ha ha. Kidding....

No, seriously, someday I'd like to shave my hair off to raise money for cancer. It just seems like such a brave thing to do. I worked with a young gal who did it when I was in college, and she had the most gorgeous thick, curly blond hair. I totally admired her guts.

Either that, or at the very least, I'd like to donate my hair to make wigs. I'll likely end up doing the latter, since they only need 8 to 10 inches. While no organization will accept dyed hair to make children's wigs, there are a few that will accept dyed hair for adult wigs, as long as the hair is in good condition... which mine usually is... except at the moment. :P

Okay, clearly I've yammered on long enough. Must be making up for lost time, I guess... So I'll end this here!