Serendipity Cocktail

I see you time, cruelly mocking me from the calendar pages. Laugh all you want you random creation born of man's need to account for the lunar cycles. You are but a date on a page. HA! I laugh in your face sir. HA! you mean nothing. Ha!

Damn, still there.

ok then mocking not working, damn.

I blame Caesar. No not the yummy salad dressing. The Bastard with all the puncture wounds.

Ugh. I need a drink.

can you hear that? 10,000 freshmen - sun devils no less - all heading for my door tomorrow. Jesus save me!

Well what to say about my first 100 days at ASU. Hmm . . . it’s certainly been interesting. I feel like I’ve jumped from the kiddie pool into the ocean. Nothing like being responsible for the first t-shirt that 9000+ incoming freshmen will wear. Yeah that’s right the wildcat is making the devils shirts. And postcards, and ads, and magazine, and flyers ad nausea.

I like it – but its an adjustment. I miss my co-workers from RMFD. Not all- just the closes ones and the guys. Never knew how much till I told a joke that no one got. Sad.

New people are great with their own bag of issues – and some truly wonderful people. It’s a stroke to the ego to be the new gal and “so happy to have you!” I don’t think I fully got how starving I was appreciation for my talents till I came here.


Even better was the blissful week in Kauai after the 4th. That was amazing everything and nothing like what I expected.

Amazing that you can go somewhere and feel like you’ve been changed by it, but in such a way that isn’t new – but familiar, elemental. I know why people love Hawaii. I want to go back and a see more of its islands.

I have some photos to share. Here’s the photobucket – password is the state of my destination.

http://s73.photobucket.com/albums/i211/dolittlemd/kauai%20part%202/?albumview=slideshow

needless to say packing sucks, unpacking is tedious at best, and no internet or cable is the cruelest punishment of all. What's the point of being a young professional if you can't drool over HGTV nightly I ask you!!

Well here it is - my last day at RMFD. I've got lots of lovely things planned, lunch at a cajun BBQ, and drinks at a bar nearby with everyone who can stumble by. I have a cute outfit and can't seem to sleep enough for my taste.

Oh well. Then it's 2 weeks of packing, movin, and unpacking.

I've wanted this for long enough that now that the moments are upon me, I seem numb and it's surreal.

Hmm... onward it seems :P

Happy New Year everyone.

Here's to 2008, better than those proceeding. Filled with possibility and new chances for all. A clean slate. Enjoy!

ok got another great YOUTube vid for you. another great cause. Love to watch "Geriatric 1927" vids - he's cool, british and a open guy who just enjoys using the internet to talk about topics that matter to him. He's very big on the marginization of the elderly in the UK and the rest of the world. So he's helped put together a great rock band with a single to help age-releated charities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqfFrCUrEbY

It's fanatastic. Pre-orders on iTunes now - I did it's great!
Help us get the word out man. The facts are startling. I know watching my own grandparents move into this age group with their health issues, the htoughts of people abandoned by their families and even goverments (psuedo-socialist gov't at that!)is heartbreaking.

Facts from the Zimmer Band:
* In 2000, there were 600 million people aged 60 and over; there will be 1.2 billion by 2025 and 2 billion by 2050.
* Today, about two thirds of all older people are living in the developing world; by 2025, it will be 75%.
* In the developed world, the very old (age 80+) is the fastest growing population group.
* Women outlive men in virtually all societies; consequently in very old age, the ratio of women/men is 2:1.

OK so about 1 year ago there was a vid posted on YouTube that was truly cool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbSR5_boMcc

Then MadV posted more vids .. they got popular.

Last November he stepped it up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxqNsUbWlHc

I just finally saw the response - it will move you - if not check your pulse man!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0FvG9GO8Qs

Sometimes people can do more on the internet than watch porn, buy crap, and bitch about life. They can take some action and encourage others. Everytime I think we might be a lost cause - there's a moment of hope.

Am I alive?

why yes I am

Am I moving?

why yes I am

Am I too tired from overwork and a busy public event schedule to post more that utter crap to my LJ, despite my super super schedule?

Yup.

OK I have a favorite spot on Mt. Lemmon - it's called inspiration rock. Cheesy I know, but it works for me. There is a huge granite rock that sits on a "small" drop just east of summerhaven. I love it. You stand on the rock and the wind sweeps around you - nearly blowing you back. It's like flying and I can always feel my emotions and fears and whatever draining away. It's intense. I try to go whenever I need it and can manage it.

So after the freaky snowstorm on Sunday/Monday and the hellish meeting I need a little get-away. Luckily this week was my "get out of jail free" week where my boss treats us to 4 hours off. That's cool. So I had decided to take the afternoon of our dept. lunch trip, it just so happens that the snow is still on Lemmon and that Ski Valley was open - so I decided to head up there.

WARNING LARGE IMAGES!!! Here are some pics of my adventure. Mind the ( cut )
So this weekend it's up to PHX for the powerpaws dog walk at tempe town lake with Chelsea and maybe a movie with lex.

And what you may ask was so "hellish" about the meeting? Well... no one likes it when your boss is curt. No one enjoys being berated in front of smug and devious co-workers. No one likes it when you think your boss feels the same about said co-workers only to bring you and your allies to the carpet in an attempt to regulate behavior in the department. The blockhead cronies who cannot see themselves as wrong are only self-justified and the rest of us whimper away in hurt and disbelief. My mood was greatly improved by my snow escapade - but I'm still cautious here. My confidence and excitement over the major change in upper management is now tempered and frankly all the "talk" about my value and skills feels like lip service and I think that will continue until something *really*changes here. Otherwise I'm looking for better - 'cause my mad skillz deserve it.

ok here are a few more pics....

behind the ( cut )

Tonight is chilly already. Interesting to see how much will stick around.

I had a great weekend. It started Thursday. The universe decided to step in and stop me from having to spend my birthday at a lunch with a bunch of people I didn’t want to.

(works been more than nuts and "le tension" is quickly reaching the heights of farce that Voltaire would have been proud of – think my co-workers have been watching too much Dynasty – so much for love and Christian kindness)

We had a 2 alarm hazmat fire at a metal recyclers that set off a box of magnesium scraps. Now magnesium burn hot and green and doesn’t much take to water as our attack teams found out. (they knew this but didn’t know that magnesium was in the area) So they came out with Swiss cheese turnouts. Those hot metal shards burn through their 3 protective layers. They were fine, but it was a spectacular fireball in the sky.

Then later that day were was a vehicle fire that extended to the carport.

It truly was a fun little pyrotechnic celebration for me. Ticked off co-workers that I ditched the department lunch to see the fire – but please like I’m going to miss that!! besides it was conveinent that the dept meeting and my birthday lined up. I was too nice to actually tell them that I didn't want to go - hehe score one for Divine Order!

Katy, Becca and I went to Chang’s then Frost for a little birthday gelato. MMM… hazelnut.

Friday moved fast and the bitchyness was in full force but I didn’t care for…

My family was coming down on Saturday. The whole gang came down to watch Phoenix college play Pima Community. {Lex’s pal Courtney plays safety and we’ve been going to the games] he’s going to be a great pro football player. He was made to do it. They won.

Dinner at Sauce, more gelato, then winning the game and an impulsive viewing of “Little Miss Sunshine” then late to bed. The whole fam stayed at my place - My first real overnight guests. Every bed in the house was full and it was great. I can easily accommodate 5 ppl with beds. Anymore need to bring sleeping bags – FYI.

Quick brunch at AJ’s and they were off. Man I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned for them and that was great since everything is so clean and organized, but more than anything I had a bunch of fun with the family. Missed the pooch though. But all in all things were great. Got hilarious cards from family and $$ for a new vacuum cleaner – ahh the joys of a truly dirt free carpet. Much nicer.

I'm taking a look at my LJ and thinking - wow I should give an update. Papa is better - improving. They moved him friday from the heart hospital to one close to his home into what's called "rehab" We wanted him to go the the Del Webb rehab but he can't handle the intense therapy sessions there so it's a lesser facility.

He's better but with a long road ahead of him. My family feels the need to pull back a bit, we don't need to get sucked back into this and my mother does NOT need to keep spending everyday at his bedside when everyone else takes off.

We've all been behaning but the cracks are beginning to show. My grandfather has a great track record of fast recovery from surgery and long complicated full-recovery.

We'll see.

Today's 9/11 memorial at work was touching, but everyone seems to feel a sense of removal from it - 5 years - and lifetimes ago. I'm thankful my dear ones were all safe that day and in London ... and everywhere else. there's only one thought for day like this...

peace.

Ok so he's off the ventillator and breathing on his own. He's awake sometimes and has complained about his back and said hi. That's good. They're getting him a special air matress so that they can adjust the levels of firmness to accomodate him.

Everyone's been back and forth. I'm up this weekend for more sitting. I love how supportive and caring people have been at work. My heart's not into it, but I'm plugging away at it.

Ok here's the update. I'm back home. He made it through surgery which was a boon since they doubted he'd make it to the second hospital.

Turns out it wasn't the old aneurysm that leaked but a brand new one on his right side (near the groin) that ruptured. He lost 3L of blood and the ability to coagulate. His kidneys shut down and they feared that he also suffered a heart attack from the strain.

We were very lucky to find a vascular surgeon on duty last night. 3+ hours of surgery plus several more trying to stabilize him in ICU.

I last saw him at 7pm and he was looking good. Color almost back to normal and a lot of the hematoma had been drained from his abdominal cavity. They thought that he might need to go on dialysis but his kidneys began to function again, so good.

We’ve got a long road ahead, and the next 72 hours are critical. We’ll see how extensive the damage might be from the blood loss and strain. We sat in the waiting rooms in ICU and waited for our permitted 2 people every 2 hours for 10 min.

There was no drama – just a lot of support and compromise.

Got a call from Dad about an hour ago that Papa was transported to the hospital. He had passed out in the bathroom and had been vomitting for most of today. At Banner they discovered that anorism in his leg that was operated on 16 years ago was leaking. He's been bleeding internally and his blood pressure was 40/80.

He was air evac'd to the AZ heart Hospital and placed into emergency surgery.

That's all I know right now .. prayed with the nice lady on Slient Unity, bailed my eyes out for 15 min. and have been waiting for more news.

No one's telling me to come up, but everyone else is there.

I'm jumping in the shower ... like i could sleep now.

OK so a little change around here. I think it's interesting. Not always a purple girl but the coding is sweet man. Got to love those CSS styles. If I have more time I'll tweak it myself.

A proper entry is coming .. I swear.

I've been watching this first episode all this week, and I've come to a single conclusion. We need to make sure that this wonderful show gets the notice and praise it deserves.

I'm afraid that in the wasteland of FN's Ray and Flay-a-thon that this gem will be lost.

I'll admit that I love AB; I appreciate his shows and his cinematic voice. But Feasting on Asphalt moves beyond the quirky gimmicks of Good Eats and adds style and form to a network that sadly misses it.

The show is a great showcase of Brown's film school background. There is no flat note here. The mix of humor, education, and serious information is tight and balanced. AB never abandons the fun and I can only hope that it continues through the rest of the show’s short run.

There's been comparisons made to No Reservations on Travel Channel, and I can see them. Both excel in featuring the enigmatic host and showcasing locales and cuisines that aren't part of the usual fare. But Asphalt has something that Reservations missing to a certain degree - the style.

From shot compositions to a DP with obvious skill at with digital HD cams - this show uses every inch of its creators' talent to keep quality high, and the audience engaged. Similar skill with this young technology garners filmmakers like Michael Mann praise and awards.

AB has mentioned in past interviews about the production values on Good Eats (that they're high, and the budget offered by FN is low) But to see the final product of this moving documentary displays the skill of BeSquared's production team and their highly organized staff.

How much of this show was thought out ahead of time, whether or not we're to suspect it, there is still an enormous amount of "winging-it" in a nomadic production. One can’t always guarantee a shot, and you never really know how your raw footage will come out in post-production. Businesses close, road get flood, and occasionally people crash. This is the excitement of documentary and the discovery of a non-fiction narrative.

Unique and difficult circumstances that other "reality" based shows thrive on have been acknowledged and awarded for, and I personally would like to see the same happen here. The Amazing Race has received Emmys for their show, and deservedly so, for the scale of the project is immense and also so unpredictable.

One can only hope that the Critics see that same excellence in this show and that Brown and his team receive the accolades that they so deserve. But we are not without a voice in the matter. Buzz has it’s place in TV criticism.

I think that we can do our part in expressing our enjoyment over this series. I think that the Lackeys of FN take Alton and his cult of followers for granted. They know that we will show up even without a lot of press - we have a duty to tell them that this is the sort of quality that should be expected out of their talent.

So often we bemoan how the channel that once hosted Bourdain, Moulton, Tsai, has fallen from quality to gimmick and the loss of skill. (Then mention of the Semi-made Ho is enough to send my film school ego into a rant of Lewis Black proportions). FN needs to know that this is want we want. That AB and his team tap into something beyond Ray’s audience and give us the possibility for more.

Asphalt is inspiring and leaves this young filmmaker with hope and giddy sense that somewhere out there might be a production team that still takes the time to think about story arc and the composition of a shot.

So join me in tell the world how much we love this show. Tell TV Guide, ET, The Post, NY Times, Variety, your friends and family, and write FN. Use the “email Alton” on the show’s page on foodtv.com to say “Thanks!”

I know I will. Because this is the kind of TV I want. And I still believe that people can have a say on network schedules, and where we watch – advertisers and therefore networks follow.