Sage Advice From a Wise Prof

Nothing is permanent.

So, when you are in distress, feel better knowing that your pain will soon go away.

If you're in good times, live them up, because they will be gone soon, too.

If My Life Were a Movie

I never get tired of this game. Friends and I have been known to wile away hours over cocktails discussing which actor would represent which person if all of a sudden our lives were to be turned into a movie with a Hollywood casting call to end all casting calls. So, I present here who would play the people in my life. There's little consistency in my choices--some actors are chosen because of looks, some are chosen because of mannerisms/character. But, click on the name of the actor/celebrity to see a photo if you're curious. Some will be left blank, because this game is far from finished. If anyone has anyone to add, or you think I have assigned you the wrong representative, or you have a better suggestion, please let me know. Also, these are subject to change with no warning.

Mom: Amy Madigan as Annie in Field of Dreams, particularly.
Dad: Harrison Ford because dad always liked Indiana Jones so much and they are now both completely gray.
Dylan: What's Eating Gilbert Grape-era Leonardo DiCaprio
Mitch: Elijah Wood not as Frodo Baggins.
Kathy: the lovely Kirsten Dunst
Kate: Chloe Sevigny--It's her vibe. Or something.
Kristie: Liv Tyler (complete with baby these days)
Amie:
Aaron: Lawrence Fishburne as Morpheus
Terry: Joe Pesci
Jan: Seth Rogen--the funny factor plays a big role here
Travis: Cold Mountain-era Jude Law
Nate: a young Tom Stoppard
Robin: Vanessa Ferlito
Erin: Laura Prepon. The voice. The Jersey. Can't deny it.
Fritzie: Natalie Merchant
Mike Hurley: Michael C. Hall as Dexter
Michael C.:
Justin:
Heather: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Duy: a young, Asian John Cusack. Or so he says.

As for me, I will cast the person I get compared to the most: Uma Thurman (from what I hear, especially in the Tagheuer ads).

Collected Thoughts

1. The other night, Nate and I were shocked by a new Verizon commercial that featured an interracial couple. I can't find this commercial on YouTube, but I swear we saw it. So, go Verizon!

2. Watched the Mets win today from the upper deck.

3. Jonah is exhibiting behavioral issues again and it is breaking my heart. If he keeps it up he's gonna be sent upstate.

4. Finished In Cold Blood--what a terrific book! Loved it, want to see the movie, and also want to see Capote.

5. I am 6 months away from getting my Master's Degree.

Meme

Where is the next place you will travel to?
South Florida.

Do you have any gay friends?
Ha! Um, a couple..

Do you want to get married & have children one day?
The jury is still out on that one.

Do you like to have long hair or short hair?
Long hair for the look; short hair for the maintenance. Sooo I'm screwed.

What is your favorite color?
Pink, with black at a close second.

Last vacation destination you went to?
Greece, I think.

Do you like sushi?
It's my favorite!

What was the best movie you have seen in the past two weeks?
WALL-E.

Do you like your first name?
Wouldn't change it for anything. Last name, too.

Name something great that happened today?
Literally watched a storm roll in, open up, and then roll on. From the 34th floor. It was beautiful.

Do you like your life as of now?
Yes, there are a couple things I would change given my druthers, but all in all I am a happy gal.

Regret doing anything in the past week?
Not getting to the river in time to nab an unobstructed view of the fireworks.

Does anyone call you baby?
Nate calls me Bobo. Does that count?

Have you ever slapped someone?
Once, in the seventh grade. I remember it to this day because I felt so bad about it.

Have you ever been suspended or expelled from school?
No, I was a good girl.

Do you want someone back in your life?
I go back and forth.

Rent a movie or go to a movie?
Go to a movie. It's getting to be a bit much though. $12? C'mon.

Has anyone told you they missed you lately?
Yep, that's what happens when the majority of people you love and who love you live far away.

Did you talk to anyone on the phone before bed last night, who?
Yep, Kate.

How many cousins total do you have?
We just figured this out the other day. 18, I believe, was the number.

Where were you born, and how old were your parents?
Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. Mom was 26; dad was 30.

What were you doing at 12 this afternoon?
Sitting in the Marie Claire office, researching how much it would cost to take a private jet somewhere. I am not even kidding.

One Word Free Association, Part Deux

1. Yourself: girl
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse): nada
3. Your hair: long
4. Your mother: kind
5. Your father: unpredictable
6. Your favorite item: passport
7. Your dream last night: questionable
8. Your favorite drink: tea
9. Your dream car: Jaguar
10. The room you are in: bedroom
11. Your ex: moving
12. Your fear: death
13. What you want to be in 10 years? fulfilled
14. Who did you hang out with last night? cats
15. What you’re not? bored
16. Muffins: chocolate
17. One of your wish list items: gym
18. Time: fast
19. The last thing you did: showered
20. What you are wearing: flats (!)
21. Your favorite weather: fall
22. Your favorite book: Milne
23. The last thing you ate: oatmeal
24. Your life: challenging
25. Your mood: calm
26. Your best friend: many
27. What are you thinking about right now? stories
28. Your car: silver
29. What are you doing at the moment? sitting
30. Your summer: exciting
31. Your relationship status: free
32. What is on your TV? nothing
33. What is the weather like? drizzly
34. When is the last time you laughed? school

And Now for Observations Made in the Last Five Minutes

1. Drinking hot beverages is the only way to not die in pain from my throat feeling like I swallowed a porcupine followed by sandpaper followed by nail-polish remover followed by fire.
2. I can always tell when Frank's home because Cheese Doodles magically appear in the pantry.
3. Sitting in my desk chair staring at the wall is ten times more interesting than writing my article.
4. I am the worst procrastinator in the history of the world.

I Swear I'll Do It

I'm having one of those can-I-get-away-with-killing-all-my-cats-without-
PETA-hunting-me-down? moments.

Sometimes Lectures Just Need to END

Over-read on my classmate Steve's computer during lecture today (which, by the way, is closing in on three hours right about now):

"Dear Sister,
I am in class and I want to die."

Gotta love laptops--for visual eavesdropping alone. ;-)

Our Humble Abode

Nate's selling a keyboard on Craigslist and a girl came to look at it this evening. She was pleasant and took her time playing the keyboard in the foyer while Nate and I chatted in the kitchen. She talked to Nate for a minute about the instrument and then proceeded to gush about our apartment. Among other things, she said, "I've never seen an apartment this put together in New York." We thought that was cute, and it made us feel even more proud of our very cool apartment.

City Livin'

A very nice family moved into the apartment directly above us about three weeks ago. Until then the apartment had been blissfully empty, and we enjoyed the uninterrupted silence for a good month and a half. The new family has three very cute, very bouncy children. They bounce a lot. Like, all evening long sometimes. And apparently the family rearranges their furniture almost every evening as well. At least, that's what it sounds like. All of a sudden something will roll from one side of my ceiling to the other. I don't know quite what to do about it. All I know is that I'm on deadline. And they're moving furniture. Again.

Post-script: By the way--though really annoying, mostly because I have to write right now--this isn't as bad as it was in my bedroom in Albany. I'm sure some of you remember me telling you about the morning when the guy who lived upstairs from me there threw a chair through the window, which was located directly above my bed, at about 4:30 AM. That was fun.

Nate's Random Pearls of Wisdom

"I feel like in other countries, the only thing that excuses you from being American is being from New York."

Girls

Me: I want to come to Switzerland.

Mario: You can come whenever you want, but it's cold here.

Me: I want cold! I want autumn! I'm sick of this heat.

Mario: You're crazy. As soon as it's cold you will change your mind!

Me: I know, but for now my mind's made up.

Mario: . . . girls.

Laundry

I'm pretty confidant in saying that I have acquired the world's largest collection of tiny black T-shirts.

Morning Commute

I have been commuting into midtown from my grandmother's house in Morristown, NJ, for a week now, and will be doing so until Wednesday. We move into our new place on Thursday. The commute involves a 15 minute drive into town to grab the train, and then about an hour on the train until we get to Penn. Not horrible, but definitely not ideal. My express ride on the Q to midtown from Brooklyn will be most welcome. Getting up at 5:30 AM is not agreeing with me very well. In my sleepy daze, I seem to misinterpret things here and there.

Take this morning, for example. . . . If you've ridden on NJ Transit, you know the trains--2 seats on one side, 3 on the other. This morning I had the misfortune of getting the middle seat between two rather hefty guys on the 3-seat side. The guy to my right, who had the window seat, was dozing, his headphones connecting his head to his Walkman. (Yes, you read that right, he had a Walkman, which he had resting on his shoulder between the window and his head.) Anyway, he woke up and said to me suddenly, "Susan? Get out!" I looked at him in utter confusion (and to be honest, a little bit of terror) and mumbled, "Excuse me?" He patiently repeated himself: "Excuse me, I'm getting out." OHHHHH, I thought. That makes much more sense.

My Life:

*grin*

Trees Are Smart

(Found in the parking lot outside the office.)

Go See It

So, I went the other evening to see the new Harry Potter movie with Mitch and his girlfriend, Kathy. I loved it. It is definitely the best one to date. Of course, it's always better to have read the books first, but this is the first movie in the series during which I didn't feel like I'd be a little lost if I hadn't read the books. My brother pointed out, "They gave you just enough information before leaving the scene," which is a really accurate statement. They switched up some details, but all in all, it worked. And! It's only about 2 hours and 10 minutes long--the shortest of all the movies to date--for a book that was more than 800 pages long. The director, David Yates, (who also did a great made-for-TV film called The Girl in the Cafe) did a terrific job.

Pretty Picture

This is what happens to my hair when I have no time in the morning.

I Don't Get It

What the hell are they thinking?

Update: This ad campaign is a fake.

New Hair

This is a few weeks late, but I finally got my roots done. I love the way Christine (my hair girl) does color. I wish she could be my personal colorist. Maybe someday when I'm rich and famous and have money to burn. Of course my roots are already growing out again ... Damnit!