Who goes there? Please leave comments so (An Aries Knows)!
Originally, LJ-TV meant to bring you the glittering arrival of celebrities to the red carpet at the 81st Annual Academy Awards. Beautiful Lupita Fernandez, Latin singing sensation and star of Mexican telemundo Rebelde, was poised to interview all of your favorite stars of the big screen.
I did a lot of napping Saturday because I needed it. I was hoping to get “that” call from Tim: the one in which he said, I’M FREE! PICK ME UP! Sadly, it didn’t come. But he did spend several hours today without having his chest cavity suctioned and seemed to respond well. Maybe tomorrow they can take out the chest tubes and release him.
Meanwhile, Tyson is having a slumber party weekend. Another potential forever family wanted him to spend a couple of days with them to see how they get along together. As before, this is bittersweet. Tyson is such a freaking adorable dog that while I want him to find the perfect home, not having him here is sad, too. Hopefully if they do decide he’s right for them, Tim will be able to see him later so they can have a proper au revoir moment.
It was a kind of weird Valentine’s Day. Tom did maintenance-type stuff in Tim’s apartment. Then while I went to spend the evening with Tim in the hospital, Lindsey came to The Compound to give Rhonda some good snoozing alone time because she’s so sick. Thus Tom and Lindsey ate dinner together. When I asked Tom if Rhonda and Lindsey were disappointed about Valentine’s Day, he told me Lindsey said every day’s like Valentine’s Day for them. I thought that was pretty sweet. Me: I’m grateful for days when nothing much happens around here except hanging out without mosquitoes, hurricanes, heat waves, trips to the people or animal ER, or palmetto bugs.
Tom sent Tim a card and some chocolate, and I got him a puzzle for us to work on when he gets home. I’ll save a photo of that for later. I also took Tim a surprise visitor dressed in sexy Valentine’s Day finery.
Nothing says Backwoods Barbie like a giant hospital urinal in the background.
Dolly’s fabulous shoes provided courtesy of Mark G. Harris.
ETA: Two more photos behind the cut.
Those of you who’ve read Someone Like You–um, that would be ALL of you, right?–remember that the oft bitchy but troubled Natasha had a certain obsession. Among the vast array of Timothy James Beck characters, I admit that I have a soft spot for Natasha. Created mainly by Jim, with a few quirks and some action thrown in by the rest of us, she’s just such a big mess that even her Evil Retail Manager behavior makes me laugh.
I’d totally forgotten that a few days before Tim went into the hospital, I was poking around on eBay and found a steal. So when a box was delivered today, I had no idea what was in it. I hope it’ll make Tim laugh later. It will always make me think of Natasha Deere.
But only with a camera, of course. This is one of my older Barbies with a Beverly Hills 90210 Dylan doll.
The night wouldn’t be complete without a glimpse of Mattel Top Models Lacy, Nikki, Figaro, Summer, and Barbie arriving at one of the many 2009 Inaugural Balls.
Best wishes to our new administration and congressional members, and a fast recovery to Senator Kennedy.
Who are they wearing? Becks, of course.
I’m a little late with wishes for the day. I was busy witnessing some of the best and worst behaviors of humans as I went about my errands over the past few hours.
That seems appropriate, actually. The halting progress of civil rights in our nation showed us at our best and worst. This year, the day seems more poignant because tomorrow our first black president will take his oath of office. For me, it feels like a milestone when we should stop looking back and start looking forward. And when I say that, I include my fervent readiness to shake the last eight years out of my brain and move toward a better future for all of us.
In the meanwhile, I’m on a bit of a cleansing mission. There are so many nagging duties I’ve gotten out of the way over the past month–financial, physical, emotional–and I’ve decided to detox my body. I’ve upped the water intake, added twenty daily ounces of green tea and about eight ounces of orange juice a day, and I’m going to omit meat for a few days. This really isn’t a hardship for me, as I’m a passionate raw and cooked veggie lover, but I don’t want to deny The Compound menfolk any culinary pleasures. Some nights I’ll probably cook two different meals.
But for tonight, they’re my guinea pigs. I’ve created something. I don’t know if it’s a pie or a quiche or what. Leeks sweated down in butter, nestled among thinly sliced potatoes, with a milk/egg mixture lightly flavored with nutmeg, salt, and pepper, poured into a crust, then topped with the thinnest layer of grated Gruyère cheese. It’s baking now, too late for me to throw in the garlic I’m wondering about. I sort of adapted the recipe from several I found online. It’s an adventure!
Also, because I know Lindsey’s going to care, here’s a photo of some things I picked up today.
My baby heater that I keep in my office sparked and hissed at me today. It was very dramatic, and I don’t do drama, so into the trash it went. Even though Mercury’s retrograde, I got a new one, because as long as I can keep my feet warm, I can keep the thermostat down in my house.
Finally, in the category of entertainment, I’ve made this confession to my family and a few close friends, but now I think you all should know. There was a time I mocked Tori Spelling with the best of them. But having recently finished this book:
I’m totally in like with her. So I’m really excited that Tim just found this for us to indulge in:
Me, Tori, and popcorn. Sounds like a great way to spend an evening. If my cooking improv doesn’t kill us.
…and then it does?
Today I managed to accomplish every goal I set for myself. While I was doing it, I got to speak by phone to Lynne, Marika, my sister Debby, my friend Debbie, Jim–I feel like I’m leaving out someone, but at age thirty-five, a memory lapse or two is to be expected. I’ve missed calls from Timmy and Amy, but we’ll catch up soon.
I took some photos that you can see after the cut.
Continue reading “You know how it sometimes seems a day can’t get any better…”
In other news, two new angels have joined the band.
Admit it; you were checking out those titles behind the angels, weren’t you? Book slut!
The angels arrived on craft night, the highlights of which involved Starbucks peppermint mochas, Betty Crocker Cookie Brownie Bars (BUY THIS MIX and don’t overbake!), new toys from Iowa for the dogs (it was the night EZ went to her forever home, but Sugar was happy to step in), and of course, Lindsey making a face as soon as I pointed a camera at her.
Not pictured with a toy: Guinness, because it wasn’t long before Margot:
I have a print over The Compound fireplace of an original work done by my friend Geof. It’s titled “If Louis Had Been King of Egypt,” and it depicts the architecture of the Pyramids meshed with characteristics of the lavish Palace of Versailles. Back in June, I was given a sketch that I think will make a good companion piece for it. The second artist titled his work “The Cherished Hour.”
Recently, as I’ve trudged through the massive task of taking care of things I’ve neglected since October 2007, I found the new (to me) sketch where I’d carefully put it away. As of today, it’s matted and framed. I won’t detail all the ways this piece appeals to me so as not to influence your perceptions. I’m sorry the lighting is so bad, but I was attempting to keep the flash from bouncing off the glass.
You can click that, of course, to make it bigger, and click it again to make it HUGE. But I’d particularly like to draw your attention to a detail in the bottom left corner (below, and also clickable for better viewing). “The Cherished Hour” was sketched in November 2000, long before LJ Runway Monday came along. Some of you may remember a certain design of mine that received MUCH derision from the judges. What I’m wondering: Is it possible that an infamous resident of Versailles actually said, in kindness to the fashion-deprived, “Let them have capes?”
Back in my youth, when I thought about taking my degree in English and hieing my butt to law school, it was for one reason. I wanted to work in mediation and/or arbitration.
I’ve never regretted not going to law school, but Alternative Dispute Resolution is still a field for which I think I’m well suited. If there’s ever been a case I wish I could be part of mediating, it’s the one between Mattel (Barbie, Diva Starz, Flava, My Scene) and MGA (Bratz). I’ve read so much about this case that I dream about it. Though I’ve been vocal about my distaste for Bratz, it would be so much fun to make Mattel and MGA both come out winners.
Oh, well. I’ll just remind myself that:
Tom got the Barbie garland up Saturday night. As Tim would say: