P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T…….

I actually finished that proposal I was sitting on for so long. It feels great getting it off my back. I honestly feel that even if I had forced myself to write it, I wouldn’t have been able to– I needed to sit and ruminate on it for the time it took to finally spit it out.

I have a few other things I should do that I haven’t. It’s never ending.

Yeah, I gotta get my presentation for tomorrow squared away. No more procrastination!

Wait, have you ever met a person who keeps repeating the same story/conversation topic, over and over again? I recently met a person who has told me the same story three times! Is their memory that bad they don’t remember? And the thing is, the story is just totally stupid. It clearly means something to them but I just don’t get it. How many more times do I have to listen to it? This last time, as I nodded and grinned and tried to look interested and not embarrassed, I started to wonder if maybe it was a test?

Red Elvises at The Bethlehem Musikfest

If you follow me on Facebook, you’d know I spent Thursday evening at the Bethlehem Musikfest, in the pouring rain, just so I could catch The Red Elvises. They were awesome! It seems that Igor and Oleg have reunited! (At least kinda, we asked both Oleg and Igor after the concert if they were back together and both said, “I don’t know.”) And Milka Ramos and Elena Shemankova were also back! I LOVE LOVE LOVE MILKA! She wore a Suzi Quatro -inspired black leather jumpsuit! She is incredible!

Here, watch the video I shot:

And here’s the video Pookie shot…

Clearly it’s time to invest in a better camera for me.

Speaking of which, here’s a blurry shot of Igor and me:
32994 39 19249 9

Kick-Ass, Withnail and I, Kicked my Ads

Last night, Pookie and I went to Acme where we picked up a RedBox movie, Kick-Ass. I thought it was going to be a silly comedy, similar to Super Bad.

I was wrong.

It kinda started out like one. But then it veered away into something really dark and disturbing. It was somewhere between the introduction of a precocious, rough-talking, 11-year old, martial arts expert, a man being cooked in an industrial microwave and the broadcast of an execution online that I realized, “I don’t have to put myself through this!” And I got up and walked away.

This thinking has served me well. I’ve left Punch Drunk Love, Prêt-à-Porter, Excess Baggage, Independence Day, and Superman Returns. I’m sure there were others that I can’t remember. Getting up and leaving is usually the most exhilarating and gratifying part of the movie.

Of course, with Kick-Ass, I just left the living room and went up to the loft. So it’s not quite the same.

Still, watching Kick-Ass, the lead character seemed very familiar to me. This morning as I poured my coffee, I figured out he reminded me of I in Withnail & I. Okay, the character’s name was Marwood.
Marwood from Withnail & I looks like Kick-AssKickass looks like Marwood

That might have been a better movie. Two inebriated students, dressed like superheroes, decide to go on vacation, and have to fight off the advances of Uncle Monty using their superpowers! I’d pay a dollar to see that one!

Procrastination

I need to find my Tony Robbins book and reread the last chapter. The one about procrastination.

I have a proposal to write. It was due Monday. Today is Wednesday. I have to do it. And it’s not painful to do. I know it’s not painful to do. WHY AM I HOLDING OFF? I hate writing proposals. HATE IT! Why? Because I hate having to think about cost. I hate knowing that I may possibly face rejection. I hate not being sure of what to write. I hate feeling that I didn’t correctly deduce their need. I hate worrying that I didn’t build enough profit into it. I hate not knowing if I am too high… or even worse, too low. I hate not feeling confident.

Okay, so what do I like about writing proposals. I love getting them off my desk. I love getting the order. I love making money. I love being able to move on.

Why am I still not ready to write this thing?

Elvis Week 2010

Yesterday was the kick off for Elvis Week 2010… and I am not there.

I am wondering if there’s a way I might be able to get there but I don’t think it’s in my cards. I think I’ll just go see the Red Elvises on Thursday at the Bethlehem Musikfest. (Let me know if you are planning on being there, maybe we can catch up!)

Probably one of my FAVORITE Elvis songs is Suspicious Minds. And I started thinking of Mark James who wrote it. On my first visit to Memphis back in 1999 (or was it 2000?), I went to the Rock and Roll Soul Museum and I saw the napkin where he scribbled the lyrics to Suspicious Minds. Can we just say it was like eating a York Peppermint Patty? At any rate, just now I decided to see what other songs he wrote. It’s hard to get a definitive list but Wikipedia says his canon consists of:

“The Eyes Of A New York Woman”
“Hooked on a Feeling”
“It’s Only Love”
“Suspicious Minds,”
“Sunday Sunrise”
“Raised On Rock”
“It’s Only Love”
“Moody Blue”
“Always on My Mind”

What a great list of songs. You can listen to them here: Share Songs by Mark James, writer of Suspicious Minds In fact, back when I was trolling Match.com, I used the one lyric from Moody Blue as my “Headline.”

My personality unwinds, just like a ball of twine, on a spool that never ends.

Yeah, I am sure I scared away many potential opportunities with that one. Whatever. It certainly doesn’t matter anymore. Besides, it was better than my original headline, “Chock Full of Chocolaty Goodness!”

Mark James continues to perform to this day but under the name, Frankie “Uray” Zambon. I had assumed he was dead since he doesn’t seem to be turning much out of late. This morning I listened to Sirius/XM’s Underground Garage and I heard Andrew Loog Oldham wish Jimmy Dean a Happy Birthday. ANDREW! JIMMY DEAN DIED LAST MONTH! Let’s hope it was just a rebroadcast.

PS Do you think it’s time I give Elvis and Peter Tork their own categories? I certainly write enough about both of them.

If these pants weren’t so tight

My little cousins came for a visit from Chicago. On Sunday I asked if they’d like to accompany me to my Community’s swimming pool.

“YEAH!!!!!” was the collective response.

My parents dropped them off at my place and then we headed to the pool. The weather was perfect and the pool was relatively empty.

I walked to the edge of the pool and quickly dove in. Sarah and Ben followed my lead. We splashed about and then I raced them from the deep end to the low end and back again. I showed them how to kick their legs out like a synchronized swimmer and Ben showed me how he could flip in the water. We laughed and Little Sarah yelled out, “Watch this!” She pushed off the side of the pool, swam along the bottom, and emerged a few seconds later with tears in her eyes and a frown on her face.

“Sarah, what’s wrong?”

“My chin!”

And sure enough, blood droplets started to form. She had scraped her chin along the bottom of the pool. I ran to the lifeguard and got wipes and a band-aid. As I got her cleaned up, I had a terrific idea!

“Let’s go to Rita’s Water Ice!”

With a band-aid covering Sarah’s chin, we walked over to Rita’s and I got Sarah an ice cream cone and Ben a Chocolate Blendini. It’s amazing how kids can forget about a boo boo when ice cream is involved. We headed back to the pool along a little trail WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, BEN TRIPPED! I tried to grab him but it was too late. He skinned his knees and his palms and his elbows! The blood just poured out of his knee. In fact, the blood that wasn’t gushing out appeared to be pooling under the little skin that remained. I ran back to the lifeguards and asked for more band-aids and antiseptic wipes. They looked at me like I was insane but gave me their remaining bandages because, “You know, like, in case you need more later.” Bastards.

Right when I got back to the kids, my neighbor Peter pulled up in his car. He swung the door open and we piled in. He drove us back to his house where he patched up Ben and gave Sarah chocolates. Peter definitely saved me out there since I was about ready to pass out from seeing all that blood… and from the embarrassment of being found with not just one injured child BUT TWO!

Eventually the time came that I had to face my mother and own up to the fact that I was bringing my cousins back to her house COVERED IN BAND-AIDS. And on the ride home, I called THEIR mother to explain that when she sees her babies in a couple days, they will be a little bandaged and sore.

Oddly enough we had no incidents when I took them white water rafting on the Lehigh River or when we went to the Jersey Shore.

They’re home now. And I am sure their memories of the trip will be ingrained in their minds for a long time… they will also have scars to commemorate their visit.

Alive and Well and Living on Mars

My little cousins are en-route for a week long visit! I am very excited! The plans are to take them to the shore, rafting, Great Adventure, etc… It’s going to be fun!

Last weekend saw me on another mini-trip. Pookie and I went to Rock Hall, MD where we met up with friends and ate a smörgåsbord of seafood. The next day we sailed the bay and anchored at the public beach. After jumping in, a tray of chicken wings were delivered to us by a friend who waded into the water with the tray perched upon his head. We ate the wings as we swam, tossing the bones to the seagulls flying around us.

I thought I had adequately shielded myself from the sun. Apparently I failed big time because I have those silly sunglass lines where I kinda look like a Panda, in reverse. My eyes are white and everything else is dark.

In other news, today is Audra and Julia’s Birthday! Happy Birthday!

Courage!

What’s your favorite toast? Normally I do, “Drink Cold, Piss Warm!” I didn’t come up with that on my own– I am not that creative. At all. I heard it in a movie. A dirty movie. Henry and June. I saw it in college. This evening, as I poured the 3 Buck Chuck, I said, “I love how 3 Buck Chuck smells… like Freedom and La Femme Nikita!” And that’s how we toasted, “To FREEDOM and La Femme Nikita!” When I first got this place, my Aunt Helen gave me a case of 3 Buck Chuck and I remember spending my evenings reveling in my freedom by drinking wine and watching episode after episode of La Femme Nikita– so it’s all intertwined.

I also do “Na zdorovje” Which sounds like, “Nahs DRAH vie YA” At least that’s how I pronounce it. My cousin Lenka might disagree. I say it when I am drinkingSlivovitz or Becherovka.

Speaking of favorite liqeurs– my newest fave is Domaine de Canton French Ginger Liqueur. It is heavenly! Ginger-flavored liquer.. it’s like drinking a Dark and Stormy without rum and without Barritts Ginger Beer. LOVE IT!

Yeah.

(FYI, I have created a new category for this type of post, I’m calling it BOOZE)

Charleston

We stayed just south of Myrtle Beach in Surfside. There’s a Holiday Inn there that we like. Our time was spent sitting on the beach or boogie boarding. I love riding the waves in to shore and I am really good at it. In fact, I should take surfing lessons. I think I’ll put that on my wishlist.

After Myrtle we went to Charleston. I’ve been there before when I was younger but for some odd reason I have no recollection of this gorgeous city! I loved walking around looking at the beautiful buildings. It was not anything like Philadelphia, that’s for sure!

We went to two restaurants in Charleston– Magnolia’s and Jestine’s. Magnolia’s was unbelievable. It was a top 5 meal in my book. Jestine’s was supposed to be even better– especially because Anthony Bourdain was there not too long ago. But honestly, I wasn’t impressed. In fact, I was disappointed.

Yeah, so I ate moon pies, Charleston Chews and drank RC cola. Walked all over the city in 100 degree heat. Toured the USS Yorktown Aircraft carrier and saw dolphins frolicking in the water below. Enjoyed the Aquarium in Myrtle Beach– felt like I was scuba diving without having to immerse myself in water. Body surfed some tremendous waves and just missed a shark attack that occurred only a mile north. Feasted on catfish, fried green tomatoes and grits. And had a great time.