Why Pets Rule

I just had to share Tyson, the skateboarding bulldog with you, in case you haven't been totally amazed lately.

I never had a dog that could shred like this, but my labrador Rosie had a special talent for apple consumption.

Before her, my lab/blue heeler Daisy was an expert scavenger and was constantly bringing home things like pots and knives. We could never figure out where she was stealing them from- but she never got caught, and we made out with some great utensils.

But my most amazing pet story comes from Jack, who also happened to be one of world's most amazing cats. In the summer of 1993, my family moved houses in Sebastopol. Our new house was about 4 miles and many orchards away from the house we'd been in for years. The first day in the new neighborhood, Jack got out and went missing. Although this is typical behavior of uprooted cats, Jack was elderly and we worried. He didn't come back for dinner.. or breakfast.... or at all. After accepting many different homes throughout the years, Jack had drawn the line. It was one of the saddest losses we'd ever had. This was a very, very special cat.

Maybe a week or so after we moved, my dad swung by the old house for one reason or another. Guess who was there? Yep. Jack had walked the entire distance back to the old house- through orchards, streams, along roads and across intersections- all in typical feline protest. He was pretty sick and weary, but at least he had made his point. Dad brought him to his new home for the second time, and he never left us again. A true rathead at heart, that Jack.

Give your pet a hug today!

Get Into the Groove

When I was in high school, I was convinced I wanted to make music videos for a living. I watched a lot of MTV (when it was still a channel that showed music videos) and being part of an industry that made eye candy mesh with pop songs seemed like the best job in the whole wide world. Turns out my interests changed a bit over the years, but I still credit music videos for getting me started.

A few of my old faves (all clever, weird, and unique):

1. "Don't Come Around Here No More"- Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

2. "Tonight, Tonight"- Smashing Pumpkins

3. "Right Now"- Van Halen

4. "Freedom 90"- George Michael

5. "Losing My Religion"- R.E.M.

On a related note, my buddies at Low Water Music put together a terrific video for their song "Strange New Element." Yours truly was involved, as were a few of my talented counterparts. See if you can spot us all!

Go Giants!

Suddenly I felt like saying that. But since Kevin and I are going to the Dodger game at Pac Bell this Friday, you can bet I'll be the loudest girl in the place chanting "Beat LA" while stuffing my mouth full of Gilroy garlic fries. And since it's a special occasion, I'll go off my partially hydrogenated-free diet and order up a supersize nachos plate, with extra Velveeta. Then I'll top everything off with a cold, refreshing Sierra in a plastic cup, watch Barry soar past Willie on the homerun count, and give the old dude with the headphones and the scorecard next to me a high five. There's just something about baseball.

I hate my glasses...

...but I can't deny that they help me focus on computer screen text a lot more easily, and for longer periods of time. 

Because of my increased superhero vision, I did some fun reading today.

Dihydrogen Monoxide - WTF is this and why am I just hearing about it? The site is written like an editorial piece, which annoys me... but otherwise, my interest is peaked. If you have any info, please share.

Edit: Two comments already about this. Ok, ok, April Fool's. I was just experimenting with widespread panic! Buzzkill. However, it's a great tool for you philosophophiles.

Fiji's Calling - Who's with me?

Sour Patch Kids - I truly think people are crazy. I never imagined that at some point in my life, my happiness would upset so many. Wild!

PS- The rest of you are rad.

Swans - Ugh! Shocking! Sick! I'll probably watch, just to see. Tim Goodman is fantastic.

I read a bit more today, but that was just boring TechTV/G4/Comcast stuff that nobody cares about.

And the Award Goes To...

Live From Celluloid Lane: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

Last night I had the immense pleasure of experiencing this movie. And I'm gonna have to recommend it to pretty much anyone, unless you don't like extreme creativity or have something against films shot out of chronological sequence. Point being, we have a gem.

Now, there are Jim Carrey fans, and then there's me. I don't hate the fellow, but with the exception of "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective", I've never been a huge fan. The teeth, the wild arm waving.... you dig? But anyway, let's put all that aside because if I ever doubted Mr. Carrey's abilities to pull off a strong dramatic performance, this flick turned me right around. He's just perfect as Joel, a boring, square dude trying to make love work with a wild mismatch of a girlfriend (Kate Winslet). Winslet is naturally fantastic as impulsive, often reckless Clementine, whose mood is as bipolar as her hair is bright (the color changes often through the film, helping you differentiate flashbacks from present time, though it serves more purpose than that).

The absurdity that these two radically different personalities would ever get together in the first place is validated as the relationship falls apart. But the story takes a bizarre turn when, post-breakup, Joel finds out that Clementine has undergone a surgical procedure to have him erased from her mind. Almost out of spite, Joel has the same procedure performed to rid himself of his own painful memories. Sound weird? Very. But as "Eternal Sunshine" is another Charlie Kaufman screenplay (Human Nature, Being John Malkovich, Adaptation), this is only the beginning. The real magic gets underway as unconscious Joel, mid-procedure, comprehends the power of beautiful memories and attempts to reverse what is being zapped away by a computer...while still trapped inside his own brain. Brilliant. Can someone bring me what Kaufman had for lunch?

By the way, if you haven't indulged in his aforementioned flicks, stop right now and come back when you have. You'll thank me.

Prior to my "Eternal Sunshine" ticket, I'd read a few glowing reviews...though the critics all seemed to have trouble explaining the plotline. Now that I've been to the theater, I won't even try. It's one of those unexplainable stories that gain nothing from being explained. Somehow, "Eternal Sunshine" also pulls off a legitimate romantic tale, one in which the clear message is that love paves a certain path that we as humans cannot deviate from, despite the most sincere interference. It's all very heavy, and as I wiped away a tear on my way out of the theater (sobbed is more accurate), I was filled with a renewed sense of fragility coupled with an urgency to hold onto what's most dear to me.

And that's why I couldn't wait to gush about this movie to all of you...because it's really, really worthy. I haven't felt this way in a long time. Please feel free to discuss below.