The other night, I was going downtown to meet some friends for dinner. As I circled the block looking for a parking place, I approached a stoplight that had just turned red. One car was already stopped at the light in the lane next to mine. As I pulled up next to this car, I thought, “Hey, that looks like Carey’s car… and that’s him, sitting there in the driver’s seat.” I was looking straight at him and grinning as I stopped my car right beside him. It was about the time that he looked over at me when I realized that wasn’t Carey. I quickly averted my gaze past this unknown guy, and then I did the only thing I could possibly do in that situation:

I faked a cell phone call.

I pulled my phone from my pocket, glanced at the (blank) screen, pushed a random button and said, “Hello? …Hey, how are you?” About this time, the light turned green, and the stranger and I parted ways.

What a doofus (me, not him).

Ways to drive me *crazy* with your DVD menu screen:

1.  Before getting to the actual menu screen where I can select what I want to do, include a lot of clips from the movie (as well as animations inspired by the movie) that I CAN’T SKIP THROUGH.

2.  Make the menu’s background music obnoxious and intrusive.

3.  Hide the menu choices (”play,” “scene selection,” etc.) cleverly in the background picture on the menu screen.

4.  Make it impossible to tell which choice I have highlighted.

5.  Include MORE animations and transitional clips, sound bytes, and music when going from the main menu screen to one of the sub-menu screens.

6.  Spoil part of the movie by giving away plot details on the menu screen (either in movie stills or clips & sound bytes from the movie).

7.  [Is there anything I need to add to this list?...]

I’m not proud of what I’m about to tell you all, but it’s just too funny not to share.

Thanks to Mike W, I found out that cbs.com has made some of their “classic” shows available for online viewing. Out of sheer curiosity, I decided to check out an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. When it was actually on TV in the ’90s, I never watched it. It was a little too old for me (I was 7 years old when the pilot aired). After checking out the first episode earlier this week, I kept right on going. 10 episodes later, here I am.

Watching this show now has been more fun than it ought to be. It’s not exactly how I expected it to be… I actually always imagined it as more shallow and soap opera-y. But 90210 deals with *pertinent issues* in an *up-to-date* way and even the characters who are shallow on the surface have *surprisingly deep* problems.

I also was not prepared for how incredibly preachy this show is. I’m only 10 episodes into the first season, and already the plots have dealt with:

• drunk driving
• lying
• alcohol/drug abuse
• bullying
• cheating/grades
• marital fidelity
• rape
• moving to a new place
• fitting in
• unfair treatment of immigrants
• losing one’s virginity
• fashion
• absentee parents
• money
• time management
• stealing
• sibling relationships
• self-image
• AIDS

I may or may not keep watching. Part of me wants to keep going, just to see what HUGE TOPIC they’ll cover in the next episode. (How many more huge topics are there to cover? I mean, really?) Other parts of me - the parts that laugh during the scenes that are supposed to be moving - want to quit and start watching Perry Mason or The Twilight Zone or something.

By the way, I had totally forgotten about the ’90s fad where guys would wear overalls with one strap undone. Thanks for refreshing my memory, Luke Perry.

A word-for-word quote from the Ghormley living room:

“I was reading about memory.  …What was I reading about?”

Whenever I hear “This Love” by Maroon 5, I have serious flashbacks to the 2004 RUF summer conference.  We (the Nebraska girls) sang it pretty much nonstop in our dorm room.

The funny thing is, even though I’ve heard it enough times to change the lyrics to “this… song… has… taken its toll… on me,” I still kind of like it.  It’s just so darn catchy.

This summer I will be leading song time at Zion’s Vacation Bible School. I’m pretty sure I want to sing some of the oldies/goodies from when I was a student in VBS.

Suggestions?

While thinking about song choices, I ran across the following video, which I fell in love with.

Even though Linus lives at my parents’ house (and I don’t), I still take him for walks sometimes.  Over the past several years, we’ve grown accustomed to “The Châteaux Walk,” as my sisters and I call it.  It’s a route from my parents house that goes by some big, beautiful houses on Sheridan Blvd., Woodscrest Ave., and 24th Street.

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve tried to spice things up a little.  I started putting Linus in the car and driving to new areas of town for walks.  Aside from some panicked moments in the car (Linus doesn’t ride very well, but I think he’s getting more used to it), we’ve had a lot of fun.  I like it because there’s new scenery to look at, Linus likes it because there are so many new and interesting smells.  So far, we’ve tried the bike trail (going south) from Tierra Park, the deserted “hiking” trails in Wilderness Park, and Holmes Lake.

Fellow Lincolnites - do you have any favorite routes I should try?

Shamelessly stolen from Lindsey (who stole it from one of her friends), here’s a fun challenge for you.  In case you want to play along on your own blog, here are the rules.

1. Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb.com and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Right answers/affirmations will be posted in the comments section accordingly.
5. NO using Google or my Facebook profile or any other use of the intranets to CHEAT.

…So, try to come up with the movie title for each of the following, and post in the comments section.  Enjoy!

1. “Oh, they’re not drumsticks, Dad. They’re weapons.”

2. “Come in, come in! We won’t bite you until we know you better.”

3. “Because You are unjust, unfair, unkind, I will block You, I swear it. I will hinder and harm Your creature on earth as far as I am able.”

4. “What to you want to do, live forever?”

5. “Why did I think you could do this? This one simple thing. It’s like I’m talking to a monkey.”

6. “How can you tell what’s in its spell? How can you tell unless you’ve tried it? Wait for that kiss you’re certain of. And let your heart decide when you’re in love.”

7. “I enjoy getting presents from strange men.”

8. “It’s like in a Hitchcock movie, you know, where they tie you up in a rubber bag and throw you in the trunk of a car. You find people.”

9. “Can you not in the calm excellence of your wisdom reconcile it with your conscience to say something that will ease my father’s sorrow?”

10. “Sting would be another person who’s a hero. The music he’s created over the years, I don’t really listen to it, but the fact that he’s making it, I respect that.”

11. “They wanted me to build them a bomb, so I took their plutonium and in turn, gave them a shiny bomb-casing full of used pinball machine parts!”

12. “When a German scientist tells you to hold on to your hat, it’s not casual conversation. HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT! HAT! HOLD! Good.”

13. “You mean he’ll be in a humour to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men?”

14. “What was I supposed to do - call him for cheating better than me, in front of the others?”

15. “Oh, I’m not here with these fellas. I’ve got a pig in competition over at the livestock pavilion, and I am going to win that blue ribbon!”

Anne - here it is:

I consumed 2 (TWO) of your diet colas.  I will return this evening PROMPTLY with a CASE of diet cola - please join with me in its consumption.

See, the fact is I had a rather salty meal… and the diet cola was calling out to me…

-Amy