These reels have the control room track on them, so I can reminisce about directors losing their minds and making various smart ass remarks. There's lots of this on the next clip as well as a prank call to Larry King. I used to work on that show and was able to catch a few pranksters before they got on the air (I was the only one who had really heard Howard Stern, so I was a hero!) Again, enjoy...
Aahhh, the good ol' days!
Back:
I'm quite proud of this year's design and can't wait for October! Join us if you can!
Ok, slight delay, but it's Tokyo time! We took the bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo. It's really fast (hence the name.) We were paranoid about getting to the train (as the tickets were expensive) so we got to Kyoto station really early (I think 3 hours early.) Fortunately, there are lots of things to do at the train station. There were a bunch of shops selling anything you might need or desire: books, gifts, sundries, snacks, booze, gifts - you name it. There also were a ton of restaurants (lots of plastic food displays - they actually are downright artistic.) We actually enjoyed some snacks from the convenience store and some fine sho-chu on the train (made the trip quick and pleasant!)
We arrived at our hotel, the Dai-Ichi Annex, which was nice, if not a tad on the small side (and if you're wondering, Paul did look like Bill Murray from 'Lost in Translation"!) We went out to dinner with our friend Izumi, who worked with Paul in the states. We went to a restaurant where you cooked your food on a little grill in the middle of the table. We had great beef and some exceptional seafood pancakes - oh and chu-huis (lemon sours - my new favorite drink in the world - literally!)
weather squashed those plans. As much as I hate to admit it, we did eat at the McDonald's there (we were really hungry!) Actually, my Ebi Filet-O (shrimp burger) was really tasty, and Paul's Tamago Mac also looked good (I think there was egg on it...) We couldn't go all the way up in the tower because of the wind, but we saw a lot nonetheless. When we got back to the hotel, Paul decided to take a nap (it was his turn to be under the weather on vacation) and I took a walk. I found the Fine Food market (also attached to a train station.) Oh my God. I could live there. All kinds of delicious-looking food, seasonings, snacks, meats, seafood, produce...I feel like Homer Simpson...mmmmm...seafood....
That night (Friday) we went out with Izumi and her Canadian boyfriend Jeff. We went to a happy hour at a bar called "Gas Panic". Yes, Gas Panic. I had a cho-hui and Paul and Izumi had a concoction called a "Banana F**k." It was weird to be in a bar with
Western bouncers. We then went to a really good sushi train restaurant (where the sushi drifts by on a conveyor belt, and you take what appeals to you) and I paid my respects at the (seven story!) Virgin Megastore, where I bought 3 Pink Lady CDs (Izumi called me a nerd because I'm such a fan!) After dinner we went to another bar for more sho-chu (where we discovered chestnut sho-chu - yummy!) and met some guys from Belgium. We made it an early night because paul was actually fishing the next morning.
anything to the craziest seafood I've ever seen, as well as expensive knives and cookware and beautiful produce. We ate at the most famous restaurant there, Daiwa - a 15-seater that we had to wait an hour and 15 minutes for. But, I have never had fresher, more delicious sushi in my life. My mouth's watering just thinking about it! We then went to a touristy area to buy shoes and sho-chu and do some people-watching. I also taught Izumi how to pray at the temple there (imagine that!) I couldn't leave without visiting Harajuku (thanks, Gwen Stefani) and it was the Japanese version of England's Carnaby Street. The "little bo peep" look is everywhere and so is the goth look. I got some "Engrish" shirts there - no sheepherding for me though! 
cooked on a hot stone (he could cut it with a fork, he said it was the best he'd ever tasted) we had fried crabs (the whole crab, shell and all), chicken sashimi and an awesome hot pot (need I mention the lemon sours?) They had these traditional Japanese gods 
wandering through the restaurant and scaring the patrons - which I thought was really funny. We then headed the the Geronimo Shot Bar. You can see the trouble a brewin' - can't you? Paul was on a mission - if you do 15 shots there (in one night) you get a plaque on the wall and a t-shirt. Needless to say, there is a plaque on the wall now that says "Homer Trump - Eric Choi is a Buttwipe!" I'm so proud. We went to another bar called Wall Street or something like that. We had a LOT of fun!
At long last - my Japan diaries! I figure I'd just transcribe my Ambien and sho-chu fueled journals I kept while I was away, with additional comments and stories sprinkled in along the way. So strap in kids, here we go!May 6: To Japan! Thought since I'm waiting for the Ambien to kick in (on the plane) I'd do a little writing. Gee, the pen feels weird...(editorial note: I love Ambien!) Today (Sunday) we flew out of P.B.I. I had a damn good breakfast (crab omelet) at Sam Sneads. We had an uneventful flight to Dallas - we actually sat to the most well-behaved kids ever (of course, they were NOT American) and had a belated Cinco de Mayo celebration in a Dallas Airport eatery (what a nice airport!)- pretty decent burritos and sangria margaritas. We have about 7 hours to go. We're currently over Anchorage. The flight has been a bit bumpy. Watched an old episode of "The Office" and "Music and Lyrics" on the cool back-of-the-seat monitor, as well as an interesting Japanese television show about how foreigners (a British gal, Canadian guy, Italian and French ladies and a guy from Ghana) perceive Japanese food. (Later) We've been on the plane a long time but it's not so bad - we had hot towels (Hi Mom!) and they added a piece of sushi to the traditional "chicken or beef" airplane meal. (Then there are some scribblings about Peter Frampton which really have no relevance in a travel post, so I'll move on.) 
May 10: I'm writing this on the bullet train (Shinkansen) on the way from Kyoto to Tokyo. We have had so much fun - Monday night we arrived in Kyoto after landing at one airpirt in Tokyo and taking a taxi across town to the other one. We had minutes to spare to catch our flight, but we (and our bags) miraculously made it (never would have happened in the states.) The first night we stayed at the Granvia, which was lovely. We had a traditional Japanese dinner. Courses and courses of food (it was the culinary equivalent of that part of "Fantasia" with Mickey Mouse and the mops that never stopped hauling water into the building.) I think we had 10 courses. I knew the meal was over when they brought out fruit. I didn't recognize much, but it was all quite good. I was so happy to see Paul eat tofu! (I then gave up on this journal entry, as I had a little too much sho-chu!)
May 11: Take two. Yesterday's entry was a little too sho-chu influenced to be comprehensible. So anywhoo, our first full day was spent with Taka's (Paul's associate from his former workplace, who moved back to Japan) father's friend, Mr. Maeda, who was incredibly nice. He took us to various temples and shrines. We started with Kiyomizo Temple - a nominee for one of the seven modern wonders of the world. Very cool. There we went into this dark cavern which was supposed to represent the womb of a goddess, where we made a wish and rotated a large stone with some sort of Kanji written on it. It was so cool. I got to go to the most famous hot pepper store in all of Kyoto (so of course, I stocked up!) We went for lunch to what in the states would be referred to as a "hole in the wall" 
for lunch and had delicious udon noodles and rice bowls (my new favorite Japanese food - it's a triangle of rice wrapped in seaweed with some sort of filling - I loved the ones with the salmon flakes in them. These rice bowls became a "must snack" for the rest of the trip as they were available in the convenience stores (of which there are a bunch - 7-11s and Circle Ks.) Maeda had a meeting later that afternoon, so he set us up with an English-speaking taxi driver/guide named Kimi-san. He took us everywhere, including the famous Golden Pavillion. He also taught us how to pray at the temples. You bow twice, clap twice, pray and then bow. We also saw a zen garden, bamboo forest and lots of shrines and temples. Paul got "shrined out" so 
we went back to our traditional-style Japanese hotel (Ryokan). This place was awesome. The room was sparsely furnished - only 2 low tables and chairs (no beds.) The floor was tatami mats and you had to remove your shoes before you entered. They had traditional Japanese attire to wear, which on the first night we wore to dinner. Paul mistakenly put on the ladies' version (I couldn't tel the difference.) One of the ladies that work at the hotel, the Japanese Judge Judy, helped Paul out. All of the ladies that worked at the hotel were multi-functional - they were bellhops, maids, 
and restaurant hostesses. They also didn't speak a word of English, but talked a mile a minute anyway. We had another excellent traditional meal and some yummy sho-chu. Despite the fact that we were at a traditional inn, there was a TV in the room. I love Japanese TV. Lots of chat and panel shows and bizarre commercials. While we were at dinner, Japanese Judge Judy and the 
gals put our futons out to sleep on. The first night we also had a (much needed) massage.
The next morning, we went out with Mrs. Maeda and her neighbor Yuko (who spoke English). We went to the Imperial Palace Villa for a guided tour. There was some confusion early on, as Japanese citizens can't just walk in - they have to get permission well in advance or be a tour guide. We tried to sneak both ladies in with us, but we got caught. So Yuko came with us (she was very excited, as she had never been there before herself.) We (for once) were the ones on the tour with the translator players (how weird) and slowly made our way around the beautiful grounds (they've got lots of "cotton tops" in Japan too!) We had a delicious lunch (the biggest shrimp I've ever 
seen) and as we were dining, Mrs. Maeda and Yuko had something up their sleeve. They took us to Gion, the geisha district, where I got the "Maiko Experience" (a maiko is an apprentice geisha). I got dressed up in full geisha gear (it took over an hour) and took photos. The nice people even let me go out in the street for more photos - where I was photographed with some Japanese schoolgirls and some other Kyoto visitors. It was such a blast and a truly unforgettable experience. We went back to have more mystery food; and Mr. Maeda picked us up and took us to the Kyoto Cultural Center where we saw a bunch of things - a tea ceremony (which we were the "audience participants" for), flower arranging, geisha dancing, chamber music, a short Noh play and Bunraku (the cool puppets - definitely my favorite part of the show). We then headed to the Ponto-cho district - lots of geisha (and regular) bars. We had a blast. Tokyo is next, and frankly, I've typed enough today, so look for Part 2 of the Japanese adventure soon!
So, biggest news is that both P. and myself have new jobs. We got them within 2 weeks of each other - and they're both in Jupiter. Whatta co-inky-dink, huh? I am leaving the ad agency I have been working (if you call surfing the net, watching YouTube videos, searching for alternate employment and writing blog entries for PCJ working) for since September for the greener pastures of a recruitment company, where I will be a marketing writer (hmm...writer, haven't done much of that in a while...a future post will detail my recent experience.) My new boss is P.'s long-lost brother. He loves to fish and seems like quite the jokester. Good.
P. has left the Japanese tackle/line company he has worked with for 3 (I think) years and is going to be doing ad sales at an (American-run) fishing magazine. He's happy as a clam, and I'm happy for him. Boo...always happy. Now, can I interest anyone in a home in Port Richey?
Geez, what else? Well, I met Wylie from "The Biggest Loser" last month - what a sweetheart. (The interview's over at PCJ.) The blogging for dough has been very good to me and I really have fun doing it (it is also responsible for my sanity over the last few months.) We celebrated our 2nd anniversary a few weeks ago (big milestone for me) and I am starting to get the wheels in motion for a church ceremony (P. wants to do it for our 5th anniversary, I'd like to do it sooner. We'll see...) We are going to Japan at the beginning of May and I am beyond psyched for that. I am trying to learn some basic Japanese, but, damn, it's really hard. I'd like to get beyind only being able to say "My name is Christine" in Japanese (which is all I ever said to my Japanese tour groups at Universal. Then we took some pictures.)I do know the important stuff though - sake, biru and sho-chu! Oh, and Pocky, of course.
My sister Colleen is getting married in July, which provided me the perfect excuse to get my best friend Kib down for a visit (as he is officially part of our family, and has been to everybody's nuptials - except for Keirnan and Tom's Illinios Adventure.) I haven't seen him since the "second time around" and I miss him terribly. I have been having fun with my old friends from high school though - and we are currently planning our 25 year reunion (yikes!) of our grade school graduation. I saw a bunch of those folks in October, but I am anxious to see a few more people I grew up with.
What else? I think that's pretty much everything for now. The new site is (hopefully) going up on April 22nd, so look for that! I promise to post well before that (and God willing, this will include photos of Mom with Jim Gaffigan! We are seeing him next Saturday. Hooooot Pockets...)
I promise to getting to update this neglected blog real soon!
Title: Yikes.
I lived in Orlando for quite a few years, so this is more of a "shame on me" but I had seen this property from the outside and it looked fine and the price was right, so I booked a room for the weekend (part business, part pleasure). Looks can be deceiving! When I arrived (prior to the 3pm check-in), the desk clerk (who I think was bolted to the desk. In the three days I was there, she had on the exact same clothes every day....weird...) informed me there were no clean rooms. I wish at that point in time that she said "ever", as I would have left right then. She was having a great deal of difficulty in locating the maid. I returned at 5pm, only to be informed (along with some other people with reservations) that there were still no rooms to be had, and the elusive maid was still nowhere to be found.
I finally did get a room, but not the non-smoking room I had reserved. It absolutely reeked of stale smoke. There was a hole in the bathroom door and the carpets were beyond sticky. I did get a nice check-in gift - a 6-pack of Bud Light left from the previous guest, which made me wonder if there truly was a maid in this place. But hey, free beer! It's a good thing I had it too, as the cable connection in the room was awful, and any program could be seen if you squinted through the snow! And along with the beer, I had company - a whole bunch of roaches. I knew I'd be out most of the next day, so I just sucked it up and slept with one eye open, as some of the clientele were a little sketchy (not my roach roomies though!)
The next day I bought an air freshener - not much help. When we drove back in the afternoon to change, we were greeted by the odd combo of vomit and weave hair in the parking lot (I wish I was making this up.)
Needless to say, I will not be making a return visit to this motel. Ever.
The audition itself was quick n' painless. I think I only missed about 5 or 6 questions out of 50. Jim missed more. Joe missed a lot. The worst thing was that the only team that passed the test was named after my doppleganger, Tina Yothers. DAMN YOU, TINA YOTHERS!
I probably said more than I should have, as I signed a confidentiality agreement. Just had to share what I could. On a more pleasant note, I got to see Huey Lewis at Universal Mardi Gras. He's definitely still a DILF! I promise to give a more detailed update of my goings-on real soon!
Spot #1 - "Depending on You"
Spot #2 - "Choices" (very happy with my casting on this one!)
Spot #3 Kids Come First
Spot #4 - Making Memories (my personal favorite)
So, what do you think?
1. Lose weight (this has held the #1 spot since I think I was 10.)
2. Write more. Ok, I guess I technically did "get published" this year, writing for Pop Culture Junkies, but I need to write more towards my "GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL".
3. Less TV - except for work-related viewing. I need to stop watching crap reality shows like "Wife Swap"!
4. Less soda. For real. I need to stop being a "Coke Addict" in a big way!
5. Go to church more often. Time to stop feeling like a heathen and time to turn in my membership to the Christmas and Easter Club!
6. Be a better wife.
7. Be a better friend (sound familiar?)
8. Ok, this is a new one, start my third blog. Content under wraps for the moment.
9. NEW JOB! (This should really be #1 this year.)
10. Less procrastination - I'd like to get our wedding album done before our 2nd anniversary!
That's it - let's see how I do this year! Happy New Year and a great 2007 to you!
In October, I met my new brother-in-law, Tom (far right, seated). We had kind of an unofficial reception for them at my parents' place in Naples. He is a very cool guy and a perfect match to my sister Keirnan (who just got her esthetician's license in Illinois. She works at a spa called Egea in Evanston - so if you are in need of a facial, look her up!)
Also in October, I went to what should have been my 20 year high school reunion (Long story - in a nutshell, we moved to Boca Raton when I was starting 8th grade. I had to leave my childhood friends in Miami Shores. The reunion was for the high school I would have attended had we stayed in Miami.) I hadn't seen a lot of these people since 1982. Scary, huh? It was so much fun and in addition to the gals in this photo, I saw a guy who always invited me to be the sole chica at his birthday parties. Explains a lot - if you know me and my past (fraternity little sis, more male friends than female, etc.) I saw the pictures from my high school's reunion, and this bunch had way more fun than they did (besides, all of my remaining high school buddies vetoed attending. I was really actually looking forward to it. Despite the fact that I didn't have the best of experiences in high school, I did have the potential comments of my smart-ass husband to look forward to!) I have to thank Rose for inviting me to this shin-dig!
Wine Fest Weekend! Ok, we headed back to O-town for EPCOT Food and Wine Festival for (I think) the 5th time. I have a bad reputation about this event. In the past I have lost my car keys, fallen down (twice) and haven't made it around to all of the World Showcase countries in the past 2 years. (I blame the sake room in Japan.) This year my friends Susan and Christine came along for the ride. I actually made it around not once, but TWICE! I made t-shirts that needed to be signed by a representative of each country, so I knew I had to collect all of my autographs or carry around a souvenir of my failure for 365 more days! I only had one glass of sake (see?) Sue really liked the champagne! My poor friend Johanna was the recipient of quite a few drunken phone calls that day. We also managed to piss off an entire busload of tourists on the way home!
The night before, Paul and I went to Monsterween - a huge Halloween party in Kissimmee, sponsored by my all-time favorite radio show. We had to do something "adult" for Halloween because Paul wanted to wear his flasher costume - complete with frighteningly realistic looking "member." Since I don't want to offend anyone, no pictures here - email me if you'd like to see it. So insted, here's me in my "Naughty Cop" ensemble with "Flavor Flav" (most popular costume of the evening, with Hunter S. Thompson a surprising second...)
...and Jim Norton (who, by the way, is a phenomenal comedian).
2007 promises to be a great one! 2007 WDW Half Marathon next week and audition for VH1's "World Series of Pop Culture" next month. Keep reading for all of the recaps and (hopefully) photos - maybe BellSouth will give me a break soon!
Next up, Hall and Oates. I was reminded of this when I saw ads for their new Christmas album last night. John Oates is in his full porno-stache glory in this one, and Daryl Hall couldn't look dorkier. But, I defy you not to enjoy this rendition of "Jingle Bell Rock":
In determining my favorite Christmas video, this one comes in a close second. It's actually from the 70s, but it's classic Elton - enjoy!
Ok, this is my all-time favorite and a classic of early MTV. Pee-Wee, Bryan Adams and the original VJs (R.I.P., JJ Jackson). Since my favorite Christmas song of all-time ("Slick Nick" by Fishbone, if you're curious) does not have an accompanying video (a damn shame, if you ask me) take a virtual trip to Kingston and have a Reggae Christmas...
I'll try to dig up some more faves...happy, happy, merry, merry!
The Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale is located (as far too many businesses in Florida are) in a strip mall. The crowd was eccentric – to say the least. Lots of black attire and tats, boys in eyeliner, chicks in patent leather boots and one boy with pink hair wearing a nurse’s outfit. There were 2 opening acts – The Red Chord, who were pretty darn good (best song title “The Thrashin’ of the Christ”). They also dispensed beer bongs to audience members, so much coolness abounded. Of course, there was also much stage diving, crowd surfing and moshing. The second band was called Municipal Waste, and I couldn’t get into them. The lead singer, who looked vaguely like Elliot Yasmin from American Idol was one of those singers who puts the mic really close to his mouth and makes all of the song lyrics sound like “Unga unga unga rowrrr” (or something like that.) The guitar, percussion was cool, but I like my lyrics somewhat decipherable. They weren’t really winning over the crowd – I’ve never heard metal fans giving a golf clap before. Then, it was time for Oderus, Beefcake the Mighty, Balsac the Jaws of Death, Jizmak da Gusha and Flattus Maximus (more like Flat-Ass Maximus from what I saw lo those many years ago in Atlanta!) – the Scumdogs of the Universe themselves, GWAR.
Hubby is a long-time GWAR-rior and was looking forward to being covered in blood and doing a little moshing and stage diving of his own. We crammed ourselves into the middle of the (really hot) room and prepared ourselves for a full-on metal assault. The guy behind me was desperate to start up a chant, but was having no luck (he started with “O-DER-US! O-DER-US!” AND WENT TO “GWAR! GWAR!”) The rest of us were trying to get the lone girl on her boyfriends shoulder’s to “get the f*** down!” The band came out and the first decapitation ensues, spraying everybody with fake blood. The crowd couldn’t break up to form a mosh pit, as it was so tightly packed, so the end result was more of a fleshy wave ebbing and flowing over the floor (sounds sweet, but in actuality it was much more sweaty and aggressive than that.) I lost my footing and hit the floor (and no, I was not drinking or wearing my requisite 4-5” heels.) Someone fell on top of me and I bent in a way I never had before. My hubby finally pulled me out of the fray and I moved to the side to enjoy the show from a less claustrophobic vantaqe point. I have actually only ever heard a few GWAR songs, and the acoustics of the venue were such that I really couldn’t decipher what song was being played at any given moment. The show was pretty much foam rubber-covered character comes out (George Bush, the GWAR “super fan", Adolf Hitler, a cop, a T-Rex, etc.) gets dismembered, disemboweled or suffers some other obscene indignity, spews blood or some other viscous fluid on the crowd and then the band launch into song. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. My husband said he only recognized about 4 of the songs (one of which was called “Sadaam A Go-Go” and the other was “Sick of You”, which they ended their set with…I liked that one a lot), which makes me feel good, as I recognized none of them. The band were musically talented – if you could get past the spectacle on stage, but we have a bunch of their tunes in our shopping cart on I-Tunes, and I’m looking forward to checking them out. Despite the mob, the sweat (I think I lost 2 pounds last night), the smoke (tobacco and the “other” kind) and the risk of being trampled, the big question remains - did I have fun? Hell yeah! Would I do it again? Hell yeah!
