May 2007 Archive

May 30, 2007
Swimming in a prom of realty
Tanya and I hit the water park at the Kettering Rec Center after work. My god, it was fantastic. The water was perfect, the sun was perfect...at least until the sky opened up, Noah came down and built an ark, and the world was flooded. We decided to leave when they cleared the pool, and as I got onto the highway nearby, it started to rain so hard that cars were pulling off onto the side of the highway to wait it out. It was one of those weird storms where it's just a wall of rain, and suddenly, you're on the other side where it hasn't rained a drop...just a clean line of wet/dry. Figures. That always happens when I go to the pool. heh

I finally called a realtor today. She seems nice, but I was warned she's very...chatty. And she is, but she's also super nice. I can deal with a bit of yammering, especially when she seems to have my best interests at heart--she came highly recommended. I'm supposed to start receiving emails from her about potential properties to look at. I think I'll try to schedule them one day a week and go look at a few at a time, rather then spreading them out every day. It'll be easier to schedule time for my m-i-l to join me. And it won't interrupt my gym time after work.

Then I received a phone call from my mortgage officer, whom I thought I finally had out of my hair for the time being. Ends up, we didn't sign one line on the back of a form that HAS to be signed immediately because she "often forgets to have clients sign that part." If you're looking to get pre-approved for a mortgage, avoid the Beavercreek and Fairborn branches of Liberty Savings Bank. I'm not going to blame the bank chain as a whole, but she handles the mortgages out of those two branches. While Liberty had the best rates I could find, this woman has been a pain in my ass.

I suppose it's not supposed to be a painless process, but digging up my W2s and 1099s through 2005 has been a monumental task. I finally got my last 1099 from my accountant; it's supposedly in the mail. Now this woman wants a copy of the last contract for the trailer checking job done on the side. Whiiiich, I just NOW found it on my desk. hah. Good, that should be everything this crazy woman wants...for now anyway. I'm sure I'll get another call before Friday.

I watched the first episode of the Tudors, the one that DirecTV showed for on their preview channel. It looks okay. I might rent it someday, but it's no Rome. And I'm totally hooked on BBC's No Angels. It's like Sex in the City but actually interesting to watch...and funny.

Goth prom is a week from Friday, so I suppose I'm going to have to get out in the stores and scour the post-prom season clearance. It's an Asian theme this year, and while I found an awesome website based in Hong Kong that custom makes AMAZ-ZUH-ZING Asian clothing for peanuts, it's too short of notice. But I've filed that one away in my mind for later. They had some incredible coats I'd be interested in.
Amanda and I are going out this Friday. I'm tired of not dancing and not getting any better. So if my side is going to be all wonked up, I might as well have a reason for it. Viva la discothèque!
posted by Karabou at 10:01 PM EST
Top

May 28, 2007
Anybody see da popo?
We watched Sound of Thunder and XXX: State of the Union tonight. I'll watch, or at least try to watch, just about anything if it's on HBO. Kev actually recorded Sound of Thunder, Sci-Fi-Channel-worthy film based on Ray Bradbury's short story. Oh Edward Burns, how the mighty have fallen. If you're into a science fiction time-traveling movies that make no sense and baboonasauruses and catfish people, then this movie is right up your alley.

XXX was the mediocre action movie I expected it to be. Man, they must have been PISSED that Vin Diesel wouldn't come back for the sequel. For about 5 minutes, the dialog goes round and round:
Lackey1: "They've killed Xander Cage sir!"
Handsmoe man1: "Xander Cage is dead?"
Lackey1: "Yes sir, Xander Cage is dead!"
Handsmoe man1: "Man, they must have really wanted Xander Cage dead!"
Lackey1: "Xander Cage is dead fo' sho'!"

Oh well, maybe now I won't have to cleanse my eyes with bleach when Vin kisses a woman onscreen. While he's kind of hot in a lummox sort of way, he's a horrific kisser. It was like watching Johnny Knoxville smear the face of a dead catfish on some chick's lips. Hideous.

Just kind of relaxed today and caught up on some Tivo from the weekend. The cats have been all over me today, as they are wont to do after we get back from vacation. Guess I'll be calling a realtor this week and begin looking at houses. I'm hoping to find something by the end of summer, but I guess whatever happens happens.
posted by Karabou at 8:19 PM EST
Top

May 27, 2007
Over the fields and through the canucks...
Whew.
Crazy whirlwind weekend somehow managed to make me feel like I've been gone for 2 weeks. I think that's a good thing, too. I just have to say that Toronto has a disproportionately HUGE population of hot young Asian women. Good god.
The drive up and back was uneventful, and we shaved an hour off the "standard" drive time each way. I saw a crap load of dead deer on the highway in Canada. The funny thing about Canadian highways is that the exits aren't built around a residential area. When you take an exit, you might find a Texas Chainsaw Massacre gas station, but you'll probably have to drive about 6 miles off the highway to find anywhere to eat or a gas station that doesn't have padlocks on the pumps and no signs up that they accept credit cards. And after following some signs that point to where a town is supposed to be, you find really helpful signs like this:

I swear on all that is holy, that was an actual sign we came across. We doubled back to take a picture of it, but apparently, my camera's memory card is corrupt, so I had to make an example in Photoshop for your viewing pleasure.
Friday night when we got into town, we called Kyle and said we'd catch the subway over to his place. He assured us it was only 3 stops away and probably not worth it. 40 minutes and 3 miles later, we arrived on his doorstep, sweaty, exhausted, and thirsty. When I informed him that I now hated him for making us walk so far after driving for 8 hours, he realized that we were in fact about 8 subway stops away. hehe Oh well, walking tour of the tourist district, I suppose.
But we had a great time catching up with those two that night. And while they repeatedly offered us their fine Canadian brew, we assured them that the water we were drinking was exactly the same as American beer, so they shouldn't worry.

They insisted on standing a bit in front of us, so they wouldn't appear
small next to the American giants.
Saturday, we grabbed lunch with Mike and his girlfriend Maria. I took a cute picture of them after we hit a couple of comic shops on Yonge St., but again, my corrupt memory card intervened. But we had a really fantastic time, and what originally started as going to Toronto to see Evil Dead: The Musical and hopefully catching up with some old friends turned into catching up with old friends and seeing Evil Dead: The Musical as a bonus. It's been way too long. We're going to have to get up there more often. Kev had one of his headaches all day, but I think it was the dust in the hotel room. I was a little stuffy from it, myself.
Speaking of the show, it was hysterical. The homages to Rocky Horror and Thriller made me cackle, even though a fair number of the younger crowd didn't seem to get it.
I'm kind of sad I had watched some of the promo bits on the website because I'd have HOWLED at them had I not heard them before. But it was really great. Ryan Ward pulls off a Bruce Campbell that is even more Bruce Campbell then Campbell himself. He made the role his own, except for some of the well-known catchphrases, which he did in an amazingly good Bruce Campbell voice. The splatter zone really only got splatter-y during the 2nd act, and then it was hilariously gratuitous. They did a great mix of the first two movies with some bits of Army of Darkness thrown in.
I highly recommend seeing it if you ever get the chance. I'd have liked to stuck around and gotten a pic with Ryan after the show, but Kev seemed tired, so I didn't bother.

I did all the laundry when I got home tonight, and up until now, I've been wired and restless. I folded the laundry, put it away, and even vacuumed. Now, I feel a bit weary, and I'm looking forward to a night in my own bed. Being made honorary Canadians is hard work. ;)
posted by Karabou at 11:06 PM EST
Top

May 23, 2007
Canuck-a-ka-choo
I watched The Station Agent when I got home from work. I'd heard about it when it came out a few years ago and was interested in seeing it but never got around to it. I just happened to be flipping channels and got sucked into it. It's a shame little people don't have more starring roles in movies. Peter Dinklage is a phenomenal actor. While he seems to get steady work, it's unfortunate it's a lot of bit parts. He was really great in The Station Agent.
We watched a couple of Extras season 2 episodes tonight that we've had sitting on Tivo since they aired. That show can be hilarious and so disturbing I'd rather do dishes all at the same time. It's one of the few shows where I actually feel like I'm watching people and not actors playing characters. The chemistry between Ricky Gervais and Ashley Jensen is just incredible.

I got my first annual skin screening by a dermatologist this afternoon. They went ahead and removed this strange dark freckle that appeared on the inside of my index finger overnight 4 months ago. I'm kind of annoyed my weekend in Toronto will be spent with a Band-Aid on my hand and a steady supply of them in my purse to make sure it's dry and covered with Neosporin at all times. But oh well, it's done. They were flipping out over my tattoo. The most unlikely people gush over them, I find. But it's still so recent for me that I forget it's there. So when she was looking over my thigh and yelped, "THAT'S SO COOL!" I thought she must have found some rare form of cancer she could write a paper about.

Speaking of Toronto, we're pretty much set for the trip. We're hoping for a nice weekend getaway with a little romance thrown in. We've never been able to afford little spur-of-the-moment weekend couples trips like this, so we decided to just do it while we have the extra mullah. We'll be seeing Evil Dead: The Musical while we're up there. I'm pumped. And I'm trying to coordinate a rendezvous with Toronto Mike and Kyle, who came and spent a jolly time with us a few years ago. I went up there twice that year to hang with them.
Here's a pic of Toronto Mike and Kyle:


Left to right: Kyle, some guy pretending to be French, Mike

Unfortunately, my pics of their visit here are in storage in Amanda's basement. Soon...soon I will have all my crap in one place and not three. I'm sure people are ready for me to get my crap out of their basements.

But as an indication of the drunken splendor that night, here's a pic FROM that night...just not of the Toronto boys.

It annoys me I have pics of that night, just not pics of Mike of Kyle here. I thought I'd have put 'em in my album, but no such luck. Oh well, I'll be able to compile my crap very soon.

My side has been hurting like a bitch for a couple of days. Nothing seems to help, not Advil, not Aleve, and not the anti-inflammatory that makes me want to die every time I take it twice within 24 hours. So, I'll be going back to the doc next week to get a different prescription. I'm sick of this. Really. My rib was popping in and out like a machine gun at times today. yuck. I think all that irritated the crap out of it, and now it just hurts like hell.
posted by Karabou at 9:18 PM EST
Top

May 22, 2007
Bleeargh
So the mortgage officer called me FIVE TIMES today. It's all fine and dandy that she's working on it so diligently, but two of the calls were concerning things we discussed last week. I couldn't help but wonder if she was writing anything down I said last week during the over-the-phone application. Anyway, we're now pre-approved and for a bit more than I think we'll actually need. I have a sensible price range in my head, and I think we can do well with it.
I still have one paper to provide her before we actually apply for the loan, but it could be the end of summer before we find a place we want. I've got three already scoped out; I just need to call this realtor and see if she's retired or not. And then next week, I'll start looking at houses. Kev's mom offered to make the initial visit with me, since she has a background in realty and may save me a few pennies weeding out houses with problems that obviously won't pass inspection. And as long as Kev has a bedroom, bathroom, and living room, he's not really going to care.
And because my brain never stops--and I mean never--I'm already thinking about things like where furniture is going to go. lol /sigh I'm trying this anti-inflammatory one more time, and if I get nauseated for 3 days again, I'll call my doc and try a different one. Why can't I find one that doesn't tear me up in some way?
I picked up Kev's birth certificate from his mom tonight, in preparation for our trip to Toronto this weekend. Thank god she had a copy. I was beginning to sweat when I realized Kev was born in Florida...on an AFB. God knows how difficult it would have been to get a copy of it otherwise. But I think we're set. I've got everything squared away that I can think of. Thursday, I'll start packing; I should only need a backpack, really.
posted by Karabou at 8:19 PM EST
Top

May 21, 2007
#$%@#%#@
Sylar didn't die.
LAME.
posted by Karabou at 10:09 PM EST
Top

May 21, 2007
A time for pouting...
So the Dirty Dancing issue of People Magazine came out, and they used a different story. They went with actually interviewing the cast and such. Well who the hell wants that? Give me rabid fangirl nobodies! lol

Oh well, it would have been neat to be in it, a little keepsake, but life goes on. :(

I dropped off another mound of paperwork to the mortgage loan officer this afternoon. I'm down to needing 1 piece of paperwork, and she'll have everything she needs to get it going. I'm still considering going through USAA for the final loan, or at least checking them out, since everything else they offer is stupidly cheap. The military is good for something at least.

But I really want to get this under way and start looking at houses to figure out what exactly we want. I'd like to be moved in by the end of summer. Moving in winter is for suckers.
posted by Karabou at 7:51 PM EST
Top

May 20, 2007
It's no Joe Bob Briggs...
I've watched several movies recently. Bewitched, which I'd heard some pretty bad things about actually ended up being cute and enjoyable. Will I own it? No. But it was worth watching on the Starz FreeView weekend. I also watched Looking for Comedy in the Muslim world, which I found to be very funny. I haven't watched a lot of Albert Brooks stuff, but Kev loves him.
I saw the first 15 mins of Shrek 3, and it seemed like almost the entire trailer came from that 15 minutes, minus the angry princesses bit. I'll probably catch it on HBO eventually.
posted by Karabou at 10:47 PM EST
Top

May 19, 2007
Jai Jai Anandamuyi Ma
Went to Kirtan tonight. I wasn't going to go, but Lorie called me out of the blue and asked me if I wanted to go. I waffled for a bit, decided not to go, and just then she called me again and said she'd pick me up if I would go. So I decided to go after all. I spent the afternoon in Yellow Springs with Mom, and I just didn't feel like driving back over there. I'm kind of tired and relaxed today, definitely lazy. Thankfully, for something like that, I can just go in my yoga pants (aka pajamas) and a sweatshirt.
After the last one, I didn't know if I'd go back for a while. I actually felt pretty unhappy after the Kali Kirtan. I wasn't sure if it was just me, but tonight's was the usual just-what-I-needed. I miss Lorie since she moved to Cincy. It was great having someone to hike hard and fast with pretty regularly in the summer. I love outdoor exercise. I hope I get to take part in at least a little this summer. My side's not doing bad, but it could be better.
One of my yoga teacher's friends passed away a couple weeks ago of cancer, at the very time my Hanuman tattoo was completed. And this guy was a big Hanuman follower. Just kind of ironic, not necessarily related in any way. But my teacher looked a little tired tonight. I remember that feeling. So tired. And no matter what you believe or feel or whatever, you're still human, and you still get to go through the grief. I'm feeling kind of tired myself and contemplating bed at 10:30 on a Saturday night.
posted by Karabou at 10:23 PM EST
Top

May 15, 2007
Woohoo!
I have to see this movie: Black Sheep

I started the mortgage application process. I have to drop off a pile of requested paperwork to the loan officer after work today. I've never been asked to list 4-5 past employers before, and it's been "fun" getting employment dates. Stupid Rittal is being difficult about giving me the info I need. If I don't get it, I'll just note that I'm guessing because I couldn't get them to return my call. They can deal with it.

I'm still not convinced we'll be approved. I've been told they view student loans differently from debt like credit cards, but I'm sure in our case, we'll get screwed by it. I want to move whether we get a house or not. I'm sick of this shit hole we live in. I'd like to consider having kids (biological or adopted), and neither of us are getting any younger. I'm sick of ants. I'm sick of windows I can see the outdoors through the cracks of. I'm sick of having duct tape holding carpet together. I'm sick of not being able to decorate. I'm sick of all my shit being in other people's basements because we don't have room for anything.

And most of all, I'm sick of waiting for it to somehow work out because things NEVER, EVER just work out.
posted by Karabou at 5:58 PM EST
Top

May 13, 2007
Deep, satisfied sigh
It's been a productive weekend. I got the carpets shampooed and the kitchen floor mopped, which just gives me a clean feeling. I can't explain it. When things are clean, I just feel refreshed. I did a metric buttload of laundry and a little cleaning in preparation of moving later this summer, including throwing out 6-year-old Spanish text books Kev was inadvertently hoarding. I emptied out my water-base punching bug, so I can get it dried out. Won't be using that for quite a while.
Kev doesn't understand why I shampoo the carpets in a place we don't own. We regularly have 4-6 people over on Saturday nights, and most of them don't take their shoes off. Within two weeks, I can guarantee I'll have black grungy spots on the carpets, but for now, I'll enjoy every clean step I take on them. I just can't stand that feeling of matted dirty carpets when I walk around barefoot in warm weather.
I also picked up a belt on sale, as well as a couple pair of shoes. As un-girly as I can be, shoes make me feel like a Valley girl on crack. I even talk like one when I start talking about shoes. It's my one true womanly vice. I envy Imelda Marcos. I need to marry a wealthy dictator.

The top are BØrns, which is the most awesome brand of shoes ever made. And the bottom ones are my beloved Skechers. The last ones I had were mens, but I couldn't find any like them in the right size this time. I lucked out and found these in the women's section--the only pair in my size in the whole warehouse in the style I wanted. DSW had sandals up to 50% off this weekend. I refrained from buying an adorable pair of low platforms with the 70s straw-looking base. They were super cute, but the lace-up-the-leg straps are just too hooker-ish for work, and I'll never wear them any other time. I also picked up a couple more spaghetti tank tops, which means I'll have to buy some more thread. I don't know who they think they made these things for this year. I'm a giant, busty woman, and the straps, even when tightened all the way, are still ludicrously long. I also hunted for a black slip in the same type of material my white one is with no luck. It's super soft and flowy, unlike all the other slips I found. I hate that stiff silky-LOOKING material. I want soft and comfy. I refuse to settle. I wish I could remember where I bought this one years ago.
I still have a gift certificate to use at New York & Co., and I have a coupon good through next weekend. I should probably do that this week.
Today I lazed around in a haze of nausea from my new anti-inflammatory, which was, oddly, free. Not sure how that happened. But I think I didn't take it with enough food, so we'll see what happens over the next few days. I watched Bewitched this afternoon, and despite everything bad I heard about it, I liked it. It wasn't amazing or hilarious, but it was definitely amusing and cute. And it was free from the Starz FreeView Weekend--a win all around.
posted by Karabou at 7:35 PM EST
Top

May 11, 2007
Woohoo!
No stabbin's for me today!!
The pain doc poked and prodded and eventually just grabbed a hank of muscle around my bottom rib, which doubled me over. He's concluded that my current pain is muscular and that we should hold off on another round of intercostal blocks until we see if we can get this under control with more anti-inflammatories. He said there are dozens of classes of them, and there's got to be one that helps without unbearable side effects. I just need to start trying them for 2-3 weeks and figure it out.
I'm also supposed to pay attention to how I sit. He thinks I probably slouch to the left, so I have to try to do some stretching during the day and try to lean more to the right. I'm also going to see a podiatrist because my left leg is about an inch longer than the right, which he thinks may be part of my problem being unable to heal correctly, along with my slightly twisted (not curved) spine. Soooo...I may end up seeing a few more specialists along the way, but for now, I'm at least making some progress.
I'm supposed to take it easy for a while and try to let these anti-inflammatories do their work and then ease back into any sort of exercise. Wooty! So maybe by June, I'll be able to at least do some cardio of some sort.
posted by Karabou at 4:18 PM EST
Top

May 7, 2007
Hello, this is People Magazine...
To those who do not know the film, it is often referred to as "the Star Wars for girls." Just as a generation of men grew up quoting Jedi proverbs, their female equivalents were summoning the "baby" line to their friends. That might help you get your head round how big a phenomenon it is. More...
Today was an odd day. I checked my comments and noticed a new one from one Susan Christian Goulding from People Magazine on my Dirty Dancing entry. She interviewed me over the telephone during lunch about why die-hard fans love Dirty Dancing so much.
The issue will be on stands Thursday, May 17. Enjoy!

And Tanya found someone from the past whom I find highly amusing. I've been giggling about it all day.
posted by Karabou at 6:10 PM EST Top

May 5, 2007
Sated and sleepy...
A big thank you to everyone who came out and joined me for some Lebanese food at my bday dinner. I hope everyone had a wonderful time. My only regret is that I didn't get to talk to people at the other end of the table, but we'll rectify that in the near future.

The double-fudge, peanut butter cup ice cream cake was killer. num.
posted by Karabou at 10:07 PM EST Top

May 4, 2007
Happy birthday to me!
I had originally planned to get my tattoo on the anniversary of dad's death, but I woke up in such a good mood in of my still rare "good" days and decided not to ruin it with some pain.

So I decided to do it on my birthday instead. Last night, I was in full-on freak out mode but calmed myself down and talked myself out of canceling. I didn't HAVE to do this. It hurt, but not nearly as much as I thought it would. And after those intercostal blocks in my ribcage...it was NOTHING compared to that. I decided to get it on my hip, instead of my original desired location: my left shoulder blade. I was concerned that having someone put weight, no matter how minimal, on those ribs would be too painful. Good call.

But here's the result, right after it was done. After it heals, it'll look a bit better...less redness and less swelling. There was still some ink and stuff on it at this point. In 2-3 weeks, I should be able to get a better pic posted. And if in a month I need any touch-ups after it heals, they're free for 6 months.

The Hindu God Hanuman
I love it. It came out better than I could have imagined. It took about 3 hours from start finish with 2 short breaks. The pain I feel right now is more like the worst sunburn I've ever had.

Thanks Coffee! I totally recommend Blue Byrd Tattoos. Coffee does fantastic comic-type art, and David Klaiber does some really amazing portraiture work, as well as damn near anything else. You can see more of Coffee and David's work here. They put me at ease and we all chatted the entire time about indigenous Ohio minks, birds, and fish and other totally bizarre subjects. I was highly amused.
And a big thank you to Ramsey Hong for designing the original artwork for me. It was perfect. :)
posted by Karabou at 4:53 PM EST
Top

May 3, 2007
Lawlz
This totally made me laugh out loud this morning. loltrek

Kev and I watched Jet Li's Fearless last night. I'm a huge Jet Li fan, so of course I loved it. I'm a sucker for epic Chinese films. Good fights, beautiful sets, and amazingly good subtitles.

We also watched Lords of Dogtown the other night. After my streak of picking horribly boring films, I was nervous. But it ended up being pretty good. Kev had some interesting background that wasn't provided in the film that I didn't know about, such as they were able to find so many empty pools because of the massive drought that year. Water was strictly rationed as to when and how much you could use recreationally, so most people just didn't fill their pools at all that summer. Check it out; it was interesting.
posted by Karabou at 5:26 PM EST

Top

May 2, 2007
The Poop...
Went back to my family doctor today to ask some more questions about my ribs. The last few days, I can feel them (both sides) grinding, popping, and moving around all over the place. And I've been wondering about going to a chiropractor for it. I've also discovered that anything with underwire is making both sides of my ribs hurt in the same place, so that's a big part of the problem. I also wanted to know how long I should wait to return to exercise since my bottom rib has definitely popped back in after 5 months and seems to be staying put.

She told me no exercise whatsoever until I see the pain doc again on the 11th. I'm to ask him for his opinion, but she said she recommends I be totally pain-free for 2-3 weeks before I VERY SLOWLY ease back into a routine. Also, she told me she wouldn't recommend any adjustments for at least 2-3 months because it could cause aggravation and inflammation that could re-start this entire ordeal. If I'm still having issues, we can discuss it then.

My doc also told me that I should probably get a breast reduction, but that I would have to wait until after (if) I had kids because "they'll just get all big and flappy with every pregnancy you have." Until then, I can kiss my underwire bras goodbye because they'll just be aggravating the hell out of the sore spots already on my ribs. She said she's never had a problem getting a reduction pushed through as a medical need for any insurance carrier. So that made me happy. And in her words, "as a bonus, post-pregnancy boobs are perky again after a reduction."

I stopped by a bra shop at lunch and got fitted, just to be sure I am, indeed, wearing the correct size, which I am. But I picked up a non-underwire bra, and I swear it makes my tits go in two different directions. It's hideous. And it was the least-hideous bra of the bunch I tried on. When I got back to work, I decided just to remove the underwire of one of my brassieres I took along to show her, and it was infinitely better looking than the monster I bought. It also no longer hurt. It definitely doesn't make me defy gravity, but I can live with a little less lift if it means less pain and no hideous, boob-separating bras.

So, so far...things are looking up on this front. I have some solid information that put my mind at ease, and I know that I should be able to get some permanent solutions to other things in the future.
And when the nurse told me I lost another 15 pounds since my last appointment a couple months ago, I told her I was so excited I wanted to jump and down like a Price is Right contestant. I'm pretty much back down to where I was before all the grief-eating.
posted by Karabou at 6:19 PM EST
Top

May 1, 2007
You got your Swayze in my Pachenga
Men, you may want to stop reading here. The following is a write-up about my evening watching Dirty Dancing on the big screen for it's 20th Anniversary. With the way Kevin reacts to seeing that movie for even a second, I thought it fair I give warning.
Okay...
I have never seen a theater so full of women in my entire life. I expected maybe half the seats to be filled. When we got there 10 minutes before the movie started there were maybe 20 seats left in the theater. We grabbed 2 of the last non-neck-breaking seats and settled in. The rest filled in well before the movie started, and I conjecture they turned people away.
I love this movie. I have watched it easily over a hundred times since it came out on VHS. Is the acting bad? Yes. Is it totally unrealistic? Yes. But there is something about it, maybe some connection to what I felt back when I saw it for the first time that makes me look past all of its flaws and love it with every fiber of my being. I remember my sister going to see it in the theater when it came out, and after that, it was all Swayze, all the time. Her bedroom door was a shrine to his hotness.

Okay, so I don't love the movie as much as the guy who
made this I <3 Patrick Swayze collage.

I remember obsessing over Jennifer Grey's flat stomach, wondering why mine pooched out so much. Had I known the work involved in getting a stomach like that, I'd have felt less miserable about my own body. I couldn't figure out why, despite my complete and utter inactivity other than playing in the yard, I didn't have a body that looked like that. That and I was 12. Mothers, talk to your daughters and explain the reality of such female figures.
It was one of the first PG-13 movies, and I was only 11 at the time. After hearing my sister rave about it for what seemed like eternity, it finally came out on VHS. I watched it so many times the first week I couldn't keep count. It gave me a passionate love of dancing, something I've always wished I could have done professionally (and not involving a pole or tips). I wish I had grown up somewhere that had more opportunities for such things and in a time when physical activity wasn't "something girls just don't do." It's why, deep down at heart, I'm a club rat. I could dance for hours. You just lose yourself in the music, and everything else melts away.
And no matter how much of a has-been he is now, Patrick Swayze was outrageously, magnificently hot in that movie. I have a soft spot for a man that can dance, especially like that. I'm hoping that my ribs are finally on the upswing of healing, so I can get back to going out and dancing for 4 straight hours on a Friday night.
But seeing the movie on the big screen was fantastic. It's like being able to go back in time and experience something that I missed out on in my youth. And it was so cool to see and hear things that I totally missed on a television, no matter how many times I watched it.
I'd go see it again tomorrow night if I had someone to take with me.
posted by Karabou at 10:10 PM EST
Top

May 1, 2007
New Color
Here's what Amy helped me out with:

A richer, darker brown I absolutely love.
posted by Karabou at 10:10 PM EST
Top