The Many Expressions of Goren

All right, because I got that annoying "Overacting Actors" post on my Vincent D'Onofrio Google Alerts one time too many, here's my answer to the statement that on LOCI he seems to have only one emotion all the time. Are you watching the same show as I am? These are just a few of the expressions that I've seen. Most of these are from the earlier seasons so you can't say it's only in the last couple of years that he's been more expressive.

Hey, it's VDO's birthday, I'm indulging. ;-)


[NP: Foo Fighters - In Your Honor]

Happy June 30th!

Who could resist that smile?
(Photo was on my computer not sure where I got it)

Since this is the birthday of my favorite actor I thought I'd take some time to explain to some of my puzzled friends and relatives who just don't get it why I seem to be smitten like some silly teenager. Yes, I admit it, I haven't been this into someone since I was a teenager and had David Cassidy posters up in my room. And no, I don't have Vincent D'Onofrio posters up in my room. I'm 48 going on 49 and well, my husband would think it was a bit too much. LOL

Part of the problem seems to be most people who don't share my admiration for him haven't really seen any episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent beyond the first few when they thought - as I did - that the Goren character was just a bit aggravating. They haven't seen the entire series through to realize what a fine job of character development he's done with the first five seasons being held to just case files with hints of his personal life and character shared through stories told to suspects and/or witnesses to manipulate them. Or sometimes in passing to his partner or Captain.

Given that Law & Order shows tend to be more story oriented and not as much character driven, he's done a marvelous job of endearing the character to his many fans with just those interesting tidbits. He's also got subtle down to perfection as much as he does his outbursts of anger or frustration. I've read some annoying blog that keeps coming up on my Google Alerts about 'overacting actors' which seems to include him. It's annoying because I honestly think the author just hasn't seen any of his work on Criminal Intent or she/he just doesn't catch the subtlety. He's not on one emotion all the time, honey. Just open your eyes and pay attention!

It's the same for his co-stars. Kathryn Erbe doesn't seem to get the attention she deserves because people who just aren't paying attention, seem to think you have be be over-the-top like the character Mariska Hargitay (it's not the actor's fault as you can only do so much with a character as over-the-top as Olivia Benson) plays on Special Victims Unit. Erbe does more with expressions and body language and tells you a whole lot more then the hysterical outbursts by Hargitay. Talk about one emotion. Eric Bogosian is accused of being too stiff and not emoting enough. I say the viewers need to pay closer attention to the character and watch the subtle expressions and gestures that speak volumes.

Perhaps in comparison to his big screen roles, Goren seems boring to those who are used to having seen him in roles like Private Pyle in Full Metal Jacket or perhaps the 'over the top' alien in Men In Black. He's so much more than those two roles which seem to be the ones he's best known for.

The thing that makes Vincent D'Onofrio a great actor, is that he takes on the posture, physical quirks and accents of the character he plays and you don't realize it's him. For example, I saw the movie Feeling Minnesota. I had no idea Vincent D'Onofrio was in that movie. I've always thought I hadn't seen many of his movies but when I checked out his filmography, I was surprised to find out I saw more of them than I realized. Check out this interview on goddessdster's blog. She is much more eloquent in explaining Vincent D'Onofrio than I am. It starts off on Robert Downey, Jr. but she compares him to Vincent D'Onofrio if you read down. Wonderful comparison and review of Ironman, btw.

If you want to see why I'm so taken by him, check out Five Minutes Mr. Welles. He wrote, directed and starred in it. The dedication he has to his craft is incredible. If you don't think he's got Orson Welles down pat you need to find more videos featuring Orson Welles.

And of course the thing I love most about Vincent D'Onofrio is that he does what he does out of love for his craft. He's non-pretentious. He has no press agent to make official statements for him and he apparently does his own shopping and carries on pretty much like everyone else. He's very considerate of fans and seems to always be willing to sign an autograph or pose for a photo.

So if you want to discover a real actor and a decent guy, take a closer look at Vincent D'Onofrio.

I hope he has a very happy 49th birthday.

[NP: Talking Heads - Houses In Motion]

In Anticipation of June 30

Here's another Goren video I found on my obsessive combing of YouTube for videos of all things LOCI and other musical things. Just thought since I started celebrating my kid's birthday early, I could celebrate Vincent's birthday early, too.




Posted by TriggerHappyWorld on YouTube. It's called The World According to Goren Part 12. Check out the series of videos by TriggerHappyWorld. Very nice work.

My Baby Is 31!

Well, officially his birthday is tomorrow but we celebrated today. My stepson, Jimmy, will be 31 tomorrow. He shares the same birthday as Vincent D'Onofrio and shares similar qualities. He's a gorgeous young man. I remember when he was only eleven he had young girls calling him from Maui when he visited us on Oahu. He didn't like this at the time. I told him he was going to have to fight them off with a stick when he got older. He thought that was just an awful fate. LOL By the time he turned into a mindless teenager he thought it was great. Senior girls were asking him to their prom when he was a freshman and sophomore! His mother and I wanted to know who those lecherous girls were, exactly? LOL

He's a very bright boy. You might have missed it in his teenage years. Let's see, there was the 'mushroom' incident. He and some friends thought they'd try finding magic mushrooms and eating them. Not a good move. Being his father's son, he decided to go for it while his friends were kind of just trying small bites. Surprise! It wasn't a magic mushroom but a poisonous one. He ended up at the emergency room getting his stomach pumped. His grandmother called to let my husband know. She was nervous because she thought he would be angry about it. My husband just made sure he was all right. When he hung up he laughed and said, "Guess what my kid just did?"

Then there was the time he and his friends decided to cut out of school and go swimming at Iao Park. They were caught by the MPD and once again we got a call - this time from his frustrated mother - about Jimmy's little adventure.

Then there was the time he met a girl from Oahu and started calling her regularly. His grandfather was not happy when the boy ran up a $350.00 long distance phone bill.

And of course the best was our cross-country trip one summer where we all flew from Honolulu to San Francisco, got a rental car and drove to Florida via the southern states, to visit my husband's mother who was living in Florida at the time. From there we went up to Michigan where his father and stepmom lived. And then from there back to San Francisco where we got a flight home. Jimmy was sixteen at the time. Word of advice to anyone who thinks a cross country trip with a teenager might be a great experience. DON'T DO IT!!! The kid was in love with yet another young lady. He was going to miss her birthday! The world was going to come to an end. He was sullen and hated driving - we were all taking turns and since he had his license we thought we'd take advantage of it. The only time he was happy was when we were in Las Vegas and he was allowed to go shopping by himself. And of course Disney World was fun as well. My husband almost killed him when he left his pager - God only knows what a teenage boy needed with that on his cross country trip except perhaps he was expecting his girlfriend to call him with an emergency or something - behind at some rest stop and we had to drive all the way back 30 miles to get it. No cell phones back then.

Despite all this, when he turned 18, he decided he wanted to come live with us in Michigan where my husband and I had relocated about a year previously. We weren't sure how things would turn out but it turned out to be great! He went from being a so-so student to a straight A student and showed a lot of promise. He had artistic and mathematical ability. He wanted to major in music. Then he met a lovely young girl who was into musical theater. Suddenly, he developed an interest in musical theater and discovered he could sing and he loved opera. He also discovered he could act. He was given the lead role in The King & I and got the part of Lancelot in Camelot. I was amazed. He was raised by his Japanese mother and grandparents and was very 'Japanese' and hated being up in front of people, etc. Very local boy he used to be.

Suddenly he blossomed and it was a lot of fun. Camelot got the whole family involved. They needed an old English Sheep Dog to play the part of Horrid the dog. Belle became a star. Unfortunately, she didn't like being on stage unless either myself, my husband or Jimmy was with her. Jimmy couldn't be because he Lancelot wasn't involved in the scene she was to be in. So, the director got my husband to be the dog handler. He would have to be in costume and be on stage with the dog. LOL It was a lot of fun.

By this time, Jimmy met Staci, who was also into musical theater and who came from the same town we were living in. They got engaged. About six months later, she got pregnant. Along came Lilly, my eldest granddaughter. Lotus came along four years later and Lula came along a year later.

Sadly, he and Staci are separated and planning to get a divorce. However, they are handling things as well as can be expected - Jimmy hopes to have things work out for this girls like they worked out for him. All the adult around him got along well. His grandparents (mother's parents) used to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas on Oahu with me and my husband. When we were about to leave for Michigan, we went to visit Maui and stayed with his mom and stepdad. His grandparents took us all out to dinner so there was Jimmy, his mom and stepdad, my husband and myself and his grandmother and grandfather all having dinner. It was odd but in a good way and he appreciated that in his life. He saw how contentious and awful most divorces can be and the toll it takes on kids.

Today I made shish kabobs and rice and we had ice cream and cake. He seems to be happier than he was last year and I hope it means good things for him. He's a great kid and a great father and I am lucky to have such a fine young son.

It amazes me that he's turning 31. It seems like only yesterday when he was eight and we were having a discussion on music. He liked rap at the time. I rolled my eyes and said, no, no rap in my car. I had the radio on the news at the time. He asked me what kind of music I liked. I found a classic rock station and said, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones kind of music. He looked at me and said, "Oh yeah, old people music." The boy is lucky to have made it nine. LOL Now, he actually likes 'old people music.' When he borrowed my Kinks CD, I handed it to him and said, "So, you're listening to old people music, eh?" He actually did me one better. He likes 'real old people music.' He likes opera! Well, he actually likes all music, kind of like me. It's nice to know and to think that at least I made some contribution to his life.

[NP: The John Mayer Trio - Who Did You Think I Was?]

He's Just A Little Unwell

Found this video on YouTube the other night and having it watched it a couple of times, I have to say it's perfect for Goren's state of mind as of late. Not a shippy video at all, btw, for those wary of my LOCI video choices, shipper that I am. ;-)

It was made and posted by yulivee94, the song is 'Unwell' by Matchbox 20. Excellent song and so fitting for Goren.





Here's hoping if we stay awhile we will see a Goren in some kind of recovery.

I Really Hate My Feet

Ever since I can remember, my feet have been a problem for me. No, they're not painful - except when I used to stuff them into 5 inch heels on a regular basis to make up for my 5' stature. They're just always too damned small and finding shoes that look good and fit are really getting on my nerves! The thing is, they've grown a size since I turned 40 and they're still too flippin' small.

I had size 4 feet. Yes, size 4. I remember when I was in Spain or Italy and I was shopping for shoes with my fellow student travelers, the people at the shoe store measured my feet and next thing I know the entire staff of the friggin' store came out to stare at my feet. I kind of felt like some kind of circus creature.

In Hawaii, the average women's foot size is about a size 5 or 6. It was horrible trying to find shoes in my size in the right color, etc. Fortunately they did have some. Once in a while I'd buy shoes in the children's department. Usually those were sneakers or flats. But there are no 5" heels on children's shoes so I was always having a hard time.

It got worse when we moved to the mainland. It seems average women's shoe sizes are about a 7. So when my feet got bigger, I was thrilled. However, being on the mainland and not in Hawaii, I've discovered while I do have some shoe choices with a size 5 since 4 is non-existent here, it still sucks to be me. It doesn't help that I've got wide size five feet. People from Hawaii seem to have wider feet. I'm assuming it has something to do with running around barefoot more in the house (see post on cultural differences and no shoes in the house rules in Hawaii here) and perhaps wearing what we call 'rubba slippas' (rubber slippers or flip flops to you non-islanders).

So now that it's summer, I'm thrilled to be able to wear slippers and sandals that I can actually buy in the children's department. I guess children's feet are getting larger, too. So here's to spending less than $20 to buy 4 pairs of rubber slippers in various colors. There's always a silver lining!

Welcoming Jeff Goldblum

Jeff Goldblum

He played a quirky detective named Raines
in a previous incarnation on NBC

Well since it's official that Jeff Goldblum will be joining the Law & Order: Criminal Intent cast, I welcome you and wish you the best. Thanks for stepping in and I look forward to seeing what you will bring to my favorite show.

I thought I'd put out a positive message to try and balance out the negatives that no doubt will be spewing forth from anti-change folks. Sometimes it gets on my nerves, you know? Sorry the guy will be sharing air time with Vincent D'Onofrio and sorry he's taking over for a departing Chris Noth but HEY, give the guy a chance will ya? His presence in no way will personally hurt either actor. And yes, perhaps there is some thinking that if D'Onofrio leaves Goldblum may be seen as a possible back-up. But quite frankly, I don't think it would work since Goren is one-of-a-kind and can never be replaced, IMO. And if it does work then great! The show can continue to epic proportions and try to compete with the mothership for longest running show ever or whatever. I'm sure either way, when Mr. D'Onofrio decides to leave, he will leave whether or not there is someone waiting in the wings to replace him or not.

This is starting to remind me of all the negative chatter when Eric Bogosian was about to step in Captain Ross. He was lambasted for everything from his being in some Steven Sagal movie to his curly hair.

Sometimes, being a fan and trying to follow all the lines of thinking around the internet does get a bit tiring. I'm even thinking of perhaps following one of my favorite blogging friends, BobbyG, and just not bother reading forums. Sometimes the negativity can really get on my nerves. It seems some fans never heard of a new person who they didn't want to rag on. Lately I've been thinking I'm going to drop the blogs, too, with the exception of those I already visit regularly. They may not like the changes but they're not borderline psychotic. I just keep coming across some people who are just way too negative and seem to be trying to make a mountain out of a molehill.

Ah well, we all have our opinions and I don't blame people for not liking the changes coming about but the negativity towards actors is getting a bit old. They're just living their lives and doing their jobs, you know?

So here's hoping for good things from Jeff Goldblum and for Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

[NP: Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros - Global a Go-Go]

At My Most Beautiful - R.E.M.

Well, I found something to put me in a good mood. Found this R.E.M. performance and love the song. It's what I wish I could do for the Bobby Goren character on Criminal Intent...find a way to make him smile. The video was posted by caybro.




Love Michael Stipe's banter. He's such a beautiful man.

"At My Most Beautiful"

I've found a way to make you smile
I've found a way
A way to make you smile

I read bad poetry
Into your machine.
I save your messages
Just to hear your voice.
You always listen carefully
To awkward rhymes.
You always say your name,
Like I wouldn't know it's you,
At your most beautiful.

I've found a way to make you smile
I've found a way
A way to make you smile

At my most beautiful
I count your eyelashes, secretly.
With every one, whisper I love you.
I let you sleep.
I know you're closed eye watching me,
Listening.
I thought I saw a smile.

I've found a way to make you smile
I've found a way
A way to make you smile

Fire the Friggin' Sound Man!

All right, here it is, something finally pissed me off this week.

This morning, I was watching the Today Show specifically because Coldplay was going to be the Friday concert. They've had some really tepid guests - except Neil Diamond and R.E.M. - out there this summer and I was happy to learn that a band I actually like was going to be on.

In any case, I arranged my schedule - that's why I love my job - so that I could be home to watch this concert. I'm a bit upset that my DVR is still out of commission and will be until next month when I have the money to either fix it or replace it (who am I kidding, repair? I don't think so). However, I figured people will be posting it on YouTube eventually - like the R.E.M. ones - so I'll just catch it again there.

Well, imagine my dismay when they announced Coldplay and the band starts up their song and all I can hear are the drums. WTF!?!? You can hardly hear the keyboards or Chris Martin singing. It was a horrible mix. Then on the next few songs they did it again. At times I didn't know the guitarist and bass player were doing anything because I heard NOTHING. They got Kenny Chesney right - I think, my husband said they did but I really have little interest in him. They did a great job with Neil Diamond and R.E.M. (which is good because if you think I'm pissed over Coldplay's sound, NBC would have gotten several angry emails from me if they messed up there).

This is something I've noticed about the sound on the Today Show for a long time now. Someone needs to be replaced in their sound booth because honestly, sometimes you can't hear the hosts talking over the crowd screaming. They do that a LOT. Well, the crowd is screaming, of course you can't hear them, you say. No, that's why you should have someone at the sound board boosting their mikes. Hello. I worked sound for a morning radio show's live broadcasts for a coupole of years. I used to mix sound for bands at the college radio station. You can actually make adjustments to fix those things. So WTF? This is a supposed to be the number one morning show in the country. You'd think they would hire competent persons to do their sound.

Of all the bands to screw up on, why Coldplay? The band with the current number one album on the charts in this country as well as back in their native England, deserves a little better than that. Did someone not notice this at the sound check? Were they just worrying about the live crowd and not the millions tuning in on TV?

Come on Today Show, get with the program. It's the only show I watch on NBC any more and if they can't get this right, I won't be watching it anymore either. After years of enduring crappy sound mixing, I'm ready to just give up on it completely because this isn't your once in a while kind of problem. It happens consistently and it's just ridiculous.

No, I'm not perfect in the sound mixing arena either but then again, no one is paying me to do sound on the Today Show either. From what I've heard, I could probably do as good a job if not better and this having not done any sound mixing in almost two decades.

Will try and post something more pleasant later this evening. *sigh*

[NP: Coldplay - Clocks (I needed to hear the actual song since the sound was botched on TV)]

Noth Leaving Criminal Intent

Detective Mike Logan
My first L&O Crush

Just as he did all those years ago on the mothership, Logan is once again breaking my heart. It was announced today that Noth will be leaving LOCI. It's not too big a surprise to those of us who have been keeping up with the actor. A new kid, hit movie and eight years of playing the same character - though with a huge break between the first incarnation and second - was probably more than enough incentive for the actor to move on.

Ah well, at least Vincent D'Onofrio has already made it known he plans to stay with the series.

Jeff Goldblum will be taking over for Noth. I like the actor but am not sure he won't be too Goren-like for my liking. There is only one Goren. Trying a female version ala Carolyn Barek was just a dismal failure. I don't think having another detective that quirky will work. But then I am probably just assuming too much.

I will miss you Mike Logan, but you will be fondly remembered through endless repeats. Good luck to Chris Noth and much thanks to him for stepping in and helping the show continue for three more seasons. His return to the L&O universe saved the show and kept Vincent D'Onofrio onboard. Some people who make hateful statements about him best remember that before making any more disparaging remarks about him.

[NP: R.E.M. - I'll Take The Rain]

Relief From Angst

Still in the afterglow stage of Betrayed. Great episode, well handled, yada, yada, yada. So with not much more to say, here's a fan fic recommendation for laughs. It's called Compatibility and was written by Scribere Est Agere, my favorite LOCI fan fiction writer. It's Eames-centric and most adorable. Made me smile and forget the new strain that now exists for my favorite detectives. Screen cap above from Strange Visitor site and yes, I know it's a scene from Purgatory but there aren't any caps yet for Betrayed from that site which is the only one that emphasizes Eames as opposed to Goren.

[NP: Neil Young - A Man Needs A Maid]

Law & Order: Criminal Intent - Assassin Promo & Previews

TXCANY is really getting good about posting these. Do subscribe to that channel for the latest previews of both Goren and Eames and Logan and Wheeler. Here's the latest batch they have to offer.




This promo is running on USA currently.





As far as I know this is only on TXCANY's YouTube site as is the following one.




Looks like another great episode. Love the banter between Logan and Wheeler. I wish Goren and Eames could get back to that place soon.

Betrayed - A Great Ensemble Endeavor

Thanks to the Velocity of Vincent site for the cap below. I was going to try and get some up myself but it seems my DVR messed up on me and I think it's ready to die on me completely so I'll have to try and get a new one before the next LOCI episode.

Great Ensemble Work Tonight
Eric Bogosian, Vincent D'Onofrio & Kathryn Erbe
Perfection!

I can breathe easier now that I've watched Betrayed. Everything was handled perfectly, from Goren and Eames going from incredibly awkward together at the beginning to being back in sync professionally by the end of the episode. Ross and Goren, while still having their share of conflicts, seem to have come to some kind of understanding. I think it's mostly Goren realizing that Ross is in his corner despite being somewhat abrasive.

This episode was rather Ross-centric and I appreciated that. Eric Bogosian - as most of you who stop by here regularly know - is one of my favorites and has been for decades. It was nice to see more of him and I thought he handled it all so perfectly. Ross is a character wound quite tight. There has been criticism that Bogosian seems to not be giving his all to the character because he seems to only get the scenes where Ross is angry right. I respectfully disagree. Bogosian plays Ross just right. Ross isn't a touchy-feely kind of guy. He reminds me of many people I know - being Japanese, I'm related to a lot of people like this - who aren't comfortable with public displays of affection or sorrow. Anger is the only emotion they feel free to display. They're basically good people who care a great deal more than they reveal. Ross is definitely this kind of person.

That makes him seem somewhat brash and more of an acquired taste than Goren himself in some cases. But he is a good man. He stands by Goren despite their differences and has finally managed to get Goren to see that he is deserving of respect and loyalty in return. When confronting Ross about the possibility that Kathy Jarrow is a suspect and Ross barks at him, Goren backs down knowing he needs to find more proof before approaching Ross again. Before Untethered and Purgatory, Goren would have probably been a lot more aggressive and insistent about his point of view. This is a good sign that the respect Ross has for Goren is now being returned. Yes, Ross has respected Goren's ability for a while. At least from TWAH. He brought Goren in because he believes Goren is the best.

We also saw Ross and Goren interacting more. Usually when keeping Ross 'in the loop' with their investigation, Eames usually did that while Goren continued on the research. This time, it was Goren filling Ross in on what was going on. An interesting role reversal that spoke volumes.

In the beginning of the episode we saw Eames pretty much ignoring Goren's presence. He kept looking at her but she never looked at him. She's obviously still upset with Goren so they haven't really had any other discussion since Purgatory, it would seem. It's not surprising as Eames - along with Goren and Ross - seems to shut down and push people away when hurting. This is what I'm getting from her reaction in Purgatory and her behavior at the beginning of the episode.

As the investigation continues we get glimpses of Goren being nervous about saying the wrong thing and stammering a reply to Eames about her being right. By the middle of the episode we see the Goren/Ross conflict where Ross won't hear anything against his old friend. Goren backs down and Eames gets them back on track. The team work is coming together. By the time they get to the aria, Goren and Eames are working in sync.

Another relationship that may be a bit strained would be Ross and ME Rodgers. She and Ross are dating but throughout this episode Ross spent a lot of time with his old flame. That had to be awkward for them. I hope we get a hint of how things are between them when we see them next.

At the end, Ross tells his former flame to go to hell. He knows he's been played and beneath the anger lies a lot of pain. Goren tries to say something to Ross, but Ross - again, being just like Goren - refuses to hear it. "Not now," he says. "Not one word." He refuses sympathy and consolation. He pushes people away and goes off to lick his wounds alone.

Great over all episode, IMO. Concentration on the case file with personal angst simmering just beneath the surface. Back to the basics as it were. I like that.

Favorite moments:

1. Eames taking the sex tape of Roy and his girlfriend and handing it off to Goren who took it with two fingers, looking at it as if it were just the most disgusting thing.

2. Roy's girlfriend calling Goren "Bullwinkle."

3. Eames goading Roy to try and attack her.

4. Goren reaching out to Ross at the end.

5. Anytime Eric Bogosian was on screen. He really is a great actor and a brilliant writer. Check out his works if you can. I love Vincent D'Onofrio but I've been in love longer with Eric Bogosian. There's something about the way his mind works that really gets me going. Smart is sexy as it were. ;-)

As much as I did like the Deakins and Carver characters, I wouldn't have them back if it meant we'd never have gotten Captain Ross. Bogosian fits in very well with this ensemble and makes them better.


[NP: David Byrne - The Rose Tattoo]

In Anticipation of Betrayed

So I found this little gem on YouTube. It reminded me of my happy, self-assured and somewhat cocky Bobby Goren. Thought I'd share it since no one killed my computer during all the tinkering - my stepson is great with computers but sometimes these darn things have a mind of their own.

This was posted by TheLadyDorian and it's entitled Detective Robert "Bobby" Goren, Sex Bomb. LOL The song is by Tom Jones and it too is entitled Sex Bomb. It made me laugh out loud and I will never be able to watch those LOCI scenes without thinking about this video. LOL




So here's hoping for a great episode tonight. All the promos show Goren and Eames at least working well together. Honestly at this point that's all I can ask for. Bobby can go back to being brilliant and all will be right with the world. :-)

Bobby Goren Night!

I was dreading Betrayed but having seen promos and the above picture, I believe it will be a good episode. From the previews posted here previously, I also believe Goren and Eames are working well together despite any personal differences that may be there still. Am hoping there won't be too much dwelling on the personal tonight - unless it's Ross' personal life. I'd love to learn more about my favorite Captain (I loved Jamey Sheridan's Captain Deakins but Ross is a much more complex and interesting character).

So here's hoping it will be a great evening. It's amazing how much this show can affect my mood. LOL

Will post more after the family leaves. Have granddaughters playing with Barbies and stepson and husband setting up things in the den. My computer is going to be hijacked temporarily so this may be it for the day but I hope to post more later. Been playing around with photobucket and am learning to edit photos. It's easier than I thought it was!

[NP: The sound of grandchildren singing the Hannah Montana theme song]

R.E.M. - Jimmy Webb Covers

Here's something I found while cruising around the web looking for more things on the best band on the planet. It's part of a documentary and shows them rehearsing some Jimmy Webb songs - Galveston and Wichita Lineman. Love those songs and I love hearing Michael sing these songs. They were always favorites of mine. It was posted by nol32. Bill Berry was still with the band at that time.

Cultural Differences

One day this past week I happened to catch a conversation Whoopi Goldberg started on The View about wearing shoes in the house. It caught my attention because she was talking about how she will never wear shoes in her house again because of something she learned about the horrible, disgusting things you bring into your home on the bottom of your shoes. You walk on all kinds of stuff out there and don't know what you're bringing into the house. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there. She said she wasn't going to wear shoes in her house and she was going to make anyone who came into her home take their shoes off. Now this had Barbara Walters - someone I consider to be a bright person - saying it would be weird for her to ask people to remove their shoes. She said something along the lines of, "So if you were all to come to my house I should ask you all to remove your shoes and walk around in your socks and stockings? " Like that was a horrible thing. She said she didn't think she could do it.

I found that attitude to be puzzling. I was born and raised in Hawaii and with 50% of the population there being Japanese, it was pretty much natural for everyone to take their shoes off when you went inside. If you ran around barefooted outside you better wash your feet before setting one foot inside the house. My parents, relatives and friends all left their shoes or slippers or sandals outside. Some people had a 'geta bako' outside the house on the porch by the door to keep their shoes in. You didn't even take your shoes into the house and put them on the closet floor. They were considered dirty and to be left outside. It's a very Japanesey thing apparently.

I remember when I was about six or seven and we went to visit one of my mom's 'haole' (Caucasian) friends, I thought it was weird that we didn't have to remove our shoes. My mother whispered to me, "Don't take off your slippers, they wear shoes in the house." I thought it was weird. Later I asked her why 'haole' people didn't take their shoes off in the house. She replied it was a cultural thing. And she didn't want me to take my shoes off because my feet would get dirty if I did so since the floor must be dirty if they're wearing shoes in the house.

My husband - who seems to have taken on some Japanese traits having lived in Hawaii for twenty some odd years and having been married to two Japanese women - asked how to politely tell people they have to remove their shoes when they come into the house. Pretty much it's a no brainer for me. It's my house, I don't want people in here with shoes on because it is dirty and I don't want to sit on my floor wondering if the last person who walked on the carpet had been walking over a sidewalk that may have previously held dog poop, vomit or something equally as disgusting. I'm not going to smile politely and clean the damn carpet after they leave.
Maybe with this new information about germs being tracked into people's houses, a new trend will start? I hope so because in all the time I've been living here, I've never allowed shoes to be worn in my house. No one has said they have a problem with it. If they do, then they don't have to be in my house. The only two times people came traipsing into my house with shoes on and I didn't say anything was when the paramedics came to take my mom to the hospital because she broke her hip and when my husband had to be rushed to the hospital because he couldn't breathe. Then I went home and cleaned the carpet and mopped the floors.

I suppose it's easier in Hawaii where the weather is warm all year round and we can wear 'rubbah slippas' which are easy to remove when going in and out of the house. However, I've managed here on the mainland in the winter time, to have a place for people to put their foot wear when they come into the house. It's just inside the door in the kitchen where you can sit on a conveniently placed chair to remove your shoes. I don't mind mopping up a small area after they leave.

It's nice to hear Whoopi spreading the news. It's also nice to be vindicated. I'm sure some people who have come to my house have felt I'm some kind of germaphobe or perhaps a Japanese version of Adrian Monk.

This is one area in which I am so glad to be Japanese. No shoes in the house and baths everyday - sometimes twice a day. Baths have caught on so hopefully no shoes in the house will as well. LOL

Yes I know most people bathe everyday. But it's something that was done in Japan for centuries before catching on in the western world. Sometimes, OCD about being germ free and clean is a good thing. :-)

[NP: Elvis Costello - Radio Radio]

Another Pointless Blogthing

Well, now that I've posted about my connection problems, they've stopped. Guess the modem got scared that the people from the cable company are coming by tomorrow to check on it. LOL

So here's another blogthing. I sometimes have way too much time on my hands. I do have a question about these things, though. Has anyone ever got an answer that told you that you're an idiot or you're unlikable? Just wondering. LOL Kind of like Chinese Fortune Cookies. I've never seen a negative one. Then again they're not really Chinese. ;-)

You Would Be a Pet Bird

You're intelligent and witty, yet surprisingly low maintenance. You charm people easily, and they usually love you a lot more than you love them. You resent anyone who tries to own or control you. You refuse to be fenced in. Why you would make a great pet: You're very smart and entertaining Why you would make a bad pet: You're not interested in being anyone's pet! What you would love about being a bird: Flying, obviously What you would hate about being a bird: Being caged

What Kind of Pet Would You Be?

Connection Problems

Apparently my modem is experiencing some problems and I have intermittent connection and it's making me crazy so I thought I'd just post this test from HelloQuizzy.com. This is all goddessdster's fault. I saw it on her blog and well, just like finding blogthings on my daughter-in-law's blot, I can't help myself.

Your result for The What Middle Earth race do you belong to Test...

Wizard

You scored 0% Size & Strength, 76% Morality, 35% Aggression, and 82% Intelligence.

You scored high in morality and intelligence, but lower in physical strength and aggression, which means you're probably a Wizard. Counted among the very wise and (with that one exception) good creatures of Middle Earth are the Wizards, or Istari. Though they appear as old men, the Istari are actually powerful Maiar spirits sent from Valinor to Middle Earth to act as caretakers of the land and guides to men and beasts. Their supernatural heritage means they're also the only line of defense against rogue Maiar like Balrogs. Though only Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast are named through the novels, there are two other Wizards at large in Middle Earth, quietly working to bring tranquility to their surroundings.

Your polar opposite is the Urûk-Hai.

Take The What Middle Earth race do you belong to Test at HelloQuizzy

Will try and think of something either profound or stupid to write about tomorrow. ;-)


[NP: Talking Heads - Making Flippy Floppy]

Good Bye Tim, We'll Miss You

Found this today as I was reading posts on one of my music boards. For those of you who may have missed the tribute to Tim Russert on this past Sunday's Meet The Press, here is the final part of the show summed up by Tom Brokaw with a video montage to the Bruce Springsteen song "Thunder Road." Russert was a huge fan and good friend of The Boss and on Saturday night, Bruce Springsteen dedicated the song to Tim Russert with the following introduction:

BRUCE OFFERS TRIBUTE TO TIM RUSSERT IN CARDIFF
From the stage at Cardiff Millennium Stadium: Saturday June 14.

Introduction before "Thunder Road"

"I'd like to do this tonight for a long time friend of the E Street Band who passed away suddenly.

"Tim Russert was an important unreplacable voice in American journalism. I watched him hold our politicians feet to the fire on many Sunday mornings. He was always a strong voice for honesty and accountability in American government .. but beyond that he was a lovely presence, a good father, husband, and good guy. He was a regular at many E Street Band shows and I'm going to miss looking down and seeing that big smiling face in the crowd.

"We send this out all the way back to the states tonight for his son Luke, his wife Maureen, his dad Big Russ , and all the Russert family.

"Tim , God Bless You, We will miss you..."

New Promos - LOCI - Betrayed

Well, TXCANY has posted more promos for our consumption. Here they are! The first one is the promo running on USA. The other two are like the ones they posted for Purgatory and Contract...not seen anywhere on the USA site, etc.










All right, so I'm still conflicted about Goren but it looks like they're on the right track. Goren and Eames seem to be working well together and apparently have kissed and made up. As much as I've whined about partner angst, now I'm thinking - gee, that was a bit quick, wasn't it?

So instead of whining, I'm going to pretend Purgatory was a bad dream and we're now back to reality.

Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe can make me believe just about anything. LOL Here's hoping things will work out and Goren can get back to being brilliant. He can be angst filled but please no more ludicrous excuses to his partner, please.

[NP: Neil Young - The Painter]

New Criminal Intent Photos

Thanks to BobbyG for the heads up on these photos on eBay. Saw them on The Reel but wanted them here for myself. It's from the upcoming 'Betrayed' episode this Sunday on USA.

As I mentioned in my previous post, looks like Goren and Eames are at least working together like normal. Don't know if I like that or not. I really want to see how they reconciled after the last episode. On the other hand I don't know how much more I want to know about what's going on personally with them right now.

Goren and Eames sharing space
Goren is still in possession of all his limbs
(that we can see)
They're sitting on her desk
All good signs

So Ross on one side
Goren and Eames on the other?

Here's hoping for some interesting insights on Ross and some relief from partner angst. I really want to like Goren again.

[NP: Miles Davis - Sanctuary]

My Muse Has Left The Building

A few of my LOCI fan fiction friends have inquired and requested that I write something new or at least continue my continuing sagas Defining Moments and A Charmed Life. I apologize but my muse has packed her bags and run off to a happier place. She's fed up with partner angst and is slowly falling out of love with Goren. The only plots that have come up since seeing Purgatory have been really bad for Bobby and I've been ultimately rejecting those. So she's gone until things get better. If they don't get better, she's done and I'll have to find another show to obsess over and write for.

In the meantime, here are some of my favorite fan fic authors. And yes, most of them write B/A ship so if you don't like that, you have been warned. But if you can handle them, I highly recommend them.

On fanfiction.net: E.Helena (also known as elfluver), Infinity Star, Penn O'Hara (she also writes great Logan/Barek ship), Patcat, I-am-LMR (she writes funny ones that can be somewhat OOC but most hysterical and she always puts a smile on my face), Scripted Starlet, JeannieMac, clueless in seattle (now here's a non-B/A shipper and she's also quite fun), lynnez, charlieboy, Marion the Geek, grey-eyed-goddess, Mary T (writes great Goren childhood stuff) and gorengal.

And of course, I've already mentioned Scribere Est Agere who writes pure poetry in every story. This is her fan fiction location. I pointed the way to her Livejournal site a while back. I can assure even the most die hard anti-shipper would find her writing to be compelling enough to overcome any possible convulsions you may feel when reading any hint of B/A. ;-)

In the meantime I will sit and patiently wait for my muse to return. There is some hope. Saw these photos from the upcoming Goren/Eames episode 'Betrayed' earlier today on The Reel. Since Eames is letting Goren in her personal space without removing parts of his body, it would seem they are managing to get along a lot better than they were when we last saw them.

Here's hoping Goren is on the mend personally and also on the mend with Eames. I also hope we get a hint of how things have been resolved between them - if they have been resolved.

[NP: Hollies - The Air That I Breathe]

Memories of My Father

Daddy and me circa 1963 or 64
Wahiawa, Hawaii

Yesterday was Father's Day and there's been a lot of talk about fathers on various boards I visit and of course I saw the Today Show interview with Luke Russert (a most remarkable young man), Tim Russert's son. And it made me start thinking about my father.

I wrote something about him a while ago here for another Father's Day a couple of years ago. It provides you with the history of his life as a second generation American of Japanese Ancestry. But I am now compelled to share some other anecdotes about my life with my father. It was a bit of a love-hate relationship when I was a teenager because, well I was a teenager. It had nothing to do with my father, who was consistently himself throughout and that was a good thing for the most part. But fortunately when I grew up, it got better.

The time when we were closest were the days of my early childhood. My mother was a stay-at-home mom and on the weekends, my dad would take me out and about with him on errands and to the store, etc. to give her a break. Poor mom was the "not-fun" parent and dad was the fun one.

We'd sometimes go to his office when he had to check on something or needed to take care of some emergency. Until I was five, he was the manager of food service at Schofield Barracks. He worked for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service for 35 years. Sometimes he'd have to go in to the office and other times he'd have to go open and close the concession stand at Block Arena where they would have wrestling events and such. All he had to do was open the concession before the events started and close it after it ended and take the cash drawer back to his office. He used to take me with him and we would watch Ripper Collins, Lord 'Tallyho' Blears and others get in the ring and do their thing. It was fun and I got to eat hot dogs, ice cream cones and other junk food my mother tried to not let me have too much of during the week. Dad never said "It's too close to dinner time" when I asked if I could have an ice cream cone an hour before dinner.

Whenever we went to his office everyone would greet us and if they were meeting me for the first time they would always tell me how much my dad always talked about me and how I was a smart and well-behaved child. When he got promoted to regional manager and started working at Fort Shafter in Honolulu, I missed those outings. We still went to Schofield Barracks from time to time to shop and visit but not as often as we used to when he worked there.

One day, when I was four or five, we were driving to his office and I started jabbering at him from the time we got into the car at home until we got out of the car upon our arrival at his office. I was always talkative but as a child, I was only talkative to my parents and the grandmother we lived with. If anyone else came along I clammed up and said nothing. I remember my father looking at me in frustration as we got out of the car and he said, "You never stop to take a breath! Now how come you cannot talk to people? You know, they going think you're a deaf mute!" I remember thinking it was funny at the time. I was painfully shy until I was about 12 when all those years of my father telling me to 'speak up, ask questions and not let anyone tell me what to think!' finally took and off I went.

Another memory of my father - and my mother - was when I was about six or seven. Both parents were 43 years old when I was born. They married late in life and had no plans for children. Because they were much older than most parents, they decided to set up a will in case something happened to either of them or both. They were discussing it one evening at the dinner table and then asked me who I wanted to go live with if something happened to them.

"Like what?" I asked.

My father explained they were setting things up so if anything happened to them, I would be taken care of. He then explained the concept of death to me. I never had any pets and no one in my family had died as of yet so I really never had been exposed to it. I don't know if it was because of the matter-of-fact way he did it or because I was a rather precocious child, but it didn't freak me out or upset me in the least. It just became one of those things in life that was unavoidable and that was that.

When I was in high school, my father and I were often at odds. I was a teenager, after all, and I knew everything then. Well, almost everything. My grades were great except for phys-ed.

"How can you almost fail P.E.?" my father would ask incredulously. "All you have to do is play games!"

"I didn't participate in track," was my partially truthful response.

"Why?" my frustrated father asked.

"I'm short, I hate running, the hurdles come up to my chest and there's no way I'm going over them and I don't see how it's going to help me in any way in what I want to do in life."

Yes, I actually said that.

"Just pass the damn course so you can have a decent GPA for college!" he yelled at me.

So we had an agreement. If I got a C in the class, he wouldn't complain. I barely made it but I did it. I also didn't tell him how I didn't participate in dodge ball or softball - because I thought dodge ball was stupid and I got hit by the ball in softball and I just wasn't about to put myself in that position again.

This was really just a continuation of my elementary school days when I didn't even go out to the playground during recess because I didn't like running around and all I wanted to do was sit in the library and read. I should have told him I didn't participate because I wanted to read instead. He actually understood that! LOL

When it came time to apply to colleges, he encouraged me to apply EVERYWHERE. He saved up for this from the time I was born. He even got me to apply to Cornell - I forget why - along with USC, UCLA and Stanford. I also applied to the University of Hawaii as my 'fail safe' school. There was no way with my grades and SAT's and being a kama aina (local person) that I would NOT get in to UH. I was accepted to them all and my father was so happy. He kept pushing for Cornell. I suspected he wanted an ocean and a continent between us until I finally grew out of the 'I know everything' stage of life. LOL

Unfortunately for him, I decided I wanted to stay close to home. Really close. I stayed at the dorm but still could go home on the weekend. Daddy was not happy. He spent $100 in applicatoin fees (back then a hundred dollars seemed like a lot more money than it does not) for every university except UH since I was a resident of Hawaii.

Dad didn't speak to me for a couple of days after my little announcement.

My dad just didn't know quite how to deal with me when I was a teenager. He was frustrated that I would sleep until noon on weekends and talk on the phone for hours with my best friend after spending most of the day in school with her.

One day I went to help him do some yard work - and I HATE yard work - and didn't quite finish the job because my friend called and I stopped to go in and chat. I also assumed after an hour that dad was done in the yard. So I got some juice, went to my room, started to read and listen to my stereo. In walks my father about fifteen minutes later, really pissed off.

"Hey, what happened to you?" he asked, looking really angry. My dad was kind of scary looking when he got mad. But I knew he was really just a softy underneath all that bluster.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were pau (Hawaiian word for finished) already," I replied like the fearless teenaged idiot that I was.

"NO! I still have to finish pulling weeds in the back garden!" Dad yelled.

"Oh, you want me to help you there, too?" I asked, sounding very put out.

At this point, my father decided to try reverse psychology on me, not realizing I was the master of manipulation and reverse psychology having used it on both parents my whole life apparently without their knowledge. He looked at me and said, "You know what your problem is?"

Fortunately, I didn't say "you being mad at me?" I just shrugged.

"You're lazy!" he said, arms folded in front of him, left foot tapping.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, if you know I'm lazy, why do you insist on asking me to do stuff and then get mad when I don't do it right?"

After a few seconds of my father's eyes bugging out of his head, he set his jaw turned and walked out of my room, giving me the silent treatment. Now my father was a very smart man but for some reason, he was just at a loss on how to deal with a teenage daughter who had the smart mouth he encouraged her to develop. The silent treatment was great! I didn't have to sit through a lecture and didn't have to help my dad out in the yard. I was a horrible teenager.

When I did go off to college, my father and I started getting along a lot better. One semester he even seemed to miss me. I was taking 21 credits to avoid having to stay in school for more than 4 years. I got Dean's approval to do so and busted my butt to get through the semester. It was the only semester I got a 4.0 because I couldn't procrastinate as I usually did and end up doing a half-assed job on papers, projects, studying, etc. However, I never did anything except go to classes, study and try to eat and sleep in between. Didn't even go home to visit on weekends or call my parents for weeks.

I finally called home one day after mid-terms were over and my father answered the phone. My mother was visiting next door.

"Hi Daddy!" I greeted enthusiastically.

After a brief pause came the reply, "Who's this?"

Now keeping in mind I am an only child, my smart mouth started right off. "Oh come on! Don't tell me you've been keeping secrets from me and Mom?"

"Oh...wait...Marsha (actually he pronounced my name Masha because he had a horrible Pidgeon accent he couldn't shake no matter how much he tried), right? Yeah, I remember!"

"Very funny, Dad. I've been really working hard here."

"Oh yeah? Well, good. So what? You graduated yet? Married? Kids?"

"Would you be really pissed if I said maybe kids?"

Fortunately, my father shared my sense of humor. He laughed, "No way, I know you better."

Then we actually had a conversation. My father never spoke on the phone much. Just your typical monosyllabic responses. This time he talked to me until my mother came back from the neighbors - about fifteen minutes later. That was a record for a phone call conversation. He'd talk a lot in person but never on the phone. I figured he must have missed me.

That's the thing about my father - and my mother actually. Being Japanese they weren't very demonstrative when it came to affection. But I always knew I was loved in the things they did for me.

When I came home from my European trip (you can read about how I managed that here if you like), my father and aunt came to pick me up at the airport. Dad's eyesight wasn't great and he wasn't driving to Honolulu if he could help it and my mom didn't drive. So my Aunt Mildred drove my father to the airport to get me. Having spent a lot of time with my college friends and in Europe where people tend to hug you even if they don't know you - it was a bit of aversion therapy for me - I went up to my father and hugged him. He sort of stiffened up, looked around like 'what the hell?' but he patted me on the back and said, "Okay, we gotta go get your baggage."

I remember chuckling and thinking to myself I should do that more often because it was funny to watch his reaction. It's not that he didn't love me. He just didn't hug anyone and especially not in public!

After college my father and I had a bit of a rough patch because instead of using my college degree, I went into radio broadcasting. This is thanks to my involvement in college radio and the fact that I already was gainfully employed in that field.

Despite his complaining that I just wasted four years of my life in college if I wasn't going to use my degree, he boasted to everyone that his daughter was working for the number one station in town, doing news on the sister FM station and later producing the morning show remotes, etc. He told everyone when I was on the air and made them listen if he was at their home or office. LOL

By the time he passed away in 1985, he pretty much felt I was going to be okay, even if I was an idiot for not going to Cornell and getting the best education he could have bought me or going into my field of study. He saw I was making my own way and hopefully he knew I would be all right no matter what.

I personally find college was one of the best times of my life and even if you end up not going into your field of study, just enjoy it because it's a great place to learn about yourself and test the waters before you get thrown out into the real world. I thank my father for that experience. Not because he paid for it but because he and my mother encouraged me to go to college from the time they discovered I was a bright child.

It really wasn't seen as an option for me. I was raised to believe the only people who didn't go to college were people who were too poor to afford it or who didn't get the grades and test scores to qualify. I know now that's not true. However, my parents always acted as if that was where I was going to go, no questions asked. And while I did question everything, I didn't question that.

When I look back at my life, I can honestly say I was truly blessed to have great parents. My father was really my biggest influence. I got his sense of humor, which vexed my mother in her later years. I learned to take responsibility for myself and to do right by my parents. I learned that the easiest path isn't always the right one.

Mostly, I have my father to thank for the fact that I have very few regrets in my life, thanks to the things he taught me and provided for me. My only regret is not having spent more time with him as an adult.

If there is an afterlife, all I can say is, I can't wait to see my father and tell him how right he was about a lot of things. It's difficult to realize that when you know everything like I felt I did when I was a teenager. By the time I got out of college I realized I didn't know everything. In fact I barely knew anything! I just wasn't ready to admit it to my father.

I know he would be pleased if he knew how much I still hear his voice in my head when I'm saying things he used to say. My husband will point it out to me by saying "Okay, Yoshio," when I do that. It makes me smile. I'm sure my father is at the very least rolling his eyes saying "It's about time you grew up!"


[NP: R.E.M. - Gardening At Night]

Lazy Sunday Miscellaneous

Happy Fathers Day to any dads out there who stumble across this blog. It's been quite mellow around here. We've had a couple of thunder storm warnings but nothing materialized where I am located. My stepson will be coming by later this afternoon and if we're not in the middle of a thunder storm, we'll have steaks on the grill. If not they'll have to be broiled but darn they taste so much better when they're cooked on the grill with a charcoal fire.

I've been watching testimonials to Tim Russert most of the morning. Apparently he was not only a great journalist but a wonderful human being. His was definitely a life well-lived and he will be sorely missed by this nation.

Spent the last couple of hours combing the web for all things Law & Order: Criminal Intent and all things R.E.M., I've come up with the following I thought I'd share.

First R.E.M. concert photos. These were all uploaded onto the R.E.M. Tour site I've been raving about. These were taken by fans in the audience and I think they're just marvelous! Wouldn't it be nice if all bands allowed this? Think of the publicity! The boys look like they're having fun and from what I've heard, they sound as good as ever. The last photo is superiorly awesome.








And with it being Father's Day and all, I thought it would be nice to post a photo of Vincent D'Onofrio and two of his children. This was taken at one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie premieres. At left, little Elias - who's a much bigger boy these days - and daughter Leila.



Then I thought I'd include Kathryn Erbe and her children. First one up is Kathryn with son Carson and the second is Kathryn and her daughter Maeve at the premiere of Hairspray.




And then I found these photos. I think Vincent looks most striking in black and white.




Speaking of striking, here's some photos of Kathryn Erbe in black and white. The first one I've had on my computer for a while but I always thought she looks so elegant in it I wanted to throw it into the mix. The next two are photos of her with black hair. I really do like her with black hair. Which makes me wonder what her natural color is? She's had various shades from jet black to blonde. Not that it matters. She's beautiful no matter what her hair color is.







Well, off to do more surfing before the kids get here. We're still under a thunderstorm watch but hopefully we will get through without. Or at least it will wait until after I'm done grilling the steaks!



[NP: Chick Corea - Sea Breeze]

Five Minutes Mr. Welles

This is already everywhere but I have to post it here so I can find it more easily. It's Vincent D'Onofrio's infamous short film, much spoken of but rarely seen 'outside the film festival circuit' as it was posted by VDO630 on YouTube. Whoever you are, I love you! Thank you for posting this. And thanks to BobbyG for sharing it on her blog where I first spotted it!





I may not be so happy with the Goren character anymore but I still just adore the actor. :-)


[NP: Samuel Ramey - A Date With The Devil]

New Logan/Wheeler Clip on YouTube

Once again, a clip not found on the USA site posted by TXCANY on YouTube.





I'm so happy to see Wheeler return. Can't wait for Sunday again. Having seen this clip, I think I can safely say, Logan will put a smile on my face.

[NP: John Trudell - Bone Days]

R.I.P. Tim Russert

Tim Russert, NBC Washington Bureau Chief and host of Meet The Press, died of a heart attack today. It was sad news indeed. He was someone who was welcomed into the homes of many Americans and if you any interest in politics at all, you knew who Tim Russert was.

He certainly lived a good life and was a decent human being as well. He just returned from Italy where he and his wife and son were vacationing. It was a celebration of his son's graduation. A devout Catholic, Russert also had a private audience with the Pope. He died, doing the job he loved.

I will miss watching him and I will miss his enthusiasm. I sure could use some when it comes to politics these days. Rest in peace Tim Russert, you lived a great life and have left a great legacy to those who will follow in your footsteps.

Here's an article on the man for those of you who may not know much about him.

Kathryn Erbe Appreciation

So, it seems I can't escape Purgatory! LOL

Well, I have mostly. But it seems I've learned that some of the more mentally unbalanced Vincent D'Onofrio fans have apparently taken a dislike to the actress who portrays Eames - yes, the actress, not the character she portrays - because of this episode. All right. Come on now. It's one thing to dislike the character right now and while I don't agree, I can understand it. But to actually say negative things about Kathryn Erbe based on what her character did? You need therapy if you are indeed one of these people. None of the bloggers I frequent could be said to be guilty of this. Not even on the one LOCI and one Vincent D'Onofrio forum I frequent has anyone said anything about the actress herself - except to be rather complimentary, actually, on her appearance and talent.

I know Mr. D'Onofrio reportedly doesn't spend much time online. However, Kathryn Erbe reportedly does spend some time online and is even aware of fan fiction. So in the off-chance that she actually saw any of those psycho posts, I hope she realizes they are just a few immature crazies and the bulk of Vincent fans are sane and reasonable and quite nice.

And I hope she also knows that some of us adore her equally as much - though not in the same way as I don't fantasize about the lovely lady as I do her co-star. ;-)

In that spirit I have found some of my favorite caps of her over at the previously mentioned Strange Visitor site. The one photo of her in sunglasses was from somewhere on the web I can't remember at the moment. I think she's a genuinely beautiful woman. She reminds me of Karen Allen who is currently co-starring in the Indiana Jones movie. Another woman who is aging gracefully and proving that you don't need Botox, face lifts or anything else to be truly beautiful.

My favorite photo of her remains the one from Amends where Eames stands looking out at her friend Theresa Quinn while Goren and Ross look on in the background. She's absolutely lovely there! I also love her with darker hair.

So much talent, such grace and beauty and from what I've heard, very down-to-earth. Thank you Kathryn Erbe for giving us seven years of Detective Eames.

[NP: Joe Jackson - Is She Really Going Out With Him?]

A Sign Of Sanity

Thank goodness some people still have faith in our system of government. The Supreme Court has finally told the Bush Administration that they are WRONG to deny the right to a trial to detainees held in Guantanamo. If they have such a great case against them, they shouldn't fear this should they? Oh, no, it's a national security risk. I bet that's what all good dictators say when they hold people without having to prove anything.

My prediction? We'll see how many innocent people have been locked up in Guantanamo for all this time. I can bet you there will be at least a few. Just like there are innocent people on death row. It's been proven in the past and will be proven in the future.

Antonin Scalia is a disgrace to the Supreme Court. A pal of DICK Cheney, he seems to think allowing those detainees in Guantanamo the right to a trial will be a great threat to our security. Does that mean he doesn't believe there is enough to prove these people are guilty? Does that mean he has no faith in the judges who will be overseeing these cases? It's a shame a Supreme Court Justice doesn't have faith in our system of government nor the judges who are in place to see that no one is wrongly accused or mistreated.

Here's a link to an AP article.

[NP: 10,000 Maniacs - These Are Days]

R.E.M. - Bad Day on Letterman

This is an old one but it's still a favorite of mine. Love this band and love Letterman. This was posted by wazzumichael. Yes, I am purposely trying to annoy lillithfair who loves R.E.M. but could not stand the whole color around the eyes thing Michael Stipe was doing on their last tour. LOL Come on, lillith! You gotta love Michael - face paint or not! ;-)

There's a lot going on in this song. Stipe uses words so cleverly. An indictment on the Bush Administration and the media. It's no wonder I love this band.

Here are the lyrics for those who are inclined to want to know.

Bad Day
(Buck, Mills, Stipe)

A public service announcement followed me home the other day.
I paid it nevermind. Go Away.
Shits so thick you could stir it with a stick-free Teflon whitewashed presidency.
We're sick of being jerked around.
Wear that on your sleeve.

Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, lord,
Count your blessings.
We're sick of being jerked around.
We all fall down.

Have you ever seen the televised St. vitus subcommittee prize
Investigation dance? Those ants in pants glances.
Well,look behind the eyes.
It's a hallowed hollow anesthetized
"save my own ass, screw these guys"
smoke and mirror lock down.

Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, lord,
Count your blessings.
The Papers wouldn't lie!
I sigh, Not one more.

It's been a bad day.
Please don't take a picture.
It's been a bad day.
Please.

We're dug in deep the price is steep.
The auctioneer is such a creep.

The lights went out, the oil ran dry
We blamed it on the other guy
Sure, all men are created equal.
Heres the church, heres the steeple
Please stay tuned-we cut to sequel
ashes, ashes, we all fall down.

Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, lord,
Count your blessings.
Ignore the lower fear
Ugh, this means war.

It's been a bad day.
Please don't take a picture.
It's been a bad day.
Please.

Broadcast me a joyful noise unto the times, lord,
Count your blessings.
We're sick of being jerked around.
We all fall down.

It's been a bad day...

The Return of Detective Wheeler

All right, I went to YouTube to find some new R.E.M. live videos as there are a lot of them popping up lately with the concert tour and all. However, I came across this first thing so I thought I'd share it here. Another promo posted by TXCANY. Hopefully they will have a couple of more like the ones they had for Purgatory. How nice to see someone smile. I love you Detective Wheeler. LOL And I apologize for not caring much for you when you first arrived. Turns out you are a blessing in disguise. :-)




[NP: Foo Fighters - Long Road to Ruin]

I Need Some R&R From Angst

Well, seems I'm actually now officially in need of some angst-free obsessions so I'll stick to R.E.M. for a couple of weeks. I am now actually dreading the next Goren/Eames episode of Criminal Intent. That can't be a good sign, can it? I stopped watching House because I started dreading the next episodes of that. I also find myself not enjoying discussing the Purgatory episode and have stopped reading comments on it all together. Odd how that one episode made me start to dislike the Goren character and I think it's because I can relate the Goren and Eames situation to myself and my husband when he was going through a nine month period of depression.

It's like everyone feels for the depressed person but no one has any sympathy or understanding of the person who stands by the depressed person. It's frustrating. I'd bother to explain it but apparently there are people out there for whom the Goren character can do no wrong and they get incredibly upset over any suggestion that the man is not perfect. I'm not saying he's not wounded and has good reason to be depressed but I've had enough dealing with depression in my real life that watching it on a continuous downward spiral on television is not entertaining for me in the least.

Now I know why BobbyG doesn't bother with forums on VDO or LOCI very much! LOL

I think I'm just sad that I no longer seem to be enjoying Criminal Intent. It was the last show I was devoted to watching on television. On the upside, television isn't necessarily a good thing. So maybe if by the end of this season I no longer feel the love or the desire to see it, it will be a good thing in the long run. I should read more, really. I've got a stack of books all waiting to be read - some of those books are from when I lived in the lake house over two years ago!

And of course, on the upside, I believe I still enjoy Logan/Wheeler episodes. You get the general feeling that Logan is melancholy but you also get the feeling that he's not dwelling on it. He still has some fun and friendly exchanges with his partner and quite frankly, his storylines have been a little better than the Goren/Eames ones.

So, hopefully there will be better things coming up for Goren and Eames and if not, there are always USA and BRAVO reruns.

I leave you with some happier days of Goren and Eames when I still adored Goren and Eames made me smile. Yes, there are even some from season 6 and 7 because up until Purgatory, I actually saw some hope there.

Oh, and all these wonderful caps are from strangevisitor.net. I can't say enough good things about the person who keeps up the site. It's a labor of love and much appreciated by fans of Kathryn Erbe. :-)

I ended with this one from Probability.
Definitely one of my favorites ever!

[NP: Black Flag - Padded Cell]

Goren and Eames in Purgatory

One more slideshow.
My own attempt at capping.
I don't have the patience for it.
So this is all there is.
Really it says it all for me

And now I'm finally done with this episode.
Really!

Come on Logan and Wheeler!
Someone has to make me smile.
I have no doubt Logan is just the
man for me until Goren gets his act
back together again.


[NP: Radiohead - Subterranean Homesick Alien]

Eames in Purgatory

People are all about Bobby in this episode.
Thought I'd share an Eames POV.
It is a partnership and when one suffers so does the other.
People much more talented than I
have put up all kinds of Bobby-centric caps.

These caps come from strangevisitor.net,
a site with great Kathryn Erbe caps
from LOCI and other projects.
I just thought I'd try to give Eames some equal time.

[NP: Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros - Midnight Jam]

Blogthings

I needed a little respite from Purgatory. It really has left me in a rather down mood. Amazing when a show can have such an effect on me.

Thanks to my daughter-in-law, or curses to her if you don't like this sort of thing, I found blogthings. They're just silly things I think are fun, kind of like memes I guess. When I'm bored I love doing these things. They're just good fun and nothing else but sometimes I find interesting things.

Anyway, this one was pretty right on so I thought I'd share it. I do live in the midwest and I have traveled to Vienna. The geek description was spot on as well. LOL Not so sure about the cultured part, though.

What Your Pizza Reveals

People may tell you that you have a small appetite... but you aren't under eating. You just aren't a pig. You consider pizza to be bread... very good bread. You fit in best in the Midwest part of the US. You like food that's traditional and well crafted. You aren't impressed with "gourmet" foods. You are generous, outgoing, and considerate with your choices. You are cultured and intellectual. You should consider traveling to Vienna. The stereotype that best fits you is geek. You're the type most likely to order pizza to avoid leaving your computer.

What Does Your Pizza Say About You?

Thoughts On Goren's Purgatory

Well, the moment arrived and I was thrilled. It started off fast and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Goren working undercover to bring down a drug dealer and a cop gone bad. Great premise. Loved that Capt. Ross was helping him. Hated that he shut Eames out again - like he did in TWAH - hmm...sensing a pattern am I? Someone on one of my forums said it's a realistic cycle in relationships but personally any relationship that volatile I'd have to leave behind for my own peace of mind. If Eames did this for her own protection, I wouldn't be able to blame her for it at this point. I know she's not leaving him because of the inside information we obsessed share amongst ourselves. There are Goren and Eames episodes coming up with the two of them working together. How well remains to be seen.

It saddens me that they're taking the Goren character down a self-destructive path. I know angst makes for good drama but too much of it can become a mess. I understand Mr. D'Onofrio wants to explore the darker side of Goren. I understand the need for an actor to do that or else become bored and tempted to abandon a show I've become very involved in. But I do hope they manage to bring something positive into the life of Detective Goren because if they don't, I'm afraid they'll lose me like House lost me. There's only so much angst and self-pity and sadness a person can take. And I don't want to be someone who whines about how bad something is so I will stop watching if I find myself doing too much of that. I almost bailed after season 5 but hung in there and am glad I did. I'll give this show a couple of episodes into season 8 to show me they can keep the angst without overwhelming me with it.

Perhaps I'm not a true fan if I can find so much to fault here but I'm very good at being objective. I'd love to love everything about the show with nothing to complain about but that's just not in my make-up.

The performances were perfect. Nothing to fault there. The storyline was even rather good. The complete isolation of Goren was poignant but I am hoping he will redeem himself in the eyes of his partner and at least have one other human being in the world he can count on.

I do love that Kathryn Erbe gets to emote more and show she is up to the challenge of keeping up with Vincent D'Onofrio. And of course Eric Bogosian is always a wonder. He's a true gem and I'm glad they found him and added him to the cast.

Well, sorry for my less-than-enthusiastic thoughts of Purgatory. Trust me, no one is sorrier than I am. I love this show and hate it when I feel like this about an episode. I want to feel like I felt when I watched Endgame or Amends. It was sad but brilliantly done and well worth the investment of time and emotion I seem to place in this show and the fictional characters that populate its landscape.

Hopefully, with the return of Detective Wheeler next week on the Logan/Wheeler episodes, we'll find some humor and a little less angst and moroseness.

[NP: R.E.M. - Driver 8]

Just Call Me The Cookie Lady - And I'm Not Talking Mrs. Fields

Apparently I'm all talked out from yesterday. Today I'm just counting down the time until 9 p.m. when it's Law & Order: Criminal Intent time! Yes, I'm still excited about it. I just thought I'd give my non-obsessed friends a break from the insanity for a while. The following is something I wrote a couple of years ago. I'm still trying to move everything over from other places so bear with me.

When my husband, mother and I moved to Michigan, we moved to a house on a lake. The road we lived on was a cul-de-sac so there was little or no traffic. It was nice since there were only three houses beyond ours on the quiet street. It was out in the country so people who had dogs - and many of our neighbors did have dogs - let them run free for the most part. They had free run of the neighborhood and were generally well behaved.

Until we moved here my husband and I were confirmed cat people. Our old cat Kilowatt was the only pet we had when we first moved into our house. Shortly after that we got a new kitten named Obake. However, by the time October rolled around, I was smitten with the neighborhood dogs.

First there was Cajun, a Rottweiler, who was a powerhouse of love and affection. He would lie on his back and let my husband rub his tummy. He used to come visit us all the time when I went to check the mail and just wanted to be pet and loved. One day after the first snow fall, he came running up to me and I sort of fell on my butt in the snow by the mailbox. He came over to me and I hung on to him to help me get myself back on my feet at which point he sat on my foot and just looked up at me with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and put his head against my leg. That was it. I wanted a dog. Me, a confirmed cat person who thought dogs were too much of a bother, I wanted a dog. He was so adorable.

I told my husband and he was thrilled. Despite being a cat person as well, he had always wanted to get an Old English Sheep Dog. He had dog sat one when he was a teenager and was smitten by them. At first I wanted to Rottweiler or some other dog that I could take for a walk and have people not want to bother me. My husband pointed out we didn't live in Honolulu any more and no one was going to want to mess with me.

I relented and we got Belle, our Old English Sheep dog we rescued from a puppy mill. She was two years old when we got her. She had already had two litters. Poor girl. We brought her to our dog friendly neighborhood and she was a joy to have. Sweetest dog you could ever want. Not so good in the brains department but we didn't get her to do our taxes. She was a good traveler and she loved going for walks and she loved playing in the lake. She was the only reason I went to swim in the lake. I'm not fond of swimming in lakes.

Now that we had Belle, I would buy her doggie treats. I would also give them to the neighborhood dogs if their owners didn't mind. None of them minded.

Besides Cajun there was Babe, an old Chocolate Lab who was really quite a bright dog. He was once running towards me when Belle went running out towards him and it looked like she ran into him or something. He then started limping towards me and I felt incredibly sorry for him. I petted him, gave him a cookie and then an extra one. Later his owner told me he does that all the time to get sympathy from people. He used to come down and play in the lake with Belle. He loved to fetch rocks and if you threw them in the water he'd dive for them. He was a marvelous dog who died of old age. Cajun went to live with my neighbor's son once he moved into a home where he could have a dog. I missed them both but new dogs came to take their place.

Ruger was another Rottweiler. She was a cute dog who loved running around with Belle. She actually smiled. At first it freaked me out because I never saw a dog do that before. She showed you all her teeth and just grinned. It was adorable. Then came Buddy - my stepson called him sex dog because all he wanted to do when he first came to the neighborhood as a stray was hump the female dogs. Belle did not like him. One of the neighbors took pity on him and adopted him and had him fixed so the humping attempts stopped. He and Ruger used to sleep on our side porch sometimes. They loved to be there when I let Belle out in the morning because they knew they'd get a cookie. They were quite a pair. Buddy got hit by a car when he wandered out to the main road and Ruger got sick and had to be put down.

The next dog to come to the neighborhood was Rusty. After Babe passed on his owners didn't want another dog quite yet. Then one day they got Rusty, a Springer Spaniel. He was an adorable dog. He always wanted to play and would run around Belle and make her crazy because she couldn't catch the younger, more agile dog. Once he came over soapy wet because he heard us in our yard and despite being in the middle of a bath, he really wanted to come and play. Somehow he got under Belle and she fell on him. Her owner came over and saw him pinned down under Belle and laughed.

Rusty's best friend in the neighborhood was introduced to us shortly after that. Her name was Heidi. She was a beautiful Golden Retreiver. Now of all the dogs I've seen coming through the neighborhood, she was definitely the smartest dog. She and Rusty were both in my garage one day waiting for their cookies. I told them to sit and waited. They didn't get their cookies until they sat. Heidi sat right away. Rusty, who was usually quite good about sitting, was a little excited from the walk we had all taken and forgot about sitting. He kept looking at the cookies in my hand until Heidi put her paw on his backside as if instructing him to sit so they could get their cookies! Once she also figured out that I was totally incapable of getting a ball out of her mouth because she had such a good grip on it. She dropped it lower in her mouth so I had a better chance to actually get the ball! I also discovered she could tell time. She was always at my doorstep when I got home. Apparently she figured out my schedule and even knew the days and time I would be home for lunch.

I think I got attached to Heidi because by that point our dog Belle was getting too old to play and she eventually had to be put down because she couldn't stand up without help and it was too painful for her to walk around a lot outside. Heidi would spend as much time at our house as she did at home during the school year when her boys would be in school all day. One day when my stepson came over he informed us that Heidi was asleep in our garage. My husband and I laughed. "Yep, she's our new dog," I replied.

The next dog to grace our neighborhood was Levi. He was a Pit Bull/Chocolate Lab mix. Scary looking dog with yellow eyes and a bark that reminded me of the Hound of the Baskervilles. But he was such a baby. He was deathly afraid of our cat Harley and he would run away from you if you approached him and he didn't know who you were. I remember he once started barking at me when I was dropped off at home by my stepson and Levi didn't recognize the car. No one was going to mess with the cookie lady if he could help it. LOL When he finally realized it was me, he came running. He would sit in the yard with us while we barbecued hoping for a cooking error. He settled for doggie cookies. He would reluctantly leave when called to go for a ride and once was staring at me from the back of the truck as they drove off looking like he really wanted to hang out with the cookie lady instead of going for a ride.

By the time we moved from our neighborhood Levi was the only dog from that bunch who was left. Rusty had to be put to sleep - he had some kind of seizure disorder that shortened his life apparently, Heidi had gone out on the ice one warmer winter and fell through. That was the toughest one to take next to Belle. Heidi was a wonderful dog. I left all the cookies with Levi's family so they could give them to him.

I miss our dogs. Even if Belle was the only one who actually lived with us, they were all our dogs in a way.


[NP: Death Cab For Cutie - Long Division]

A Brave New World

All right! This is my absolute last post for the day - maybe. ;-)

I've been praising R.E.M. for their embrace of the internet and modern technology through their encouragement of their fans to video record and take photos at their concerts and share them online at this site. I think it's a great way to promote yourself and use technology to your advantage instead of trying to fight against the tide like the detestable RIAA who apparently are trying to stamp the life out of internet radio. They are the reason my husband and no longer have our 'hobby' internet radio station. We didn't know how things were going to work out and we still don't, really. We didn't want to take the chance that it would cost us more money than we have to pay royalties for our labor of love.

Today, while I was checking out those LOCI videos posted previously, I was curious about who posted them and where they could have got those previews. It looked like it was professionally done and yet, no one could find them on the actual USA site. Seeing a user named TXCANY posted the videos on YouTube, I went to check out their 'channel.' They are ElectricArtists, a digital strategy and online marketing company. And they have this website where you can learn all about them much faster than I could type it out.

They represent The History Channel, A&E, WWE, USA Network, American Express, Starwood Hotels, STA Travel, etc. and that is why we are privileged to have those two short videos to whet our appetite as it were. It's a great idea and it's the wave of the future. These videos caused me to see what else the poster had in their collection and that is how I discovered them and the other videos for USA and their clients that I found. As a result I've been exposed to snippets of In Plain Sight and Burn Notice among others. It's nice to see networks that 'get it.'

Here's the thing, you can either get with the program or you can sit on your ass and complain about the it and fight to hold on to old ways that are soon going to be irrelevant. Kind of like network television.

So here's a link to TXCANY YouTube site so you can check out what other offerings they have. I think they are the best thing to happen since LOCI moved to USA network. ;-)

[NP: Gomez - Catch Me Up]

Google Alerts

My, aren't I busy poster today? Being prevented from being online for a 24 hour period thanks to Barbie and Pet Shop toys - the sleepover with the granddaughter - has made me very chatty today. LOL

Thought I'd take time out to discuss those interesting little notices that are sent to you on any topic you want. For me it's basically Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, Chris Noth (though I'm thinking I want to put that one on hiatus until the whole Sex And The City thing dies down because quite frankly, I'm sick of hearing about it) , Eric Bogosian, Warren Leight, Henry Rollins and R.E.M. [let's see how many alerts I just put myself on with those!] It's quite nice to have these little notices that point out fellow bloggers who may or may not share your love for whatever it is you obsess over. And of course they provide you with articles and other fun things.

I do wonder how they select what they choose to alert you about, though. For example, on the Vincent D'Onofrio alert, one keeps popping up all the time about Overacting Actors by the same person and I think it's the same post but I don't know because it kind of gets on my nerves. and I've since stopped paying attention to it. And of course I need to figure out a way to distinguish R.E.M. the band from R.E.M. the sleep cycle and from people apparently named Rem.

It also makes me feel like not writing their names out much because I don't know if I want to keep popping up on alerts anymore. I didn't mind before because it could attract new friends. Then I realized it could bring unwanted attention from psychopaths. However, in the end it doesn't really matter at all, does it? To all those who complain about no comments here, it certainly hasn't prevented you from communicating with me, has it? LOL I just like to keep my blog, rodent free. And besides, we get into some really great discussions in PMs and emails! At least I think so.

Right now I just want to know how to better filter this stuff because I even missed my own mention on someone else's blog that I don't even know! Three or four other people had to point it out to me! LOL The reason I miss things like this is because I tend to skim over the blogs portion these days because I just don't want to waste time looking at things that I've already seen or that may be just mentioning the object of my obsession in passing.

So if anyone has any suggestions on fine tuning a Google search - because while I'm not completely stupid about things like this, I can be a little slow to figure them out. ;-)

[NP: R.E.M. - Fall On Me]

Purgatory Clip #2

And here's the second Purgatory preview.





All I know is, I will be riveted the screen and don't anyone bother me if you value your life! ;-)

Purgatory Clip

And the web of Vincent D'Onofrio/Law & Order: Criminal Intent fans has come through again! Thank you to all who pointed me in the direction of this!





Having spent the evening playing Barbie with my eldest granddaughter, I've missed a lot! Yes, now I can add internet addict to my list of things I obsess over.

However, I'm quite happy to receive this little video. Better late than never, eh? I'm so happy there's only one more day before I get to see my beloved Goren and Eames! If you don't see many posts from me once the episode runs, you'll know I'm watching it over and over and over again. ;-)

[NP: The Shins - Kissing the Lipless]

Outrage of the Week

No, it isn't some political bullshit rant. This time it's something I saw on the Today Show. Apparently we have become a nation of self-centered, amoral jerks. Here's a video and write up on the story I found after thinking about it all morning. More disturbances on multiple levels for me.

I just don't understand how no one could go out there immediately and at the very least, while calling 911, try to make sure no one else hit the poor man. He's currently in critical condition and no one knows who the hit and run driver was. It's so sad!

It got me wondering how I would have reacted. Would I have just driven by thinking that I'm too busy so someone else would help? Would I have walked by in a hurry to an appointment with only a passing glance and assume someone else would help? Is that what those people who did NOTHING were doing? I would like to think that I would have run out there and at least tried to make sure the poor man wasn't run over by anyone else! I was astonished that no one stopped! They just kept driving by until a police car came upon the scene and stopped to render aid.

It's just unbelievable the excuses the talking head on the Today Show was making. I mean, she wasn't really making excuses but trying to explain the mindset. None of them were acceptable or good to me. Most of them were the ones I just mentioned in the previous paragraph.

When I think back to incidents in my life where I could have walked by without paying any heed, I realize I did stop. Every single time.

The first happened when I was eight. Yes, eight. My older cousin Amy, who had a learning disability and was in the special education class at school, was coming to meet me because we walked home together and she stayed at my house with my mom and me until her dad came by to pick her up after work around 5 p.m. We did this at the end of every school day for a couple of years until she started going to intermediate school. Usually we met up in between her class and mine.

One day, I was heading out of class to go pick her up and saw her standing in the school yard being confronted by this huge Hawaiian/Chinese girl from her class and another kid from her grade who wasn't in their class. Amy looked like she was crying. My cousin Amy is the nicest person and was very non-confrontational. Being all of eight and three years younger than said bully who was confronting my cousin, I quickly tried to get her out of the situation by letting my presence be known and hoping that the bully would retreat if confronted by witnesses. I called to Amy, "Amy! Let's go!"

Amy tried to come over to where I was but the bully blocked her way. I was so angered by this, that I, who was much smaller than the bully, I marched over to where they stood and put my little self in between the two of them. As if realizing she could pick me up with one arm and toss me across the playground, the bully laughed at me. That pissed me off even more. I put my hands on my hips and yelled very loudly. "Leave my cousin alone! She isn't doing anything to you!" The bully actually pushed me and told me to get lost. I continued to stand there, holding my ground, scared as hell but also angry as I've ever been in my young life. I said nothing. I think I might have started crying if I did. After a few seconds, I heard a teacher calling out to us asking what the problem was. The bully shrugged, laughed and walked away. I immediately ratted her out to the teacher, took my crying cousin Amy's hand and we headed home.

The second one was when I was much older. I believe I was in my mid to late twenties. Three bulky high school kids had one other kid who looked like he was a little younger, cornered in a parking garage. I had no idea what the problem was but one of the larger boys hit the smaller kid on the side of the head. I hollered at the top of my lungs, "What the hell is going on here? I'm going to call the cops!" and started stomping towards them. Me, all of five feet tall with no means of protection except my attitude. It wasn't very bright, I know. But it still enrages me when I see things like this happening. I HATE bullies.

In that case, I must have looked like I thought I could take all three of them because they backed off. In fact, they ran down the stairwell! LOL The poor kid they were picking on also ran off. It's highly unlikely they thought I had a cell phone since those days cell phones weren't common or probably even invented yet and if they were, you'd know it because they were the size of a bowling ball or something.

I just don't understand how people could NOT get involved. It would bother me to no end if I were in a position to help someone and did nothing. Where is that sense of outrage in our society? Are well so jaded we just shrug and move on because it's not our problem? We have more pressing things going on in our lives? Do you not want to help someone because it's the right thing to do and not because you'll get something out of it later?

If someone was hurt right in front of me, I would stop and help. I would not step over the body lying prone on the sidewalk. I once came across a homeless man lying in the street in Honolulu. Everyone else walked around him and did nothing. I stopped and asked him if I could help him. He replied he was just tired and needed a nap. I recommended he perhaps should find a less intrusive place that was more quiet where he could nap. Before he could respond, a police car pulled up and asked me if the man was bothering me. Let's see, he's lying on the ground, I'm standing over him and they're asking me if he was bothering me?

Society is so completely screwed these days. Why is it we have more compassion for people in foreign countries we don't even know or could perhaps even find on a map than we do for our own neighbors? It's sad.

Oh and the homeless man ended up getting up and moving on. He was fine - well as fine as you can be for being homeless and being completely ignored by everyone around you except for the police when they think you're bothering someone.

Is It Sunday Yet?

The Cast of Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Three more days to go and I will finally be able to see what's happening with my favorite detectives. Goren and Eames are up first - thank goodness because I've been worried sick about Detective Goren. Yes, I know, I need therapy. Bite me. I don't want any. LOL This show has really taken on Star Trek-like proportions for me. In fact I don't think I was this involved in...well, never mind. I think I was. I didn't exactly write fan fiction for it but I did write a joke script for the Star Trek movie with Captains Kirk and Picard with a fellow obsessed person and we got in trouble from Paramount because apparently, it was good enough to be believable and people told us it was passed around at fan conventions. I have no idea if that part is true. I do know the forum where we were writing the pretend script got some notice from Paramount lawyers who were not too pleased. LOL They actually thought we were leaking actual script information. Duh!!! Give me a break. On the other hand, maybe I should have tried my hand at script writing instead of journalism. Who knows? I may have had a great career in writing screenplays. ;-)

In any case, here I am biding my time, scouring the internet for any other information regarding the show, chatting on forums about the show, reading fan fiction about the show - I'd write some myself but my muse is still not speaking to me after tax season, which can stamp the life out of any creativity in a person. I have a couple of things on the back burner and will get back to them once I can brow beat my muse into returning and inspiring me to write.

Here, however, is a recommendation for those who want to read well crafted fan fiction. The author is my favorite - though she is a huge shipper so if you're not into Goren and Eames as a couple, you may not want to go there. Now if you don't, I have to say you're missing out. She's very poetic in her writing. I love the way she crafts her stories and the way she presents Goren and Eames. Beautiful is the first thing that pops into my mind when I think of her stories. She goes by the pen name Scribere Est Agere on Fan Fiction and she has a Livejournal site you can visit here. I know if you give her stories a chance, even the staunchest anti-shipper will have to admit her stories are well crafted. She's made me cry in joy or sorrow so many times it's amazing.

In the meantime, I'm off in search of more things LOCI and hopefully, the time will fly by!

[NP: The Black Keys - Aeroplane Blues]

Wind Chimes Sequel

For those who haven't read my original wind chime post, this might not make sense so please read here. It's not very long and this post won't make sense if you don't know the prequel, as it were.

So here is the follow up, which is also short - honest petra12, who told me my 'short' rants or stories are longer than her long ones. ;-)

That nice woman who told me she thought I was thirty? She came over and bought us a house warming gift because she was so happy that I - working at the local newspaper and all - brought a box full of old papers home for her so she could house train her new puppy. That was just so sweet! I thanked her and brought the gift wrapped item into the house and my husband and I opened it. Yes, yes there it was, a wind chime. It's pretty. It's silver and there are moon and stars and they make a pretty noise.

So here's the problem. What the hell are we going to do with the damn thing? If we hang it up, my husband will go crazy. If we don't, the neighbor may feel insulted. Now those of you who know me, know I don't really care what people think so I tend to be brutally honest most of the time. The operative phrase being 'most of the time.' I am Japanese, after all. There is somewhere encoded in my DNA, something that says you should be polite and lie through your teeth before you say something that will annoy someone. Usually I don't follow that because I'm one of those people who blurt things out and then have to stop and think 'oh my God, did I just say that out loud?' Usually, though, it's in situations where I'm just totally shocked or completely fed up. Not when someone nice is trying to do something nice for me.

We've compromised. We're going to put it up in our kitchen window. She can see it there, on cooler days there will be a wind and she will hear it and be happy. The good news is, it's getting hot now so we can keep the window closed and the air conditioner on.

The other scenario my husband liked better was put it up on the porch and on the next really windy day, have it meet an untimely end. LOL Fortunately, I generally like wind chimes.

[NP: Aimee Mann - Take It Back]

R.E.M. Fan Heaven

....that pretty much describes how I'm feeling these days. Thanks to this site, I can keep up with the band and their concerts and I can actually see videos of their performances! I am happy to see they're playing some of their older material along with the new and it makes me want to go see them. Sadly the closest they're coming to me is Chicago and there's no way I can make it. Until the day they come to Michigan, I'll live vicariously through others. Here's one from their first ever release, an E.P. called Chronic Town. It's called Lower, Wolves. Enjoy!




Posted on YouTube by Tylerdurden74.

The Media Has Won?

Looks like the latest is the anti-Hillary Clinton folks have gotten the AP to announce Hillary is going to step down after tonight's primaries. Oh really? Within a few moments of that declaration, Hillary has refuted it. Yet more proof the media is really engaging in wishful thinking and wanting her to leave the race so their anointed one, Barak Obama, can finally claim the Democratic nomination and run against John McCain so people can see his 'senior moments' and pay more attention to the fact that the John McCain of today isn't the John McCain I would have at least considered voting for years ago.

I feel it's really the media who wants to select the Democratic nominee. Whenever they speak of Obama, they tend to be more sympathetic and less vitriolic. They're definitely more positive and sympathetic. Every little thing about Hillary is ridiculed. She could do no right. When she was out there defending herself and speaking out she was bitchy. If she cried, she was being manipulative. No one believes she could actually have feelings?

Now I don't think the media consciously did things to put her in a bad light. Goodness knows she and her husband made their fair share of missteps along the way. But I have suddenly discovered the liberal media. They're not as obvious or obnoxious as the conservative media. But it seems with the FOXization of news I am noticing more and more that journalists are letting their personal preferences slip out.

Maybe they feel it gets them more viewers or readers or whatever your audience is. I just know that I can see it more and it bothers me. FOX is the worst thing to happen to news, IMO. The fast sound bites, catchy stupid phrases and the reporting of news to suit your audience.

I've removed Keith Olbermann's site from my list of fun places to visit on the web because quite frankly, I am tired of hearing what an ass Bill O'Reilly is. I KNOW he's an ass and don't need to hear it every week. It's getting vicious on both sides and I'm tired of it.

Now you can have news the way you want it. Made to order, as it were, to validate your own point of view. That's not healthy. I find I enjoy conversations with conservatives because they challenge me more. My fellow liberals and I pretty much commiserate with each other but it really doesn't challenge me. When forced to defend and explain my views in a logical debate, I find it helps either reinforce my views or perhaps cause me to change them if a better argument can be made and I find a flaw in my logic or my way of thinking. I get that from conservatives. Well, some conservatives. Others just make me want to not speak to them ever again. LOL

Sadly, most people don't want to take the time to look around and figure things out. They want to be spoon fed their news and not have to think about it. They're too busy living their lives and I understand that. But not being informed on these matters is what leads to things like Iraq and the disaster that is the Bush Administration. Do you know how many people out there still believe the spin that Sadam Hussein had something to do with 9-11? And on the other side of the aisle there are people who actually believe Bush is a racist. IMO, neither is true and if you believe either of these things, you may be too far to the right or left.

Don't believe everything you read or see on the television. Question EVERYTHING! If you don't, we will all suffer for it in the end.

[NP: Eagles - Pretty Maids All In A Row]

Vincent Trolls Aren't So Bad After All

I pontificated a while back on blogs and some trolls who seem to enjoy stalking fans of Vincent D'Onofrio. Well, looks like there are people who are much worse. I can't imagine why people can find such hate and loathing for someone they probably don't even know. Reading this about David Caruso, I think perhaps the Vincent D'Onofrio trolls I've heard about are the more harmless of the lot of weirdos out there. They're just annoying and pathetic. The people who have actual sites that are anti-David Caruso is disturbing to me on so many levels. Talk about psychotic behavior!

I am not a David Caruso fan. But I don't dislike him either. And even if I did, I certainly wouldn't waste my time building and maintaining a site that bashed him. The world is so full of angry, unhappy people who seem to want to spread the hate. All I can say is, leave me out of it!

I'll rant and rave but I won't spend more than the amount of time it takes to type up my little rants on thinking about things I dislike. Come on people, GET OVER IT! Then again, if you're speaking to someone who is incapable of rational thought, it's really a waste of time to argue.

So on that note, here's some good advice from Don Henley. Yes, I know, I ranted about him and his attitude but hey, the man makes great music. There's no denying that!

R.E.M. Online

As my regular readers know, R.E.M. has started their world tour and they have been encouraging photo and video sharing. They are truly a band who embraces new technology instead of fighting it. As a result they've got the best publicity machine going - their fans. Here's one of my favorites from their current concert tour. It was posted by okeastron. Just one of several videos. The sound quality isn't the best but you can see the concert and hear them and it really gets a person excited about seeing them in person. The song is Pretty Persuasion. It's from their second album, Reckoning. I think they're sounding as good as ever.

Sunday Ruminations

Let's see, where to start? So many things to contemplate, so little time. I think we should start with Rachel Ray.

Rachel Ray? Yes, Rachel Ray. Never watched the woman before. Know very little about her but I do know one thing, she most probably isn't a terrorist sympathizer. Where the hell do people get their stupid ideas from? Honestly! And Dunkin' Donuts pulled the ads featuring her because of it. So we've become a nation of idiots. Seriously. No wonder the current occupant is still in office. There are too many stupid people living in this country. What I want to know is, how did the people who saw her scarf as a symbol of support to terrorists know this? I had no idea. Then again I'm not a paranoid moron. Give me a break!!! Stop the insanity, folks. I think we need to look at the Bush Administration and worry about them a little more than about what a talk show host (or whatever Ms. Ray is, and it's not a slam against her, I just have no idea what she actually does except it involves food) is wearing on a commercial. And they call me paranoid? At least I have a solid foundation of facts to back up my paranoia.

The face of a terrorist?
Puhleese! Give me a break.

Next, the Scott McClellan book. Because of these wise words, I think I'll follow his lead and not put any more cash into his pocket.

Instead, I think I'm going to take the time to read this book instead.


I was reminded of it when visiting goddessdster's blog. Specifically this post. Fareed Zakaria has always been a favorite columnist of mine. He writes for Newsweek and has always written insightful pieces. He also has been a regular member of This Week With George Stephanopoulos. And now he will be hosting a show on CNN about international affairs. I believe it's something we Americans need to watch. Especially those who loudly proclaim that the U.S. is the best country on the planet without having set foot outside this country. The rest of the world isn't just a place to look at when they get hit with earthquakes or hurricanes, you know. Check it out. And while you're at it, check out other things going on with Mr. Zakaria here.

And finally, IT'S JUNE! One week from today at 9 p.m. will be a brand new episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent! Goren and Eames will be back and I won't be answering my phone or my door. LOL

The only downside on the LOCI front the report out there that Warren Leight, the current show runner is going to be leaving! That's a shame because he's done wonders with the show, IMO and I'm sad to see him leave.

Well, as long as there is Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe I'll keep on watching the show.

Goren and Eames return June 8!

[NP: Ryuichi Sakamoto - Left Bank]