Stimulus, what?

Magnet #379 - Robin Hood

My friend went to Nottingham and brought me back this Robin Hood magnet. But, I don't think she actually visited the attraction!

Huh. I was going to visit the site, and link ya'll to it. But, this link announcing that the joint is closed until further notice, makes me supersad...and leads me into my next subject.

Apparently, Robin Hood has struck America because someone's distributed a lot of wealth to a lot of shoppers today.

Today was self-enforced day off (a decision I made when I realized that none of my conversations were making sense, and made into a firm resolution when I fell asleep on a big purple chair...in just the 10 minutes it took for the cleaning lady to vacuum the conference room I've been living in since last Sunday.) Instead, I went shopping for work clothes to wear in Tampa. Supergreat stuff, and mostly on sale - even though I bought way too much.

But I wasn't alone. As I mentioned before, whomever said America was hurting, didn't visit Jersey. Or rather, upstate New York, as in today's case. Whoa. So many shoppers out and about!

It might have been the wonderful warm weather today, but man, were they out in force! Of course, you could see that there were less shopping bags, and only a rare line or two at different shops. But, still, one can't help but wonder what's going on...particularly as they announced that the unemployment rates at its highest levels in more than 25 years. Superscary. Mind you, I'm not excluding myself from this bunch. I'm just afeared of all the media coverage. Anyway.

Hah. You thought this might be a rant about Robin Hood the BBC show? Nah. Though that's what I was saving this magnet for, I've decided not acknowledge what happened at the end of the last season. You don't mess with canon, people. Also? Guy's hair looks crappy in the upcoming season...so really, what point is there to watching it. I'm just sayin'.

Ask and ye shall...

Magnet #378 - Assistance and tickets

I picked this magnet for a couple of reasons. It's from my London Transit magnet sheet set. Yes, I like big sets of magnets. What? You're surprised?

So, here's why I picked it:

1) Assistance. I have a hard time asking for it. And that's a lot of why I've been at the office until after midnight for 5 of the last 7 days. It's been great though, because there's a select group of people who have pitched in like nobody's business, and helping get a ton of really good work done. And I thank them wholeheartedly. They've been superawesome. Especially for putting up with me this last week.

2) Tickets. Goldengait did a rather sad post against the poor service at the USPS. Which is somewhat funny, cuz I just picked up a new FB friend (an old college roomie I'd lost touch with) who just joined the USPS. I promise if you ever met her, GG, you'd love her. But, I can't believe your mail got hijacked and your concert tickets were lost! That totally sucks!

3) I was on the subway today, and saw some left-wing transit-rider advocate ad that was explaining that the new Bloomberg balance the budget plan would make my monthly commute $103, and give me less train service. Wasn't there some sort of budget surplus several years ago? Where'd that dough go? Even so, $103 is probably the still cheapest mode of travel.

Oddly, I realized tonight that I missed riding the subway home. Since I've been going home so late, I've been taking car service home. Mind you, it's probably not a good thing that the guys at dispatch know my name and sometimes my voice. Today was a bit of an ordeal after a waiting snafu had me waiting on the front stoop when the NY office boss came back to pick up his stuff after an awards dinner. (For some reason, I hate when the big guys see me at the office at odd times. Like when one of our CEOs saw me leaving the office as he was coming in...at 5:30. Or, another CEO turned the corner and scared the snot out of me in the middle of the night.)

Then, I got huffy at the driver, and tried to ignore his chattiness, about my job and his job, about traffic, etc. I felt bad that I snapped at him, so I couldn't just ignore him. So, now we're chatting a little. And then I find out that he'd been driving around town since 6. AM! Then I felt even worse, because he was so chip after being on duty for so long.

Oiy. See? No matter how bad you think you have it...there's always someone else who has it worse. And someone else who handles it better. Sigh.

Shhh, or my mom will exterminate you

Magnet #377 - Doctor Who Dalek

I know this Dalek might have a name, but ya'll know how I feel about Daleks, so I have no idea what his name or affiliation is on Doctor Who. Heh.

I just needed a TV magnet to say, oh my goodness, I miss my television. And my television misses me.

I'm going to be away for 14 days in March, and all I can think of are two things.

1) That I need to clear off my DVR of all the Chucks, Terminators, Psychs, Bones, Flashpoints, Trust Mes, Damages, Lie to Mes, Knight Riders, Numb3rs and (that full marathon of) Leverage that I haven't watched yet! And,

2) Assuming I get time to clear off the stuff on the DVR, what if my DVR can't handle all my shows that will air during that 14-day stretch?

Good gravy. What's a girl to do. Heh.

Oh. Here's a good story for today. I have corrupted a minor, without meaning to. You know how kids pick up whatever the hell comes out of your mouth?

Today, a coworker brought her daughter in to work - I love this little girl, ya'll. She's freakin' adorable, and she's way more fun to play with than my coworkers. But she was sitting here in the conference room with me, and I (like a dummy) gave her permanent markers to draw with. And I (like a dummy) said...just be careful, don't mark all over your pretty pink shirt, or your mom will kill me!

Now. Guess who has been repeating that all afternoon. Only now, it's morphed into:

Shhhhh! Or my mom will kill you.

Annnnnd, I think I've proven why I should never have kids.

Save-a-Show Mission

Magnet #376 - Guys and Dolls

I mentioned before that I really love going to shows when they're in previews. It's more exciting when things go wrong, and it just feels more like unpolished production, not one of those slick, mass-markety Broadway numbers.

And in that respect, Guys and Dolls didn't fail me. Besides loading in the audience superlate (the line was around the block, and people were still filing in at showtime). So, it was already a late start, but about five minutes into the show, a PA fuzzy (but very modulated) announcement sounded: "Production halted, all actors leave the stage."

Freakin' awesome.

We were left in the dark for a bit, and then the director came out and started talking to us. He said that he'd gotten too big for his britches that day, the day he decided not to come out before the show to explain that they were in previews.

He further explained that a major mobile set piece had broken down, and the production stagehands were fixing it. And that we'd understand why they had to fix it before going on with the show. It's true, the set piece was a major part of the production, so yay, they got it fixed, and they restarted the show without a hitch.

But, you know what's funny? The guy who played Sebastian in that somewhat disastrous Little Mermaid production, Tituss Burgess, was Nicely-Nicely Johnson in this production! What IS it with this guy and me in a theatre together?

Anyway, I didn't want to post an early review of the show while it was in previews cuz it feels like it's a bit unfair to judge a show before they're ready. But I bought this magnet there in anticipation.

For those of you who don't know the cast, the headliners were Craig Bierko, Oliver Platt, Kate Jennings Grant, and Lauren Graham. I know, right? I was surprised, too, that Lorelai was gonna hit the stage...in a musical, no less.

But, you know that blonde bimbo part that Lesley-Anne Warren played in Victor, Victoria? That's basically this part - the classic blonde bimbo with a dream of nabbing the boy and living happily ever after. As she has said - everywhere, in every interview - she doesn't sing as bad as Lorelai did on Gilmore Girls. Tis true. She wasn't half bad...but she was still Lorelai in my head - only trying to play the half-nekkid blonde bimbo with a curly blonde wig. Not surprising, she actually received the loudest applause upon first stage entrance.

Craig Bierko was good, if a little milquetoast. He's got something...but it's a nebulous thing between sex appeal and presence. I can't figure him out - because I love him, but he's that all-American guy that should be in a letterman jacket and slicked back hair, and stuck back in the 50s/60s.

And Oliver Platt, I dunno, though he was good, he just didn't gel for me. He was a little too unkempt for me to believe him as a slickster gambler...especially because he was playing the Frank Sinatra/Nathan Lane part. It was like watching Porthos in a Zoot suit, instead of watching him run around with Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen and Chris O'Donnell.

The two who stood out for me were (not surprisingly) Kate Jennings Grant and Mary Testa. Both felt right in their parts to me, and both were terrific, hitting all of their numbers out of the park.

Tituss Burgess, for me, always feels like he's actively trying to steal the show - so I automatically dislike any of his numbers, no matter how good he is.

The production...I go back and forth. I really liked the overall production. And I loved the use of the doors at the beginning. They moved and swiveled and forced us to believe that they were inside or outside. Which was cool the first few times, but it started to get distracting as the show went on. The sets and how they morphed into various NYC locales was terrific - especially one really well directed/produced scene in the subway.

I did love the costumes and hair, and the fun zoot suits. And the marquee'd lighting design was absolutely marvelous, if a little blinding.

I loved that they bookended the beginning and the end with author Damon Runyon...but then my sister pointed out that he'd been in a few scenes within the show. I'd completely missed everything in between! Which is sad, because apparently, one of the actors actually interacted with Runyon, telling him to skedaddle. I'm sorry I missed it!

The latest news on Guys and Dolls is that it opened to rather negative reviews this weekend - so bad, that they weren't even sure they'd keep going. NYT's Artsbeat says that the producers are planning to the keep the show open, and that they're stumped as to what they're going to use as blurbs to sell the show.

That makes me sad. While it's not my most favorite production or story ever, you could tell that everyone was putting their hearts and souls into the show. For me? That's key.

To learn more about the show, and to see some fabulous pics, NYTs did a terrific dedicated page - you can find out what a Guy is. /not even kidding at all


eta:
So, last night, I was here in the office, and realized it was March 4. And I walked out into the hallway, and to absolutely NO ONE, I said, March 4. Something big is on March 4.

Sniff. I need to write these things down...Happy birthday, Anonymous!!! You can't spell magnetism without NEAT (which is what I think you are...not neat as the opposite of slob, but neat as in, you're just neato!) and TEN, (which on a scale of one to nine, you're a definite ten). What? Not all of us can be word geniuses.

Yay, happy birthday!

When the fight is worth it

Magnet #375 - Valley Forge

So, today when I got in to work, it was superduper cold, only in the 20s. Even as I type this now (admittedly late), it's like 26 degrees outside.

Then you think about the guys at Valley Forge, who spent seven winters there, they had like two years of severe cold...meaning single-digits lows and low-double-digit highs. That's insane. I mean, thank goodness Valley Forge is in Pennsylvania, rather than someplace like wintry Minnesota!

Still, I can't even imagine having to spend the winter standing around sad little campfires, with holey uniforms (if that) and holey shoes (if that), with no real rations to speak of, fighting for a cause that they weren't even sure would be successful. Sheesh.

But, thankfully, they kept up the fight, cuz otherwise, who knows what the alternative would have been.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about what's worth fighting for and what's easier left alone.

I have no real answer. Just that we all sort of have those opportunities and challenges to sort through, and sometimes, it would be nice to be able to see the outcome before deciding that something's worth falling on a sword.

Trouble is, sometimes it feels like I'm walking through a field of swords, and it's foggy out there.

Just a PC girl, livin' in a Mac world

Magnet #374 - Angry Little Girls Damn, I'm Cute

I'm just going to admit what might be the most unpopular opinion I have ever stated on joy magnetism.

I hate Macs.

I know they're superdupercute. I know they're supposed to be superintuitive. I know they're supposed to make my life easier. I know I should be grateful, because the agency has given us these superbeautiful 17" MacBook Pros to work on. And I am. A bit.

But honestly? I hate Macs. (And now, Boo Silver Too - my second Mac in as many years - will probably never work properly again. Not that she ever did.)

All day Sunday, we had four designers working from home, plus two designers in the office, and me.

All of us are on MacBook Pros. And most of us crashed at least a couple of times during the course of the day.

Granted. We were dealing with files that were a couple hundred MBs to 1 or 2 GBs each. We were dealing with mechanical sizes that were at 100% (4 feet wide by 8 feet high), and we shouldn't have been. And, we were dealing with working remote, so that's theoretically going to be slower to begin with.

Yeah. Granted all that?

I still hate Macs.

I'm still convinced that Boo Silver Too just acts up on me, because I'm running VMware Fusion, which allows me to run Windows. It's almost like a little Guantanamo Bay, I guess, torturing my Mac to make her run PC apps. I have a Mac because I need access to the Creative files in Creative Suite. Otherwise, I do most of my real work in PC. So, in this respect, I can understand why Boo just hates me.

But that doesn't explain why the other Macs were all behaving terribly yesterday.

They may be supergorgeous and cute, and people just think they're cooler when they have a Mac, and they may get jealous when they see Boo Silver Too.

But, I gotta tell you, if I make it through past the 24th, I'm thinking seriously about switching back to the PC world.

One wonder after another*

Magnet #373 - Niagara Falls Joy

It's a weekend in Canada, I guess.

I was going to tell ya'll about the time I convinced a friend of mine that they had the ability to turn off Niagara Falls on holidays and national emergencies...but it looks like I've already done that here. Still a great story.

But, here's another one - apparently, back in 1848, there was an ice jam upriver, and the flow stopped for several hours. People were able to run out on to the riverbed! Neat.

Feels like the falls are something that everyone should do once in their lifetime. There's three of them, really - the American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls and then the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, but everyone just knows them as Niagara Falls.

I do love visiting them, because they're so freakin' massive, and like the Grand Canyon, it just gives you a little perspective on our little place on this planet.

Ride the Maid of the Mist tour boat, and it's even more apparent that humans are just specks on this earth.

Which is odd, given how much of an impact we have on it.

*I just stole Niagara's tourism site tagline. Heh. Shameless.