The rain in Bali

Magnet #805a & 805b - Balinese Couple

Love these! My friend just got back from an Asia tour of Singapore, Bali and Cambodia and brought these back for me. Very cool.

It reminds me of my former chairman - the one who took his wife on an around-the-world honeymoon, getting married in almost every port of call. They started with a ceremony on a beach in Malibu, then did something in Rome at the Vatican, and then in Bali.

So Bali hadn't had rain in something like 3 months, and they were just desperate for it. So, for the Balinese wedding ceremony, the natives did some sort of rain ceremony as well - and the next day - it rained! After like 3 months! So apparently, they were the local heroes...I prefer to think that it was a total marriage blessing from on high. Awesome.

Of course, then he came back, and had his wedding pictures as his screensaver in the office...which would be ok normally, but really, have ya'll ever had to see your own boss in a sari and a crown of leaves and assorted foliage?

Yeah. That's what I'm sayin'.

Age of Aquariwhat?

Magnet #804 - HAIR

Of course, I had to buy this magnet - I'm glad the Broadway shows are starting to see the importance of good merchandise. Heh.

A friend of mine was kind enough to comp me tickets to see HAIR (thank you, thank you!), so another friend and I went to go see it. Which is why I feel a little tempered in my not-really-a review magnetpost.

Here's the thing. As a production? Freakin' awesome. The stage direction and the art direction and the costumes were amazing. The performances were superb. And the running out in the crowds (which lost some of its magic, the more times they did it) was so much fun - though I'm glad I was in a middle seat, so no flower child got into my hair - literally. The finale was superb, with the crowds being invited on stage. Freakin' amazing.

The show itself, however - soooo not my cuppa. I think my problem is that actual story itself - or, lack thereof. It just took too long to actually gel into a real storyline. And then, I didn't really give a hoot about the characters. I didn't even cry when one of the major characters bit it.

My story problems were probably exacerbated by the fact that I didn't agree with any of the politics of the show. I full on admit it, if I lived back in the 60s and 70s (or, ok, been of high school and young adult age), I totally have been a square. I'm totally a square now, and it's 2010 - so it's no wonder why this show pulled on every one of my conservative heartstrings and pet peeves.

Yet again, I'm on the fence for some of it - because I didn't give a hoot about the crazy flower child songs, or the pseudo-copulation, or the full frontal nudity. That part was actually kinda fun. But, when it started in with its political statements on war and drugs and protesting, I just couldn't hang.

Seriously, I wanted to grab every American flag they were prancing around with, and fold it properly. I wanted to grab every draft card they were burning, and send them off to war. Or sure, Canada, as long as they were out of my sight. I wanted to grab every joint in their hands, and give them to Nancy Reagan.

I know it's cool to be anti-war and anti-American and pro-drugs and free love, but c'mon, enough's enough already.

Good gravy, I'm a 90-year-old biddy, in a mid-30s body. Oiy.

eta:
Oh! The other thing that's a little sad - I don't watch American Idol, so I haven't a clue who that lead guy is on the magnet. But, from what I understand, I should have been OMG, OMG, OMG, over this guy in front of us?

Slippery when wet

Magnet #803 - Stone Mountain, GA

So, nestled off to the east of Atlanta, is Stone Mountain Park, where nestled in the heart of its 3,200 acres, is Stone Mountain, where nestled in the center of its 825 feet tall x 1,683 feet high x 583 acres, is this giant stone relief of about 90 feet by 190 feet - three acres big.

WHOA.

It's a Civil War monument with Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee, and Lt. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

Very cool park - you can stand at the base of the mountain, with a terrific look up at the carving, situated about 400 feet up and then you can take a tram up to the top - or you can climb the 1.3 miles to get up there.

Uh, yeah, just guess which one we did. Heh.

And then there was barbeque

Magnet #802 - Cowboy on Ice

Ya'll, I want to see Cowboys on Ice. No, there's not a production going on anywhere, I just think it'd be awesome to see cowboys on ice.

Yesterday, to escape the crowds at Reliant Center, we went with a media rep and our clients out to the Reliant Arena for lunch.

First, let's talk about how OTC is *so* big that they're basically in two giant buildings, and an outside display area, and there's still a waiting list of tons of exhibitors out there who want to.

Second, let's talk about how it was literally a 15-minute ride to circle the lots to actually get to the giant Reliant Arena.

Third, let's talk about how, OMG, for whatever reason? They had the best beef BBQ known. to. man. Like, OMG, I think I might be going back today, just to have it one last time. I mean, I come from the land of pork BBQ. And let's face it, NY may think it knows it's brisket, but geewillikers that was seriously the best meal ever.

Or, I was just hungry.

But, I'll go with the former.

Ride 'em, cowboy

Magnet #801 - Texas

Whoa. Offshore Technology Conference at the Reliant Center in Houston. That sucker's huge!

In the end, it's much like any other trade show, except you know, this one's a little overshadowed by the catastrophic events in the Gulf of Mexico - which I would totally blog on, if I actually had an oil magnet, and oh, if this were something like HuffPost or Daily Beast. But, I don't, and it's not, so I won't.

Anyway, we spent much of the day wandering the supercool booths and equipment around the floor, taking a look at what the industry as a whole was spotlighting, grabbing their collateral materials and scarfing their cute pens. They say the show's the largest in the entire US - doubtful, given that there's CES and shoot, even Comic-Con SD. But, still, it's a lot of walking over at the Reliant Center. So much.

But ya'll know how I travel and somehow miss the biggest things around? Here's one Yesterday, I realized that the last time I was here, I totally missed the sad, big old decrepit building right beside the shiny other ones at the Reliant. The last time I was there was with a client - for the hot boys at the Houston Rodeo, and an Enrique Iglesias concert. Fun stuff.

Yet, somehow I missed seeing the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Astrodome. I mean, sure, there was a whole carnival in front of the building and it was nighttime, and well, there were cute boys in chaps.

Hmmm. On second thought...I guess I could see that.

Electric blue

Magnet #800 - Little blue car

Ok, ok, it's a white car here. But, honestly, you think I'd have learned from previous experience...

Every time I rent a car, I like to see if I can smile real pretty and charm the rental agent into giving me a pretty, pretty blue rental car. What? I love blue!

Sometimes it works, and you get a gorgeous navy blue Blazer (I think), whom you name Bertha.

Sometimes it doesn't, and you get a big ole honkin' electric blue car, whom you name Debbie, because of the song Out of the Blue.

And sometimes you don't know what you get, except the same electric blue colored car (yet another Corolla - I swear, Hertz is out to get me) that you can see from space. Oddly I haven't named her...though, ironically, I am traveling with a chick named Debbie.

Hahaah.

Me against the world

Magnet #799 - Me at Cliff Walk

So many years ago, my friend Lynn and I did a weekend girls trip to Rhode Island. I don't even remember why, and I feel like it wasn't gonna be a weekend trip, just a day trip, and we ended up having to call her fiance to let him know we were spending the night. (Odd what you remember...like the J'ai Alai neon-lighted signs. Really? J'ai Alai? Who were we? I wasn't even a Mad Man at the time!)

We ended up doing a couple of mansion tours - if you haven't gone, you should totally go. Everyone should see the Breakers...and yes, I have a separate magnet for that.

But, along the water, they have this Cliff Walk, a 3.5 mile recreational trail. Now, ya'll know I hate nature. Ya'll know I hate hiking. Shoot, ya'll even know how much I hate the beach.

But, this trail? This hike? LOVE. Seriously the coolest thing ever. No particular reason, except that it's just you and the waves crashing against the rocks.

Lynn just happened to take this photo of me, right at this moment, and quite simply I love it. It's why I had a magnet made of it. It's a metastatement that just speaks volumes to me.

It's me against the world. Depending on how I feel, sometimes the world's winning. And every so often, I am.

So today, just for my birthday, let's all pretend that the tide's turned my way, and I'm winning.

Wu-hooooo!