I'm Aragorn???? Really????

So I thought it would be fun to take this survey I found online, about which fantasy/sci-fi character you are....... But it decided that I'm frickin' Aragorn from Lord of the Rings! Yeah, I guess he's heroic and all, but I'm not sure I get it.

Anyway, you click below take it for yourself and see if you're James T. Kirk or Yoda or Voldemort. All of which are cooler than Aragorn.

Well, I figured out what I was pissed off about ...

So the other night, a very nice fellow from my church called. He had called a week and a half earlier to offer me an important volunteer gig, and after much soul-searching, I accepted.

And then I got all grumpy.

Imagine my relief when he said he offered me the wrong job. Then imagine five times what you imagined previously, 'cause that's what I felt. My relief shifted slightly when I started to think about what could lead to this strange situation ... why WOULDN'T someone want me in the originally offered role?

Ultimately, it's not worth worrying over. Suffice it to say, I'm in a really good mood (despite my cold). And I'm not going to accept the other job. I'm working through what my involvement witht the church will be, but one thing is clear: No politics for me. It messes up my tenuous relationship with God.

On Anger, Antidepressants, Chocolate Milk and Unblunted Words

OK, so for the past few days I have been somewhat grumpy. I acknowledge this. But apparently I've been more grumpy than usual, 'cause Cheryl jokingly suggested that I go back on antidepressants. You know, in that sort of "ha, ha ... if this really pisses you off we'll say it's just a joke" kind of way. So I've been thinking about it.

I am not necessarily against the idea. Anti-d's made me gain weight, which wasn't awesome, but I'm certainly capable of doing that with or without them. And they did have a somewhat quieting effect when my thoughts become a raging swirl. But I'd like to think, and maybe this is wrong, that my need for antidepressants grew out of my work life. Meaning, I had a job that really bummed me out (quite the opposite of now).


And if the issue isn't a transient situation involving work, then the issue is me. And that's something I need to think about.


Which brings me to the chocolate milk. The fam and I were watching TV the other day and someone knocked some chocolate milk into my chair. It was a goodly amount of chocolate milk, and it was cold. So Mama Chocolate Milk Butt jumped up, yelling a little, in shock. More like yelping, not so much with the words at first. And I think it hit Cheryl as a classic (not in a good way) overreaction to relatively minor circumstances. Which is easy to say when your ass is dry.


So what's going on? Is my brain carburetor running to rich on rage? Is there something bugging me that I haven't fully accessed yet? I've got things going on that can lead to upset: I'm turning 40 (which, even if you do it at Disneyland, still kinda sucks). Work is TV-centric (good) and still a lot of fun, but getting more stressful as the business grows. I haven't been exercising, though I did take a walk yesterday. And it's hard to be a superhero when you're not exercising.

the husbands, hard at it

My bro-in-law and I did some work over the weekend, down at the boys' preschool. This involves me handing him tools and trying to learn what I can.

But ice beats fire any day

Partying at the little gym . . .

Not as straight as I thought . . .

No, I am not talking about myself. I am talking about my hair. I've always thought of it as straight. Then I got it cut by a sweet little gay boy who straightened it after. I didn't think it would make that much difference, but it did.

What's Missing Is the "Lesbians Who Look Like Old Men" Site

I'm probably a little too amused at the "Men Who Look Like Old Lesbians" site. Even though it scares me to think that in the not-to-distant future these will be men who look like me.

Anyway, take a look. It's basically just a random assortment of pictures. And you will laugh. Oh how you will laugh!

And then, maybe, you'll wonder what if it's really such a lesbian-power world, as Barney's gay-about-town Simon Doonen and celeb/fashion blog Jezebel seem to think it indicates. I'm not sure I agree, though to see the propagation of the term "Muffia" is both impressive and disturbing.

Another name for 'news'

So I am watching TV the other night (actually, it's a promo between shows) and my boy Eddie comes in, stalling bedtime.

"Whatcha watchin'?" he asks.

Then he gets a look at the screen, which is flashing a KOMO 4 news promo that shows something on fire. And he answers his own question.

"Oh. Seattle problems."

Can't really argue with that.

How my wife does texting

Yes, she really did take a picture of a Post-It and send it to me.

A Good Place to Recycle Electronics (Seattle-area)

OK, it's a little early for Blog Earth Action Day or whatever (guess that's next week), but I wanted to share a great experience I had recycling a computer monitor and copier (desktop-sized, but still 70 frickin' pounds).

Anyway, I had to get rid of these things. And while I know it is possible to find ways to "throw them away" for free, that's just too wrong, even for a cheapskate like me. So I did a little research. (This is a good place.) But I can save you the time, and just tell you that the place to go is:

Total Reclaim (2200 6th Ave., Seattle, 206-343-7443)

They took the monitor for $10 and the copier for .30/pound. A lot of places won't take copiers, so it was handy to have one-stop shopping. Plus, it was the best pricing I've come across. Other places were talking, like, $50 to unload the copier. I did it for $24.50.

Eddie Sent Me an Email ... (Sort Of)

PBS Kids isn't just entertainment for my Pre-K guys, it's a Web-communication enabler. And I'm fine with that.

At the Fife Harvest Fest

But Oprah's not as bad as Dr. Phil

Much better to see a very rich person go on in a somewhat out of touch way about the need for balance in life (can't argue with the premise) than to see an educated guy (Ph.D. in clinical psych) diagnosing people he hasn't met -- aka Britney Spears (suicide risk, needs to be committed). It's bad enough that he diagnoses people that he HAS met, under the bright lights and glare of TV cameras.

Does he not see that he's not helping, despite his agressive arm-waving? In fact, he's part of the problem. Too much yelling for ratings, not enough doing. At least Oprah built a school for girls in Africa. Yeah, it was done in a way that accomodated her ego, but it's undeniably changing lives for the better. How 'bout you, Phil?

See why I am sick of Oprah?

Oprah's Great Escape
(from Radar magazine)

It's hard out there for an empathetic billionaire—like TV's top earner Oprah, who raked in a cool $260 million last year alone.
On that note, she has some inspiring words of wisdom for readers of her eponymous mag's October issue: Take a month off! You deserve it. "I decided to give myself July," Oprah writes. "Yes, the whole month—dedicated to myself, for myself. To regroup. Rejuvenate. Restore my soul." (Yeah, that show on the O.J. book was pretty soul-crushing.)
If the missive, which runs on the back page of the autumnal Oprah, comes off as a little tone deaf, well too bad for all of you who didn't top Forbes's latest rich list. In it Oprah describes how the past season of her show left her feeling a little drained: "I was so exhausted, I was numb." And then she breaks into an envy-inducing ramble about the monthlong break she took from everything because, as she reminds us, "making the decision to look after yourself is the ultimate in healthcare."
Of course, we don't all have a private chef to ensure that we "munched on golden flaxseed ... ate only fresh foods: grilled fish ... mangoes from my neighbors' tree" during our monthlong summer retreats. Nor do we all have a Hawaiian estate to escape to and watch "28 consecutive sunsets." Before she signs off, Oprah reminds us: "As I write this, I'm wrapped in a blanket on the back of a friend's boat off Vancouver Island sipping a glass of wine ... watching the whales swim by." And indeed, the photo accompanying her letter shows Oprah swathed in a blanket while sitting on what can only be described as a multimillion-dollar floating palace.
For some reason, she didn't mention that she and Maya Angelou then shared a Methuselah of vintage Veuve before conference calling Nelson Mandela from the sat phone. Which is all very inspiring, unless of course, you're a single mom from Oklahoma for whom paying the phone bill on time is the "ultimate in healthcare."

A rather elaborate return to Thomas track-building

Fall TV: As exciting, enjoyable and disappointing as ever

OK, so it's fall TV season, which means time must be allocated, TiVos must be programmed and shows must be watched.

Favorite new show: Bionic Woman.
It's based on a favorite from my youth, and is a metaphor for a woman coming into the power of adulthood and experience. What's not to like? Well, let's just say that sky-high expectations are a lot for even bionics to carry. The show is doing well, very well, and I'm going to give it some time. Like the Bionic Woman herself, it needs time to realize its power.

Returning strong: Desperate Housewives
Will Dana Delany out-Bree Bree? She is so good at the brittle socialite, prone to tears, though I still love her best as the warm, sweet, conflicted nurse from China Beach. Kudos to Desperate Housewives for finding ways to re-invigorate Wisteria Lane.

Watching in real time for the first time: Grey's Anatomy and Heroes
I didn't dig Heroes at first, but have fallen in love with it since watching its debut season in one downloaded swoop. The first episode of this new season is one of the last things I got to this week -- not because I wasn't looking forward to it, but just because other things seemed more urgent. There's no arguing that it's a great show, and it has managed to bounce back with strength after a finale that didn't deliver the "bang" (watch it, you'll get the joke) people hoped for.

I like Grey's. So much sex. And death. And sex. And surgeries. And cheating. And mournful looks. I don't know why I like it so much, but I do. It must be the heightened reality, the shots of Seattle that make it look like the most beautiful, soulful city on earth. And, I gotta admit, I know what it's like to fall in love with someone you work with. Especially when you're not supposed to.

Biggest disappointment: Private Practice.
Kate Walsh deserves a fabulous show. Too bad this isn't it. She's like a lobotomized version of the fabulous broad she played in Grey's, and the show is cutesy when it shouldn't be and tone-deaf when it tries for gravitas.

A day without corporate email ....

Well, it's not as bad as a day without sunshine, but it's still surprisingly unsettling. I've had my T-Mobile Dash for barely two months and I'm ridiculously addicted to it. Our email server went down at work for a little while -- like, not even two full days -- and I found myself constantly checking, rebooting, checking, re-connecting, to no avail.

The work email is actually more of a draw than the Internet, which is a scaled-down experience (not bad for a computer that fits in my hand, but not as full as I'd like).