Moonlit Jazz

When was the last time you…

1. …went to the doctor? At least two years ago. I need to go again soon. Blah!

2. …went to the dentist? Last Thursday. 😀

3. …filled your gas tank? Right before I came home from work.

4. …got enough sleep? This past Monday

5. …backed up your computer? Oh, ummm, don’t know!

I REALLY THINK SOMETHING AT WORK IS MAKING ME SICK

Maybe it’s stress. Maybe it’s the stale air coughing up through the vents. Maybe it’s just utter frustration. Whatever it is, I end the night at work feeling so BLAH. I wish I had an instrument that could read and process the air in the office. They never clean the cubicles and I don’t think I can remember the last time a mop touched the nasty floor of the office. And should I mention the vents? Aren’t they supposed to change the filters on a regular basis?

BASEBALL!

I bought my first set of tickets for the 2004 season. It’ll be my third year in a row to do Photo Day and so my tickets are for photo day. I bought them last week and I couldn’t get anything better than Plaza Level! Is that insane or what? I had better seats for the freakin’ Yankee game last year and I didn’t buy them until maybe a month in advance? The A’s are playing the Giants for Photo Day, which probably accounts for the lack of good seats. A couple of days after I bought my tickets, I checked out the site again and the best seats available for Photo Day were way up on the Upper Reserve! Third freakin’ deck!

If Mark Mulder is pitching yet again for Photo Day, I will take that as my sign that I will never get a photo with him on Photo Day. 😛 But I do want a picture with someone on Photo Day. Let’s see, who? If not Mr. Mulder, then let’s go for Barry Zito.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, dreaming lovely baseball dreams. We still have 45 days until Opening Night. ::sigh:: It just cannot come too soon…

DARE I HOPE FOR SPRING?

As I was driving down Covert on the way to work, I noticed tiny white buds on the trees. Where those there yesterday? I think not! The sun was warm, the air was cool, and I felt that hint of spring. Is it too soon for the trees to bloom?

TV STUFF…

CSI – Nicholas Lea! Ahhh, twas so good to see him on something new. And not playing a bad guy! 😀 Maybe he’ll make another appearance sometime soon?

SURVIVOR ALL STARS – I’m a little sad Rob got booted. He’s not my favorite, mind you, but he’s so much fun to watch. Oh well, as long as Colby is still in it, I’m happy! 😉

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO…

My dear friend Jessica! 😀 And also to my niece (really, my cousin’s kid) Angela. They both celebrate their birthdays today. Happy happy joy joy to them!

“Be My Love” by Michael Amante

The “official” Charles Mesure and fangirl Valerie photo

I am TRULY mystified! I came home last night after a long drive in the pounding rain after working an hour overtime (just a totally sucky night!) and found this huge envelope on my dining room table. The Husband said, “Oh yeah, something came for you in the mail.” I picked up the envelope and saw it was from Creation. What could it be?

Of course I quickly opened it and was most pleasantly surprised to find my “official” photo with Charles enclosed. Woohoo!

Then I stopped. But wait, how did they get my address? I didn’t give it to them at the convention because I was supposed to wait until their website gave instructions on how to get my photo (since I couldn’t get it the next day). Of course they had my address when they sent my convention tickets, but how did they figure out that my photo belonged to me?! Someone at Creation knows me and my address? SCARY!

But isn’t the picture nice? Ahhh, I like it!

“O Sole Mio” by Michael Amante

Karl Urban as Cupid

Yes, that’s the same Karl Urban who plays Eomer in LOTR. He also played Julius Caesar on Xena and Hercules. Maybe I’ll do some screencaps of that one day. Karl is a man of many looks…

I just finished burning a new CD. It’s a lot of Harry Connick Jr and Norah Jones. Something for work, I think. I ended the CD with Evanescence’s “My Immortal” in memory of Kevin Smith.

Vikkicar, Kevin Smith died in China after sustaining injuries in fall from a movie set. It hit the Xena/Hercules fandom pretty hard. He was the reason I started watching Hercules and Xena and I even had the wonderful opportunity to meet him a few times. He was a good guy and a talented actor. I still miss him…

If any of you get the chance, you should all check out his work as Ares on Xena and Hercules. He ROCKED! Ares was sexy, wicked, clever, and manipulative. A total bad boy. I loved it! And I wasn’t the only one…

“When You Say You Love Me” by Josh Groban

And so it’s been two years since Kevin Smith departed from this earth. He died in China, 16 February 2002 local time.

I can still remember when I found out. It was sometime during the day. Although it was Friday, I did not have to go to work because we were going to leave for Phoenix that night. I was in front of my computer, of course, and the email came from one of my Kevin/Ares lists. I couldn’t believe it. I followed the URL to the article and read the words.

I was stunned. How could Kevin be gone?

On our way to Phoenix, I battled between excitement for our trip and disbelief and sorrow at the world’s loss of such a wonderful man. I found it utterly ironic that our destination was the scene of Kevin’s last convention appearance that previous October. I regretted that I hadn’t made the time for the short airplane trip for that convention.

Now, two years later, I still feel a bit of sorrow at his loss. He touched my life and I will always remember him for his warmth and generosity, as well as his gorgeous presense and his undeniable talent. I don’t cry when I watch his work, I smile and remember and enjoy. I still feel the chill at the sound of his voice, I still laugh at the quips his characters make, I still envision fanfiction starring his Ares.

And I am most grateful for the people I have met because of Kevin. I have made such wonderful friends and together we have had great moments that I will remember forever.

Kevin, I still miss you. Thank you for gracing us with your life, even if it was for too short a time…

Screencaptures from the Xena episode “The Dirty Half Dozen”

“Those Sweet Words” by Norah Jones

Karl Urban as Cupid

“THE DIRTY HALF DOZEN”

We watched this Xena episode last night after I came home from work. My friend had emailed me after she had watched the episode (she just got her season 3 Xena set) and commented about Charles Mesure’s eyes in the episode. Well, I just had to see for myself. 😉

Kevin Smith as Ares in “Dirty Half Dozen”

Of course, you can never go wrong with an Ares episode.

Charles plays a gladiator named Darnelle. He, along with three others, are recruited by Xena to go up against Ares and his new warrior-to-rule-the-world-in-training. Ares has given this wannabe the secret to the metal of Hephaestas and Xena must stop him. Of course. And for some reason she needs the help of these four. Good episode, better the second time around. 😉

Charles with those startling eyes!

“FOR HIM THE BELL TOLLS”

Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings) and Cupid (Karl Urban) in the Xena ep “For Him the Bell Tolls”

After “The Dirty Half Dozen” I just had to watch another episode of Xena and why not my most favorite one? Yes, a very Xena-lite episode (she only appears in the first and last part of the episode) and Joxer-heavy episode. I LOVE this ep! And hey, that Cupid guy is in it. 😉

Xena, on her way to do security for a king (or something like that), drops Gabrielle off at a crossroads. The “over-achieving sidekick” runs into the “mighty warrior” Joxer and he decides that she would be a perfect sidekick for him. 😉

Meanwhile, in Aphrodite’s temple, she and her son Cupid are having an argument. The goddess of love is furious that Cupid has brought together the son and daughter of two rival kingdoms. Now the two kingdoms are threatening to tear down her temples. Aphrodite wants the two broken up, Cupid refuses. The goddess decides to bring in a man to woo away the princess. She can do it with anyone, she insists.

Cut to Joxer.

With the peal of the bell, Joxer becomes a super sexy warrior type. He woos away the princess from her prince. With the peal of the bell, he stumbles about again as the “idiot” Joxer. Another peal of the bell and he’s ready to take the princess away as his own.

And so it goes.

Gabrielle figures it out, appeals to the goddess, then takes matters into her own hands when the goddess refuses to break the spell.

It all ends for the best, of course. 😉 The prince and the princess fall back in love, Joxer is restored to his former self, and Xena comes back so that she and Gabrielle can continue to roam the countryside…

AND BACK TO REAL LIFE…

Let’s see, we got up this morning and took a walk to the nearby park to shoot some hoops. Apparently I’m left handed when I shoot the basketball. Weird! But I did make some shots. Go me! LOL!

After all that exercise, we headed out to a couple of sporting goods stores in search of a stationary bike. We found one at Copelands. I also bought a pair of crosstrainers. I needed new shoes!

And now we’re back home and I did some Xena screencaptures of “The Dirty Half Dozen,” “For Him the Bell Tolls,” and “Intimate Stranger.” It’s so much easier doing DVD screencaps. And they look so good!

Doesn’t Karl Urban look WAY DIFFERENT as Cupid?

“You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban

I suppose I shall start with some tv stuff and see where it goes. (The cleaning lady is here and the dogs are in the computer room with me, both of them looking at the door, wondering what all the noise is and why they’re in a small room with me…)

SURVIVOR

[SPOILER ON if you haven’t watched last night’s episode]
Even though things like last night’s episode usually make me cry, I couldn’t do it. Yes, I was sad at the end. But the feeling could not counter my disgust and regret for her. What a strange combination! I was disgusted that she chose a game over her terminally ill mother. If she knew (and she had to know?) that her mother was that ill, why did she leave to PLAY A GAME? I was with Alicia, I would not have left. But then again, I was also with Big Tom, don’t tell me if something bad happens until the end of the game. I guess it’s different though, for Jenna. She knew that her mother was sick. Yet she made the mistake of going to play. She wasted nine days out there when she could have been with her mother. What the hell was that about?
[SPOILER OFF]

LAS VEGAS

We watched it last night. Man, I love that show!!! I think everyone should watch it. Well, adults with a sense of humor and open minds. 😉 I’m sure the conservative, straight laced kind of people would not like the show. 😛 This week’s episode was rockin’. Jean-Claude Van Damme doing a stunt gone wrong. I loved the disclaimer at the end. LOL!

CSI

I really really enjoy this show. They just need to show more Nick. 😉 He’s been a bit scarce the past few episodes. (Watch the next one will be heavy on him. LOL!) Last night’s episode was good. I was half hoping the cop was bad, but in the end he wasn’t. Blah! I felt bad for the rookie cop. But if he hadn’t gone in there, it would have been the other one. It should have been the other one. I wonder if he realizes it…

OH WOW, JUST REALIZED THE DATE!

It’s freakin’ Friday the thirteenth! What does it mean? Probably nothing. Work will probably be a certifiable hell. Or maybe it will be eerily smooth. Like my wishful thinking? 😛

The Top Ten Albums (last week)
1. When the Sun Goes Down, Kenny Chesney
2. A Crow Left of the Murder, Incubus
3. Kamikaze, Twista
4. Closer, Josh Groban
5. Only You, Harry Connick Jr.
6. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, OutKast
7. Fallen, Evanescence
8. The Very Best of Sheryl Crow, Sheryl Crow
9. Shock’n Y’All, Toby Keith
10. Soulful, Ruben Studdard

I’ve got six of the top ten albums? I’m such a freakin’ consumer! And GO HARRY! Everyone should buy that CD. Harry Connick Jr is awesome. 😀

1. Are you superstitious? Sometimes

2. What extremes have you heard of someone going to in the name of superstition? Can’t think of one. 😛

3. Believer or not, what’s your favorite superstition? Almost anything baseball. Something about the pitchers not touching the foul line on the way back to the mound? Yeah, I like that one. 😉

4. Do you believe in luck? If yes, do you have a lucky number/article of clothing/ritual? Luck? Sure, why not? 😉 I have a favorite number. Oh, and I think that I should drive my truck whenever Mark Mulder is on the mound. 😀

5. Do you believe in astrology? Why or why not? Yes. It’s interesting and fun and sometimes it even makes sense…