lab excitement, freaky cat tricks and other things

Well had my first Environmental science lab today, I think it went well. I really felt the lecture I did went well and the students seemed to get into the activity. Of course I am probably the only one getting excited and upbeat at 8 in the morning (yes the lab is 8 – 2 although not every Saturday) talking about graphing and the metric system and independent variables and dependant variables and yes, well stop whispering geek already… :oP So lab should be fun as well as the lecture, the class so far seems to be a good group. Of course I need to see how many students come back next week.

I also found a most annoying item – the current McDonald's happy meal has this line of toys from a cartoon series. And one of the toys is a character that if you push its arm down, it makes armpit fart noises. I kid you not. And let me just say, it is a very, very evil thing…..

Been keeping busy at work, managed to push out a few projects so almost have some breathing room.

There are a few movies out I want to see, however as my usually MO is to say I am going to see a movie and then I end up finally renting it 2 years later, I will wait until I actually see them to say anymore – lol

I saw Edward Scissorshand the other weekend in Philly, whew that was a weird thing. It was not a musical but musical theater – like a ballet. All instrumental music and dancing, the whole time. It was a little too busy in some places when the different families were all dancing at once, too much to see, but it was different and cool anyways – bring on the music.

It finally snowed here a bit the other day – actually it had snowed once before, but that was nothing. This was still not much, but enough that in the morning I got upset some driving on it. Damn it, I really need to try not to get the way I do about it. I like snow in general just not having to drive on it, not that anyone likes that but I freak… I gotta try to get over that

My cat amazed me and startled me the other night. The doofhead was able to open the cupboard where I keep his cat food, no shit. The cupboards are swing doors, meaning you just pull them open. I look over and the cat is on his hind legs and is pulling/scratching at the cupboard, as I watched, he managed to get the cupboard open and then crawled inside. I was like whoaaaaa – this is also the weird cat that taps me on the shoulder – no short jokes here

I sit at the computer and many times I will feel a tapping on my shoulder – after I am done screaming because I am alone and someone is tapping on my shoulder, I will look over and there, eye level is Gyro, my cat. He is on his hind legs, leaning against the chair and using a paw to tap my shoulder, of course I end up petting hi and stuff, but still, freaky cat – and he does other weird stuff too I shall not go into – but damn, opening the cupboard…..

movies and life

Right now I am watching Joe Vs the Volcano - it is one of my favorite movies. I find I like weird movies - not thoughtful or thought provoking or cinematic art or such... but weird dork movies. My favorites include things like

Drop Dead Gorgeous
Joe Vs the Volcano
Hudson Hawk
So I Married an Axe Murder
Love, Actually
Spoof movies in general (Vincent Price was in a spoof movie or two, can you name them)

and such - actually I like a ton of movies and will not list them here but the currently being watched movie - dang I just laugh out loud and stand in front of the TV and the dialogue

damn there are great quotes and I like it because you have to watch it - I mean I usually multitask and do this and that and that and this - but Joe is as much visual as it is audio

Actually if you watch it with the sound down it tells a story and then listen only you get a different but neat story too (yes I have done both)

But the allegory, allusion, illusion, and visual references in J V t V is incredible (like how many lightening bolts can you count - what do the different numbers mean - oh man counting how many served by a company that makes anal probes - hahahahaha) - everything in that movie is placed for a damn reason - I LOVE IT

and then, then the real message is, life sucks and then you find your brain cloud. Then you find your volcano and eventually maybe, just maybe you find your Patricia (Hey Patricia for Julie - are you out there... lol)

But you know.... J V T V really makes a neat commentary on life, and yet seems like a funky wacko movie... just like me and just like life.........

Ok I am going back to watching the movie and laughing, seriously, laughing MAO

quotes

one of my favorites - Patricia: My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement.

my other favorite quote (why I have no idea) - Angelica: I have no response to that.

Patricia: You mean you were diagnosed with something called a brain cloud and didn't ask for a second opinion?


Joe Banks: I've never been to L.A. before.
Angelica: What do you think?
Joe Banks: It looks fake. I like it!

Funny how sometimes a song can capture your feelings and say them to the world so much better than you ever could. COuld tell people certain things you would never dare to.

A Philadelphia Musical Adventure

I hit Philadelphia today as the first of my 4-pack set Broadway at the Academy. The Kimmel Center has this 4 pack deal going on.

So the first one was Pippen and it was not at the Kimmel Center - for some reason they had it at the Forrest Theater.

First the venue was cool. A nice, theater and they gave me Row A seat 101 - damn, I was at the orchestra pit railing and could see the stage and the musicians - it was so Awesome. I liked looking down watching them play an watched them as much as the musical.

Ok the musical - I think much of it left me in WTF land. I have to say the storyline/musical was weirddddd and had me using that acronym quite a lot. When they started dousing the main character in gasoline, I was okkkkaaayyyyy this is art.... and the couple of simulated sex scenes (oh boy..... those were intense and lots of eye candy.... lots.... but then again the story is about obsess, excess and unfulfillment) and the war scene had me going hooo boyyy.

Again - the feel of the play was very psychedelic as well as intriguing. Almost like when I saw Tommy. There were many a possible trainwrecks and nope didn't look away from a single one.

Overall, the story is good, the dance and song numbers good and the analogies do run deep yet are often covered with glam, which in and off it's self is aprt of the show and the larger analogy - I think. I loved the actor portraying the Lead Player. He owned the show and stage and had down many of the nuances. I would be interested in seeing this Broadway polished (not to say this was not good, but you can tell the little miscues and differences from a highly-professional broadway show)

I also liked the role, if not a little contrived for the laugh, of the half brother and the actor who portrayed him was great. So was the person who played Catherine, wish that was a bigger part.

I then walked around for a bit and ate at a place called Sisters - will need to go back there some night after 10 - they have a dance floor and such and looked like a nice place... it was empty that early but I got a chance to check out the place.

Also found a cool coffee shop called The Village, the ice tea was excellent and I will go back there again prolly next week.

Yup my second one comes right on the heels of the first - Edward Scissorhands - that should be yet another hmmm WTF evening - hehe

PS - I only got a little wet - thanks for holding off rain.....

music blog update

I updated my music blog - go here - http://www.xanga.com/nemodoryismyidol I too lazy to copy and paste it here

one of these days a better update

I need to get and sit and really catch up - one of these days, I will, honest... ah well - always IM me if you really wanna know what is going on and want to subject yourself to a julie ramble - lol

The trip finished out to be great - I should have pictures up on my web site soon - I have some now but more coming

A major excitement for me and one of those things you do and remember for the rest of your life (well I do because I am a dork and well that's what I like to do - seek out silly, weird, dorky adventure( But I got to be a balloon handler of a real Macy's day parade balloon (Universal's daily afternoon parade is a recreation of the Macy's day parade) - they are the actual balloons from the New York parade - they fly them down for Universal to use - I was on the Lead red star - the F*ing first balloon of the whole parade - it was a most awesome experience and no the balloon was not that heavy - no shorty or flying away or wizard of Oz or whatever puns or jokes


The rides were cool and sometimes things happened that just made me go wow or WTF or hmmm - for instance - I am standing in line for the Jaws ride. I am winding my way through 80 minutes of waiting in line. I look over at one of the little scenes placed along the queue to help pass the time. because it is Jaws and the theme is the beach town, the little set is a sandy beach with some crab traps and such. Basically a little throwaway thing tucked in the corner - something Universal and Disney and such have tons of and something I noticed most people IGNORED instead too busy freaking rushing around to get to the next big ride (more on that later but anyhoos) - I start really looking because in a corner is an actual cat in there.

As I watch, the cat is digging and well it started doing a real cat thing in their thousands of dollar sand set - who needs kitty litter - LMFAO - oh man everyone in the line could not understand why I burst out laughing (I watched and no one else even looked over that way and noticed...)

Ah a bit of normalcy even in the facade that is a theme park

I was also prolly an odd one out as I was a single person - everywhere I looked I saw groups and couples and families and such - but not really individuals - WHERE ARE YOU SINGLE PEOPLE - come on over my way and we can be singles together - lol

I was also prolly not the norm as I was the only one in line who had a book and was reading. I mean I knew the wait times would be long and you are in a line with only so much to look at (80 minute wait for the Jaws ride alone for instance - you can only stare at the people around you so much and none of them were real talkative - or started talking in spanish about the odd people around them - I did catch that much of a couple convos - lol)

Started back into the work routine - my night classes started up again - the topic was special education - phew a long 4 hours after an already long day. The college classes start up in a couple of weeks (I will be teaching three of those this semester) and the VHS high school online class I teach starts up the week after those - damn life is getting busy again - guess that is why outside of going to work and teaching I have no life - blech- ah well - someone out there will find me and save me from my work-a-holic self - I am sure... :P