tammytoes

moving...moving...moving!

2007-08-06T21:24:00.000-06:00

i'm moving tammytoes to wordpress. because it rocks amillionpercent harder than any other blog platform out there. see ya, blogger! it's been superfun - but we're BREAKING UP.check out the new site:tammytoes.wordpress.comrad! can i get an amen?.... hat tip to design ranger chris s. who informed my idiotic ass that i could import the WHOLE DANG THANG to wordpress by pressing a single magic

last days of work, 600 mile drive

2007-08-05T07:43:00.001-06:00

First I sang Lita Ford to my co-workers. Then I sang Buffy with a crowd. Realized for the first time that some of this staff have become my best friends. Wished that I'd realized that a long time ago. Cleaned out my car for the last time. A sweet man who does equations for a living but who looks like an Italian race car driver wished me a wonderful, restful trip. I made to the plains.

tammytoes does tetris

2007-07-29T12:41:00.000-06:00

I'm sad that it took me this long to discover one of Denver's finest events, the monthly Tetris tournament at Forest Room 5. Featuring big screen Tetris action, overpriced drinks, super fly folks and the most complex Xcel bracket program on the face of the planet (not to mention the best Tetris players I've ever met), the competition was the most awesome entertainment I've had in a long

stupid string theorists

2007-07-24T07:56:00.000-06:00

This article on Higgs boson research, the particle accelerator race, and blogs in the physics universe caught my eye this morning. Mostly because I realized that the last time I thought about the Higgs boson was in 6th grade, and also because the fact that I thought about the Standard Model, heavy matter and the like in 6th grade is really, really bizarre. Over the years, I've re-engaged with

...a case of the sunday night hmmmmms...

2007-07-22T20:40:00.001-06:00

there are lots and lots and lots of questions that have plagued me over the years, but the one that occurs to me right now is this:how DO you solve a problem like Maria?got any ideas?

the bout, the deathly hallows

2007-07-21T14:13:00.000-06:00

This was the scene in the dressing room after the season opener. That's Boo Boo Radly, captain of my beloved Green Barrettes with the juice box. In honor of my last bout experience in Denver, I wore my candy pink Sugar Kill Gang uniform skirt (you gotta be tough when you're wearing terry cloth). My team honored me by asking me to call line-ups for the bout. This, I've realized, is actually a

serendipity

2007-07-16T10:31:00.000-06:00

yesterday was the kind of day i could live on for a good long while. i met a friend named ed who i haven't seen since 9th grade in brooklyn for the afternoon. we had a reunion on smith street, ate almond macaroon cookies from his favorite bakery, and then strolled the bastille festival. we ended up at a french bar on the waterfront, getting tipsy and trying to chart the past 18 years.then it

this trip to new york city...

2007-07-15T10:20:00.001-06:00

...is brought to you by the letters E and I and the number 404.i'm thinking about the myth of yards. on a hot day in brooklyn, everyone is out. they're standing on the streets talking, having sales outside their walk-ups, sitting in the park, visiting, just meandering. after so many years of growing up and spending time in the suburbs, i'm totally struck by the myth of yards. nobody is *ever*

um, oogy

2007-07-08T11:06:00.000-06:00

I was just searching my health insurance member website for some contact info for one of my docs. Well, some genius in their marcom department decided to include physician photos in the staff directory. Good idea? Um, no.Case in point: this guy is my gynecologist.So I've met with this doctor many times and he's NOT THAT CREEPY in person. He's actually very nice (and he's always been sans

fireworks, from the porch

2007-07-04T21:32:00.001-06:00

Last year, I spent my 4th of July with my family, watching fireworks in Roeland Park, KS and then driving 12 hours back to Denver, contemplating independence, love and what it meant to be alone. This year, I wanted to be alone again - too much social time lately, not enough space to think or get things done. So I went to the movies, made some food, did some laundry, chatted quietly with a

it's official

2007-06-28T11:41:00.000-06:00

i hereby declare that Pavement is the official soundtrack for Thursdays.and that is all.

so i've watched some flickage the past week

2007-06-24T11:52:00.000-06:00

but haven't had time for the wrap-up. words are a premium lately. but there's always a few around for movies. so some films and dvds, in the past weekish:1408: film students should watch the first 2/3 of this movie for a primer in how to set mood and tone and scare the beejuzus out of an audience with subtle effects and atmosphere - then watch the last 1/3 of the movie for a tutorial on how to

on listening to hank williams in bed

2007-06-24T11:28:00.001-06:00

i'm learning to love my failure as much as my success. all the major-minor disasters, the lost loves, the yeses that should have been nos (and vice versas) the missed adventures, the too-costly adventures, the risks i'd wish i'd taken, the risks that should have been passed on. i think: i want to be more than the sum of what i've done. i want to include all the things i should have done, didn't

um, it's completely true...

2007-06-16T10:32:00.001-06:00

there really is no sleep 'til brooklyn.

atlantis

2007-06-15T07:12:00.000-06:00

I sat with the new collection of poems by Eavan Boland the other day.This one, in particular.Atlantis, A Lost Sonnet- Eavan BolandHow on earth did it happen, I used to wonderthat a whole city - arches, pillars, colonnades,not to mention vehicles and animals - had allone fine day gone under?I mean, I said to myself, the world was small then.Surely a great city must have been missed?I miss our old

this week's daydreams

2007-06-14T23:41:00.001-06:00

little bit of time and some sleepyhappy space this week and i had a few memorable daydreams, chief among them:* starting an ELO cover band* giving Joss Whedon a Pulitzer Prize for Radness* inventing homophobia-eliminating bubble gumalso: don't you think it's time for Michael Bay to direct a live-action adaptation of the video game Joust? the WORLD IS READY.

It's officially summer

2007-06-06T21:49:00.000-06:00

Audrey has started hunting. She left her first dead mousey prize on the front porch this evening. She seemed pretty contented with herself as she marched back into the house and threw herself on the carpet, exhausted. (The days have been odd here in Denver. Cool and rainy. Unexpected, but familiar. This is the Colorado that sticks with me from my childhood: warm dry days that turn into cool

the den, the rock star life

2007-06-04T20:17:00.000-06:00

One thing the Clayton Manor does well is ENTERTAINMENT. 'Tis the season: kickball practices, backyard movies, theme parties, the greatest porch of all time and now... Guitar Hero.We cleaned up the basement to make it a den. And the boys transformed it into a video game play palace. And now Guitar Hero has entered our lives. Full projection. Surround sound stereo.I may be getting carpal

i don't write about music

2007-06-03T10:49:00.000-06:00

I generally don't feel comfortable with the vocabulary, I have a hard time translating my experiences with music to sophisticated musings, and my lack of witty insider nods reduces my musical street cred to zero in writing. Out of my love for it, I prefer not to risk maligning music with written ineptitude. Words do permanent damage, yo.But then there's The National's Boxer. I so so so want to

yummy bowls of goodness, unwishful thinking

2007-06-01T21:54:00.001-06:00

Tonight was all about eating delicious bowls of yumdevorous rice noodles with one of my favorite people in the world. And I realized in the middle of a slurp that I've somehow started to wish my days away, thinking about what's next, what's on tap for the weekend, who will be doing what, what's happening after work, and what I should or should not being doing with whom or wherever. My presence

for Memorial Day

2007-05-27T11:42:00.001-06:00

It struck me this morning that it's been a really long time since I actually read and thought about Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. And what it evokes, all the way from that dedication of Soldiers' National Cemetery in 1863 to the current litany of crises we are facing now in our country, is at once civic pride and outrage. Republicanism as freedom, equality and democracy? Where are my sovereign

nutrition

2007-05-26T22:18:00.000-06:00

I thought a lot about whiskey tonight. Instead of drinking it, I ate orange slices and listened to Leonard Cohen.If you don't become the ocean, you'll be seasick every day.Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.The moon is swimming naked and the summer night is fragrant with a mighty expectation of relief.

Falling Down

2007-05-25T10:23:00.000-06:00

When I started playing roller derby, I experienced a rather dramatic transformation: the effect of that particular exercise, more so than anything else I've ever done, changed me from being a clod into someone who could hold herself relatively upright for prolonged periods of time. Now, one month into retirement, it seems that the universe has returned to its normal state of being.I'm falling

Bathroom Self-Portrait: Friday, Two for the Road

2007-05-11T07:15:00.000-06:00

Thursday night was inspiring! Thursday, 7:45 pm. Bathroom at Watercourse Foods. Weeping unicorn: greatest bathroom graffiti ever.9:05 pm. Lenny's Bathroom, Twin Peaks night.I loved this project.

Bathroom Self-Portrait: Thursday

2007-05-10T17:12:00.000-06:00

Thursday, 12:25 pm. Denver Public Library, Woodbury Branch Bathroom. Everything (stalls, walls, porcelain and paper towel dispensers) in orange, yellow and beige.

Bathroom Self-Portrait: Wednesday

2007-05-09T18:12:00.000-06:00

Wednesday, 5:35 pm. Clayton Manor - Girl's Bathroom.

Bathroom Self-Portrait:Tuesday Rockstar Photo Redux

2007-05-08T06:56:00.000-06:00

The photo I posted this morning has bothered me all day. I took a new one. Same bathroom. Totally rockstar Tuesday, rather than rumpled and grainy Tuesday. I hope this doesn't violate the spirit of the project!Tuesday, 4:15 pm. Clayton Manor - Boy's Bathroom.

Bathroom Self-Portrait: Monday

2007-05-07T17:53:00.000-06:00

Monday, 7:55 am. Bathroom at work. Five minutes before the first of four meetings (6 hours total) begins for the day.Cheilita's got links to everyone participating in the bathroom series here.

Revenge of the Kickblog

2007-05-06T16:47:00.000-06:00

Shitkickers wipe up the field with Team Hi Dive. Score was 18-1. Want more crazy Shitkicker action? Look no further than this video of my teammates participating in a favorite pastime: punching each other. [Note that my roomie Rick is in the foreground, having masterminded this particular demonstration.][Have I mentioned that Rick is an amazing scientist who just got accepted into a crazy PhD

Absolut Ideariffic

2007-05-05T21:20:00.000-06:00

David (who draws robots) made an inspiring comment about the proliferation of (sometimes questionable) Absolut flavors as we were scanning the bar at Sputnik last night. We decided to come up with our own flavors. My favorites:Absolut Axle GreaseAbsolut Epsom SaltsAbsolut Pizza PartyAbsolut Tekken 4Absolut SnozzberryThen we were whisked away to join a tambourine chorus for a friend's band next

Friday Night, Sante Fe Drive

2007-05-05T21:12:00.000-06:00

I went out to peek in some gallery openings and I brought my camera along because I was hoping to capture a memorable image - it's been a while since I've taken my camera anywhere. Instead of art, I spotted this little business a couple of buildings down from a tattoo parlor. The building was an old grey stucco house, with crusted window panes and a distinctly lifeless, creepy edge about it.

A Great Idea

2007-04-30T20:19:00.000-06:00

L'Amour reader and blogger Cheila has posted a great idea on her blog: a series of bathroom self-portraits. She's inviting bloggers to share a different bathroom self-portrait - taken in a different bathroom - for each day of next week. This idea is genius. Look for my series next week and if you're 'a-blogging, well, get to it!

Kickblog 2: Electric Boogaloo

2007-04-30T20:15:00.000-06:00

Shitkickers shut out Catscans, 9-0.Yesterday, I accidentally walked into a woman using a bathroom stall at the field. Not only was she congenial, she offered me drugs. What a sport!

Chispa Stories

2007-04-29T07:32:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends,You might notice a few new sites listed in the blog-o-verse on this page. Check 'em out. They're worth your time. Also wanted to give an extra special nod to Zach's latest culinary/literary adventure: chispastories.com. He's traveling across Central America, eating as much delicious food as possible and learning about the tastes, kitchens, customs and history of the cuisines of

Kickblog

2007-04-28T09:11:00.000-06:00

Spring has brought kickball into my life. It's hipster gym class, but I love it. It's everything that I believed derby would be in my life, before that evolved into a second full-time job: unbelievably crazy people, lots and lots and lots of beer, ridiculous outfits, surprisingly competitive and a fuckton of fun.Denver kickball neophyte? Well, here's the breakdown:Denver Kickball Coalition (

Retirement

2007-04-24T20:50:00.000-06:00

With the move to New York City rapidly approaching and a hankering for summertime adventures tugging at my attention span, I hung up my skates after the final home game of the season last Friday. No more skating in Denver for me. Four days retired and life without derby is already a degree of magnitude more relaxed, alternatingly awesome and super sad. Mostly: completely different.

Larry McMurtry? That Guy's a Douchebag

2007-04-09T20:07:00.000-06:00

"Have you seen those Kansas plains? Have you seen the grass stretch away from you to the horizon? Grass and nothing but grass except for flowers here and there and maybe the white of buffalo bones, but grass moving gentle under the long wind, moving like a restless sea with the hand of God upon it."- Louis L'Amour, The DaybreakersReaders, please join me at Amor L'Amour (you might notice it

the poem i received in my inbox today

2007-04-06T21:16:00.000-06:00

Bent Orbitby Elaine EquiI wind my way across a black donut holeand space that clunks.Once I saw on a stage,as if at the bottom of a mineshaft,the precise footworkof some mechanical ballet.It was like looking into the brainof a cuckoo clock and it carriedsome part of me away forever.No one knows when they first see a thing,how long its after image will last. Proust could stare at the symptom of a

the transitive property of spring break

2007-03-31T14:13:00.000-06:00

"The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it." - Carl JungI used to mourn the temporary nature of experience and wish that good things could last forever, but I've finally learned to understand the value of inhabiting an experience during its time and the value of reflective distance from it. I am no longer so obsessed with improving my life (

april showers

2007-03-27T21:20:00.000-06:00

...bring poems, courtesy of poets.org. Sign up to get a poem-a-day. Read with me.

sharks keep swimming, swayze

2007-03-18T23:04:00.000-06:00

Dispatch from a Summer Preview with Amazing Ninja Chef Houseguest:Spring break has tried to kill me, but I'm not going to let it win.I fell out of a photobooth last night.The universe is leaving me voicemails, and I have plenty of return phone calls to make. I'll blog the debrief, just as soon as I stop having so much dang fun. In the meantime, I love you oodles. I'm pretty sure life is rad.Over

at a loss

2007-02-20T22:43:00.000-07:00

Words are just hard to come by these days. I keep my head down, cross the winter days off the calendar, watch documentaries, shake my head at my broken finger and other miscellaneous ailments that have sprung up, and think of spring. An affirmation for those of you who might be facing the blues, similarly:What We Need is Here- Wendell BerryGeese appear high over us,pass, and the sky closes.

holy smokes, it's holy socks!

2007-02-04T22:48:00.000-07:00

also, a plug for a side project... please check out that pretty little link on the right side of this here blog to holy socks!it's crafty love.

great words

2007-02-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

yesterday, i spent part of the day talking about words over homemade peach italian sodas with super friends. great words make me happy. i love words that make me smile when i say them, or laugh out loud when i hear them. here's a short list of some of my favorite words from yesterday:sodapop (it should be one word, really)supernovawhipsmart (noticing a compound word pattern)

on the cusp of february

2007-01-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

the midwinter blahs have set in with a ferocity. there are still big dirty piles of snow on the corners. february promises to be the sort of cold that's hard to describe - as always. this is the time of year i dread the most: the hours compress together and it's hard to take a breath from so much to do in so little time. going out feels like a chore and the adventure of the days seems to have

Weekend Flicks

2007-01-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

My brain shorted out sometime around Thursday at 9 pm. The only solution was to spend a lot of time in suspended cinemation this weekend. Here's the wrap-up.Deja VuAfter an utterly craptastic day at work, I shut off the computer and ran out the door early enough to catch a 4:15 showing of Deja Vu at the local second-run theater. It was me, my popcorn, my Mr. Pibb, and Denzel Washington for two

Sweet Caroline

2007-01-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Neil Diamond! I just had to listen to some Cracklin' Rosie on the way from practice to celebrate.

blog for choice

2007-01-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Today is the 34th anniversay of Roe V. Wade, so I'm participating in Blog for Choice day. Let's be relieved that we've survived another year with choice intact (unless, of course, you count all those women who live in locations where abortion providers are too afraid to practice).The day's task is simply this: I'm supposed to tell all you tammytoes

spring fever sets in early

2007-01-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

it's snowing again. again and again. everyone in denver looks vaguely stir crazy and the talk of the town is all about how this isn't like colorado. the roads have caused practice to be cancelled and the only way to cope is to drink red wine, eat chocolate cake and watch 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' all afternoon.

foreign flicks are kickin' ass this week!

2007-01-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

Oh, joy! Two trips in one week to the Mayan Theater to see great cinema....Curse of the Golden FlowerThis story of dynastic family intrigue might disappoint fans of 'House of Flying Daggers' and 'Hero' because the martial arts definitely take a back seat to the domestic drama. But Zhang Yimou returns to some of his earlier film subjects with 'Curse of the Golden Flower' - like male/female

holiday hopes

2007-01-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

Today is, of course, the day that a lot of people talk/write/blog about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his impact. I'll suffice to honor the day by simply renewing my commitment to do more good in the universe and share this quote that I keep in my journal:"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.It's not his most memorable quote,

improving the world, one dance-o-tron at a time

2007-01-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

Margi: If Alice Cooper were the next face on Mt. Rushmore, this country would rock 30% more.Garrett: ...AT LEAST.

civic leadership conference: and now the rant

2007-01-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

This wasn't a particularly useful conference, but it was nice to see so many people in the room talking about civic education and education reform. Some reflections:State standards vs. district standards vs. (a lack of) national standards. Most people don't realize that each state in the USA has a different set of academic standards... on top of that, most school districts have their own set of

civic leadership conference: the fluffy stuff

2007-01-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

Academic conferences are pretty strange affairs. And when you mix political figures and legislators, unintentional hilarity ensues. Four things that amused me on Friday:- My management hair. It's bad when your own hair cracks you up. The management hair in combination with the power suit makes me feel like Clark Kent.- Awkward touches with vaguely important people. I went for the handshake

Weekend Flicks

2007-01-07T23:19:00.000-07:00

Went off to the cineplex this evening and I'm happy to report that I've started my theatergoing this year with a truly great film...Children of MenBy now, you've probably ready some critical gushing about this film, and I have to tell you: it's all true. Alfonso Cuaron made a critical splash with 'Y tu mama tambien' in 2001 and then went on to defy all expectations and make an awesome,

32 looks pretty good to me...

2007-01-06T09:49:00.001-07:00

...and for my birthday I got myself a brand spankin' new RSS feed for tammytoes!

the authorized text

2007-01-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

Reader,I received this in the mail today:It's the certificate of authenticity for my word in Shelly Jackson's Skin. (Note that the documents are held in place with a bandaid.)I got the tattoo on November 17, 2003 (lucky for me, I blogged about the experience so I could look up the date).The certificate:Word #196 of 2,095. Single edition, mortal work of art. It's the last tattoo I've gotten, and

My Love Song to The Wire

2007-01-02T22:36:00.000-07:00

I discovered a lot of really great things in 2006, and discovered again that my friends have really great taste. But the best thing? The best thing I found in 2006 was The Wire. I've believed for years that Homicide: Life on the Street was the best show to ever grace the small screen in our time. Watching Homicide was the television equivalent to reading a satisfying, rich and challenging

Nancy Reagan, Eat Yer Heart Out

2007-01-02T16:32:00.000-07:00

I practiced some awesome refusal skills today. I was walking out of the store when a couple of men in suits tried to get me to buy a bunch of D.A.R.E. schwag and/or donate to their bogus anti-drug program.I just said no.

New Year's Day

2007-01-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

New Year's posts are somewhat obligatory. I guess I feel the need to provide some closure, show some resolve, show off my fancypants optimism for the new calendar year. The day itself has been rather ordinary after something of an extraordinarily adventurous evening (tromping endlessly through snow in platform boots to and from a robot dance party takes the proverbial adventure cake for me):

All your lanes are waxen silver

2006-12-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

Today was digging out day: spent the afternoon with the shovel, clearing knee-deep drifts around my car and the street in anticipation that I'll be able to drive at some point this weekend. Plans have changed. My customary trip to Kansas City has turned into a holiday at home. Important deadlines at work have passed, rendering their importance null and void. (Why did we care so much in the first

Holidays at the Clayton Manor

2006-12-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

This has probably already been said by someone more eloquent than me and, in any case, it's a cliche, but still: friends are the family we choose. Our "real" family, the ones with whom we share legal ties, sometimes biological ties, and generally holidays: that family may love us without reservations, but they rarely accept us without judgment. Lucky to have found a family of friends with few

A couple of things I know for sure

2006-12-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

Cold rice is the key to making delicious fried rice.Few things are truly dry clean only.Homemade gifts are the best.Adrenaline is a powerful drug.Al Gore would be very disappointed with how much I've been enjoying the warm winter.Cookies can be love.

Recent indicators that I've probably been doing my job for way too long

2006-12-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 10:35 pm: As I order a shot of Irish whiskey and a third can of Schlitz, I remember that I have to do a presention to the owner, president and store managers of an upscale retail chain at 8 am the next morning - and I haven't prepared anything. I do the shot anyway.Friday, 6:35 am:Rifle through underwear drawer. Remember that the washing machine is still broken and there's no clean

and one more thing: a poem for the moment

2006-12-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

Self-Portrait as Seismograph- Cecily ParksDear Magnitude, I leave the how muchto you. Bereft of equation,I'd rather logarithms lodged elsewhere—there is no sensitivity in numbers,only in effects. In the calm, let us speakin effects: a ball dropsdragon's mouth-to-frog's mouth,a pendulum swings on its knife-edgepivot. I'd say the measurablecaptivates more than the measurementin any accident, but I

for the derby fans

2006-12-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

The Jingle Belles took the Yuletide Beatings bout. I love my ladies in white.

In Winter

2006-12-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

Audrey stalks us between floors. She sits at the window and looks outside for hours, twitching her tail. She sits on the heating vent and absorbs everything the radiator puts out. She owns the house.It's December in the Clayton Manor. Roomies are finishing papers, projects and finals. I just skated the final bout of 2006, a year to the day that we began the process of making the roller dolls

aw, thanks...

2006-12-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

...for the big 'ole outpouring of love. My lip is fat and disgusting, and i have a few bruisy spots under my eyeballs, but I'm generally not that bad off. I was a bit freaked out last night, looking over my shoulders for angels or Michael Landon or something.Thought I would lighten the mood of tammytoes tonight.Here's a photo from the recent fry-fest party at the Clayton Manor. This just goes

message received, loud and clear

2006-12-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

today was an absolutely gorgeous sunny winter Colorado day. i opened up all the curtains and blinds to let as much light in as the short day would allow. while walking to breakfast, geese passed overhead and it was a good morning to just stop short in the nostril-freezing cold and wonder.it's been a rough couple of weeks. haven't been able to figure out exactly why, but i've been blue blue

living in a terry gilliam movie

2006-12-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

Days I feel I'm chasing windmills in a movie that never got made, or blurring the line between reality and the fantastic, or battling a devil that looks a lot like David Warner (what???) or other somesuch nonsense. But here I am, actually living in 'Brazil.' Behold the phone conversation I had on Thursday with the Denver County Civil Court Clerk's office:Clerk: Denver County Court. Me: Hi,

More crap I'm watching

2006-11-19T22:21:00.000-07:00

So I recently started watching 'The Wire' on DVD. Holy smokes! It' s a great show. Although, as my roomie Margi has aptly noted, "It's just a few 'cocksuckers' short of 'Deadwood.'" And now I feel like a total douchebag because I've just relayed a TV joke. Alas.In any case, I ventured out with the rest of the world to see the new Bond movie last night. In truth, 'Casino Royale' is probably

hey, by the way...

2006-11-19T22:18:00.000-07:00

did I mention that the Monster Brides won the Halloween Smash?It was nice to be skating (and winning) at home again.

I'm over it

2006-11-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

Really, truly, in the most cosmic sense possible. I'm over it.Can I get a New Year here already?Jeez.What time for Thai food and drinks?

more photobooth awesomeness

2006-11-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

I totally can't forget to post my Halloween girlgang in the photobooth, either. My bad.You know, I was in the staff parking lot of a high school downtown today, and I saw a car with the following bumper sticker: "My Westie [insert image of dog] is smarter than your honor student." Mind you, this sticker was on a TEACHER's car. Hm.Is it Saturday yet?

because the only thing that could make Halloween better is a photobooth!

2006-11-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

Here's to the hipster dude dressed up in something like an asparagus costume who nudged me during last call at Sputnik and said, "Hey. Nice Foolie Coolie costume!" I appreciated the positive reinforcement. And here's to you, friends. Happy belated Halloween!P.S. PBR stains on photographs are authentic.P.S.S. Man pictured in photographs is not hipster stranger referenced above. Man in

'Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun...

2006-10-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

The inconceivable has happened.I happened upon a Bruce Springsteen tune on the car radio today and realized, "Hey, that's a damn good song... It really sums up exactly how I feel right now!" Sure, yep, I'm probably just one step away from being buried in a pop music coffin with a John Tesh greatest hits collection, but baby, we WERE born to run. Everybody's out on the run tonight but there's no

More Megalodon

2006-10-22T13:23:00.000-06:00

I just can't resist posting this... Rubber megalodon model vs. CGI submarine. It's every bit as bad as you can image it to be. And ever so much more delightful!

Revenge of the DVD Screening Room

2006-10-22T12:41:00.000-06:00

It's been an overscheduled and manic month. Let's not even talk about it.On top of that, I've gotten sucked into the land of radtastic TV-on-DVD that's sucked away my movie-smitten soul: the likes of Deadwood (HBO's Shakespearean Western that's probably more aptly titled 'Peckinpah was a Pussy'); Battlestar Galactica (scoff not, gentle reader, for it's a brilliant show and in the future I will

at an anime con, i'm a rock star

2006-10-15T21:53:00.000-06:00

and random dudes want their photos taken with me. I've spent all day writing scholarship recommendations in my pajamas while watching bad horror movies and drinking soda on the couch. I'm still in glasses, a clear indication that I'm hungover from the Fort Collins bout last night. Come over. We could make forts out of blankets and talk about G.I. Joe and nothing at all.

a new season, a bad blog title

2006-10-03T22:39:00.000-06:00

I remembered something tonight:In 2002, my ex-husband had to have two fairly intense surgeries to remove tumors on his eardrums. There's a lot more medical jargon and complexity to it, but the bottom line is that a surgeon had to cut open the sides of his head, puncture his eardrums to remove the tumors and review the damage to his hearing bones, and then stitch him back up again. The first

new york stories, part 2

2006-09-25T18:21:00.000-06:00

It's impossible to not feel nostalgic at Coney Island. On an overcast Saturday with few people strolling the boardwalk and most of the attractions closed, the landscape seems to sigh. I can't wait to experience it in the sunshine and crowds, when the midway can wake up and blink.Later that night, Lanie was sitting in her garden, feet hanging over the side of a chair and we were talking, just

new york stories, part 1

2006-09-25T18:11:00.000-06:00

A walk across the Brooklyn Bridge was warm and sunny. All the tourists, including myself, had big smiles. The day before, Paul had taken me for a walk through Brooklyn, and we ended up at the Broken Angel house, right next to the site of Dave Chappelle's Block Party. As we pondered the deliberate, random architectural marvel, an older woman walked by with several young children. "Isn't it

brief dispatch from brooklyn

2006-09-20T21:35:00.000-06:00

an extremely short, incomplete list of things that exist here that do not exist in in my present home:- red velvet cake- fines for honking- "car service"- an adorable dog named ingrid- all-you-can-eat sushi buffet- brooklyn bridgei heart nyc. yes i do!

even more imaginary gardens with real toads in them

2006-09-17T23:33:00.000-06:00

I'm boarding a plane to NYC tomorrow morning. Almost a year ago I landed there and ate Greek food with Lanie B. and realized that I would live through the end of my marriage; we ate donuts and drank coffee in a brightly-lit bakery in Brooklyn full of elaborate wedding cakes; we spent a rainy afternoon in the movie theater. There were adventures galore on that trip, but finding the quiet moments

a meeting quote, a poem, a tuesday

2006-09-12T20:43:00.000-06:00

Today at an afternoon meeting:"I applaud all the energy at this table, but what we really need now is synergy."I really felt, actually, like I should stab out my own eyes with my pen. Synergy? Not so much.Which leads me to a poem. The Tuesday is incidental.Sean Penn Anti-Ode - Dean YoungMust Sean Penn always look like he's squeezingthe last drops out of a sponge and the

um, ick

2006-09-10T17:42:00.000-06:00

tammytoes here with a bulletin on a new low in tween marketing: apparently, someone at dElias is having a pissing contest with Abercrombie to see which company can produce the most offensive t-shirts for twelve year old girls with clueless parents to wear. I thought maybe Abercrombie had the prize last year I spotted a plethora of "Who needs brains when you have these?" t-shirts being sported by

effin' meetings

2006-09-09T10:56:00.000-06:00

I've developed some coping mechanisms for the myriad of meetings that plague my work existence now that I'm in management, including:- buzzword bingo- attempts at astral projection- cuticle analysis- mental lists of things I'd rather be doing (the old standby)- bizarre, explicit sexual fantasies (never involving the other people in the room, sad to say)- pondering my next career- complete

the labor day wrap-up

2006-09-04T17:39:00.000-06:00

Wherein your narrator sleeps in for a delicious three days in a row, attempts to eat her own weight in movie theater popcorn, lovingly reflects on her living situation, vacations in front of passive entertainment and reviews (count 'em) two more films.The CD shuffle thingee in our dining room miraculously started Labor Day off with the Primitives' 'Crash,' which caused a minor freak-out and much

tammytoes answers the burning question: what if Jane Campion decided to adapt a VC Andrews novel to the screen?

2006-09-03T16:28:00.000-06:00

The result might be 'The Quiet.' Well, actually, Campion would do a damn sight better than 'The Quiet,' but you get the idea.You see, gentle readers, this blogger believes that the only way to support - really support - women filmmakers is to actually go see their films. On opening weekends. No matter if they're indie or major studio. Good or bad. The almighty buck drives production and

the play by play

2006-09-01T21:47:00.000-06:00

The Mile High Club flew very unfriendly skies to get to Kansas City for our first interleague bout. I arrived a day early to spend some time with family, get some sleep, and catch up on my cable TV, but the rest of the team spent nearly 11 hours on runways, circling in the air and getting diverted to Omaha due to the weather. Most arrived at around 5 am on the Saturday morning of the bout. I

well, frankly....

2006-08-22T00:47:00.000-06:00

it's hard to follow a poem about pussies, so I really haven't felt like trying much this past week.Tonight was my last practice before the bout in KC. I've skated so much this month that I feel like I don't have any padding left on the bottoms of my feet. Derby girls have ugly feet, make no mistake. Thoughts, feelings, and conversations have been less than coherent this past week - I've moved

poem for pussies

2006-08-12T21:54:00.000-06:00

Notes for a Sermon on the Mount- Nin Andrews1. Pussies are not gods. They are created beings.2. Unlike god, they do not always exist.3. Dignified, majestic, intelligent, we must attend to them nonetheless.4. Like all spiritual beings, pussies cannot be seen with the human eye at just any time of the day.5. Pussies represent both the visible and the invisible, the sacred and the profane.6.

because truly imaginative fiction rules

2006-08-06T14:39:00.000-06:00

"No, really, think about it. Think about the little mermaid, who traded in her tail for love, got two legs and two feet, and every step was like walking on knives. And where did it get her? That's a rhetorical question, of course. Then there's the girl who put on the beautiful red dancing shoes. The woodsman had to chop her feet off with an axe. There are Cinderella's two stepsisters

Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts...

2006-08-05T10:17:00.000-06:00

I present to you the baddest flight attendants on four wheels...the travel team of the Denver Roller Dolls: the Mile High Club.We're all about the love.

best note for a monday ever

2006-07-31T17:24:00.000-06:00

summer ritual

2006-07-30T23:21:00.000-06:00

On Sunday nights, we project films in our backyard. Tonight, 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.' Several weeks ago, we premiered 'The Descent' with the original European ending. We have cocktails, beers, popcorn, homemade snacks and movies. For this reason - and many others - this house has become my home.

more about my study cube and dahlias

2006-07-30T10:01:00.000-06:00

It was a petite, quiet white space in the library with a door. That's not remarkable. What is remarkable is that I had tacked a magazine cutout of some dahlias on the wall for color and life. A passerby could see those dahlias if she walked by. A few weeks after I put up the photo, I received a letter in the mail from a secret admirer. The envelope contained another picture of dahlias and a

and the cookie was yummy, too

2006-07-27T23:53:00.000-06:00

I was just thinking about this fortune cookie fortune I got during my senior year of college at the only Chinese restaurant in Mt. Vernon, OH. The fortune simply read:"You are the greatest in the world."I tacked it up on the wall of my study cube all year. I did some great work that year. When I graduated, I lost that fortune, unfortunately.A decade later, I'm haunted by that missing fortune.

dispatches from the land of too much

2006-07-23T09:29:00.000-06:00

I'm back again to over-land. Overworking, overscheduled, overcommitted, overresponsible, all the old over-familiar territory. How the hell did I get back here so fast? I started skating again (which is a good thing, but requires 2-3 solid evenings of my life with another 10+ hours of work a week on top if it), I committed myself to helping friends with a weekly GRE study group, I've been

Overheard in the bathroom of the Peaches show, tonight

2006-07-16T00:56:00.000-06:00

"It would be SO cool if Peaches were to shake her sweat on to my tits!"There was lots and lots of very intentional hair at the show, too.