Discovery Channel rocks...

If you missed When We Left Earth you missed an awesome series. It spanned the gamut from the space race and the Mercury missions all the way to today's space station.

Many of the astronauts told stories as well as flight director Gene Kranz (wearing his famous vest) who was there for it all. Interesting guy...click on his name to read more about him.

I learned quite a bit from this series and because they had the people that experienced the missions it made it more real, more personal. I found myself getting emotional about some of the stories. And after watching this, you realize how lucky we really were that we even got to space or the moon for that matter. It really was just luck sometimes. And we are lucky to not have lost more lives in space.




They cover the tragedies of NASA too. But you know, each one of them taught a lesson. And I think this is true for everyone, not just NASA...you can't take things for granted, you can't rush something that people's lives may depend on, you can't get blasé about important things and you must be continually diligent. I think that when we do these things, we get a harsh lesson.
-The fire in the command module of Apollo 1 killing all 3 crew members (hazardous training conditions and faulty command module mechanisms)
-7 crew on board Challenger (temperatures dropped dangerously low for the shuttle during the night before launch there was even ice on the launch tower, conditions that have never been tested, and they launched anyway...even though many project engineers expressed concern about the very part that failed to their management)
-7 crew on board Columbia (damage to thermal protection system leading to structural failure from a piece of foam insulation broke off the external tank during launch, now the shuttles are inspected externally visually before re-entry is cleared)

I highly recommend watching this series. I'm sure Discovery will air it again at some point, but it is also for sale on DVD.
Amazon

From 'icanhascheezburger'...

Scroll down two posts ago to see another picture of this guy rescuing the 'kittehs'.

Movie clip of the day...

My favorite scene from Grandma's Boy...

Flood Relief...please give...

This morning at the grocery store as I was paying for my muffin and chocolate milk the clerk asked me if I'd like to donate $1 to the Red Cross Flood Relief Fund.

I did and I encourage everyone else to do so as well if they have the opportunity.

It's $1. If you are on a computer reading my blog, you can afford to donate $1. Especially when it's as easy as tacking $1 onto your grocery bill.

What if this happened to you and you knew people weren't giving $1 when they are buying themselves $6 Starbucks ice cream?

See more photos...

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/06/mississippi_floodwaters_in_iow.html

George Carlin 1937-2008

"In his lengthy career as a comedian, writer and actor, George Carlin has not only made us laugh, but he makes us think," Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen Schwarzman said in a statement. "His influence on the next generation of comics has been far-reaching."

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He wasn't just funny, he really did 'make us think'. He managed to make us laugh at some horrible truths.

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And he was just plain funny. His response to being slated to receive in November the 2008 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, given by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts?

"Thank you, Mr. Twain. Have your people call my people."

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Read the CNN article here.

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Read about him on IMDB here.

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In GC's honor...

(Now this is George Carlin we're talking about here...so there's obviously some language)

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The Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV...

I love words. I thank you for hearing my words. I want to tell you something about words that I think is important. They're my work, they're my play, they're my passion. Words are all we have, really. We have thoughts but thoughts are fluid, then we assign a word to a thought and we're stuck with that word for that thought, so be careful with words. I like to think that the same words that hurt can heal, it is a matter of how you pick them. There are some people that are not into all the words. There are some that would have you not use certain words. There are 400,000 words in the English language and there are 7 of them you can't say on television. What a ratio that is. 399,993 to 7. They must really be bad. They'd have to be outrageous to be seperated from a group that large. All of you over here, you 7, Bad Words. That's what they told us they were, remember? "That's a bad word!" No bad words, bad thoughts, bad intentions,
and words. You know the 7, don't you, that you can't say on television? "Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, CockSucker, MotherFucker, and Tits" Those are the heavy seven. Those are the ones that'll infect your soul, curve your spine, and keep the country from winning the war. "Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, CockSucker, MotherFucker, and Tits". Wow! ...and Tits doesn't even belong on the list. That is such a friendly sounding word. It sounds like a nickname, right? "Hey, Tits, come here,
man. Hey Tits, meet Toots. Toots, Tits. Tits, Toots." It sounds like a snack, doesn't it? Yes, I know, it is a snack. I don't mean your sexist snack. I mean New Nabisco Tits!, and new Cheese Tits, Corn Tits, Pizza Tits, Sesame Tits, Onion Tits, Tater Tits. "Betcha Can't Eat Just One." That's true. I usually switch off. But I mean, that word does not belong on the list. Actually none of the words belong on the list, but you can understand why some of them are there. I'm not
completely insensetive to people's feelings. I can understand why some of those words got on the list, like CockSucker and MotherFucker. Those are heavyweight words. There is a lot going on
there. Besides the literal translation and the emotional feeling. I mean, they're just busy words. There's a lot of syllables to contend with. And those Ks, those are agressive sounds. They just jump out at you like "coCKsuCKer, motherfuCKer. coCKsuCKer, motherfuCKer." It's like an assualt on you. We mentioned Shit earlier, and 2 of the other 4-letter Anglo-Saxon words are Piss and Cunt, which go together of course. A little accedental humor there. The reason that
Piss and Cunt are on the list is because a long time ago, there were certain ladies that said "Those are the 2 I am not going to say. I don't mind Fuck and Shit but 'P' and 'C' are out.", which led to such stupid sentences as "Okay you fuckers, I'm going to tinckle now." And, of course, the word Fuck. I don't really, well that's more accedental humor, I don't wanna get into that now because I think it takes to long. But I do mean that. I think the word Fuck is a very imprortant word. It is the beginning of life, yet it is a word we use to hurt one another quite often. People much wiser than I am said, "I'd rather have my son watch a film with 2 people making love
than 2 people trying to kill one another. I, of course, can agree. It is a great sentence. I wish I knew who said it first. I agree with that but I like to take it a step further. I'd like to substitute the word Fuck for the word Kill in all of those movie cliches we grew up with. "Okay, Sherrif, we're gonna Fuck you now, but we're gonna Fuck you slow." So maybe next year I'll have a whole fuckin' ramp on the N word. I hope so. Those are the 7 you can never say on television, under any circumstanses. You just cannot say them ever ever ever. Not even clinically. You cannot weave them in on the panel with Doc, and Ed, and Johnny. I mean, it is just impossible. Forget tHose 7. They're out. But there are some 2-way words, those double-meaning words.
Remember the ones you giggled at in sixth grade? "...And the cock CROWED 3 times" "Hey, tha cock CROWED 3 times. ha ha ha ha. Hey, it's in the bible. ha ha ha ha. There are some 2-way words, like it is okay for Kirk Youdi to say "Roberto Clametti has 2 balls on him.", but he can't
say "I think he hurt his balls on that play, Tony. Don't you? He's holding them. He must've hurt them, by God." and the other 2-way word that goes with that one is Prik. It's okay if it happens to your finger. You can prik your finger but don't finger your prik. No,no.

I love this movie...

How can you not like Airplane! ?

Cool Tim Burton Film Mashup...

Damn Straight...

Tourist: Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to MoMA from here?

Suit: Fuck you, what do I look...

Tourist, indignantly interrupting: No, fuck you, you motherfucking piece of shit. You don't want to answer, you say "I don't know". All you New Yorkers are a bunch of cock-sucking assholes. [Suit, stunned, gives directions.]

Bystander to tourist: Where did you learn to do that?Tourist: The Midwest.

--Overheard Outside the Guggenheim

We're tough, remember...we have to deal with this shit...

AFI's Ten Top Ten Films...

So.....their Top 100 but broken into ten categories.

Let's see who landed these coveted spots! Did your favorites make the list? What would you add or change?

Of course, I'll chime in with my comments :)

Animation

#10 - Finding Nemo (love!)

#9 - Cinderella

#8 - Shrek ("I had my mouth hangin' open an' everythang!")

#7 - Beauty & the Beast

#6 - Toy Story

#5 - Fantasia

#4 - The Lion King (it's the ciiiiiircle of liiiiiiiiife!)

#3 - Bambi (I cried)

#2 - Pincchio

#1 - Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs

(Disney almost swept the category...unsurprisingly. Of course I've seen all these)

Romantic Comedy
#10 - Sleepless in Seattle (a classic fav)
#9 - Harold & Maude (never seen it)
#8 - Moonstruck ("snap out of it")
#7 - Adam's Rib (no idea)
#6 - When Harry Met Sally... (awwww!)
#5 - The Philadelphia Story (nope)
#4 - Roman Holiday (huh uh)
#3 - It Happened One Night (negative)
#2 - Annie Hall (wow I suck at watching old movies)
#1 - City Lights (I really suck)

Western (ok...I haven't seen ANY of these. Westerns not so much for me)
#10 - Cat Ballou
#9 - Stagecoach
#8 - McCabe & Mrs. Miller
#7 - Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid
#6 - The Wild Bunch
#5 - Red River
#4 - Unforgiven
#3 - Shane
#2 - High Noon (oh wait! I think we watched this in like, 9th grade or something...yea, I don't remember it though)
#1 - The Searchers

Sports
#10 - Jerry Maquire (sports?...romantic comedy more like)
#9 - National Velvet
#8 - Breaking Away
#7 - Caddyshack (how come there's not a 'Comedy' category?)
#6 - The Hustler
#5 - Bull Durham
#4 - Hoosiers (YEA HOOSIERS!!!!)
#3 - The Pride of the Yankees
#2 - Rocky
#1 - Raging Bull


Mystery (again...I haven't seen any of these, I know I stink)
#10 - The Usual Suspects
#9 - Dial M for Murder
#8 - Blue Velvet
#7 - North by Northwest
#6 - The Maltese Falcon
#5 - The Third Man
#4 - Laura
#3 - Rear Window
#2 - Chinatown
#1 - Vertigo

Fantasy
#10 - Big (another fav!)
#9 - Thief of Baghdad
#8 - Groundhog Day (and yet another fav...that I hated at first)
#7 - Harvey
#6 - Field of Dreams (uh...should this be in 'Sports'?)
#5 - Miracle on 34th Street
#4 - King Kong
#3 - It's a Wonderful Life
#2 - The Lord of the Ring: The Fellowship of the Ring (Hell yes...but I'd put it in 'Epic' with all three movies)
#1 - The Wizard of Oz (no, that's not a man hanging himself in the background, don't believe everything you hear. FYI - it's an ostrich flapping its non-flying wings)

Sci-Fi
#10 - Back to the Future (I heart BTTF!)
#9 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers
#8 - Terminator 2: Judgement Day
#7 - Alien
#6 - Blade Runner
#5 - The Day the Earth Stood Still (never saw it)
#4 - Clockwork Orange (Sci-Fi?)
#3 - E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (first movie I saw in a theater)
#2 - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (I personally put this as #1...but...I guess)
#1 - 2001: A Space Odyssey

Gangster (I've only seen a handful of these so I won't comment)
#10 - Scarface
#9 - Little Caesar
#8 - The Public Enemy
#7 - Pulp Fiction
#6 - Scarface: The Shame of a Nation
#5 - Bonnie & Clyde
#4 - White Heat
#3 - The Godfather Part II
#2 - Goodfellas
#1 - The Godfather

Courtroom Drama (For real?! This is a category?! How about just 'Drama'?!!!)
#10 - Judgement at Nuremburg
#9 - A Cry in the Dark
#8 - In Cold Blood
#7 - Anatomy of a Murder
#6 - Witness for the Prosecution
#5 - A Few Good Men
#4 - The Verdict
#3 - Kramer vs Kramer
#2 - 12 Angry Men (the only one of these that I've seen...for school. But I did like it!)
#1 - To Kill a Mockingbird

Epic
#10 - The Ten Commandments (yawn)
#9 - Reds (huh?)
#8 - Saving Private Ryan (oh yes, so good, yet somewhat disturbing...but brilliant)
#7 - All Quiet on the Western Front
#6 - Titanic (YES I LIKE TITANIC! Get over it. I cry every time at the end)
#5 - Spartacus
#4 - Gone With the Wind
#3 - Schindler's List (another fantastic film based on a true story, Liam was brilliant)
#2 - Ben-Hur
#1 - Lawrence of Arabia

Storms from the weekend...

Our weekend project...

BEFORE

"Straw Hat" from the Martha Stewart paint collection.
AFTER

(as you can see we're watching Night at the Museum)

Nice throwback...

Bringing back a classic SNL skit...or several of them...

The Gemini Roller Coaster Turns 30!!!

The Gemini roller coaster at Cedar Point turns 30 years old today. On June 17th 1978, Gemini opened as the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world at 124.5 feet tall (vertical drop of 118 feet) and 60mph. Obviously times have changed. But Gemini was innovation at its finest at the time...a double track wooden roller coaster taller & faster than any coaster yet.

And...it was the very first roller coaster I ever rode on! I think I was 10 years old...maybe 12. I don't know. I just remember that my dad took me to Cedar Point and convinced me to go on Gemini and I've loved coasters ever since.

And Cedar Point is the best place to go in the country for coaster fans!!!

Side note...check out the retro lettering on those coasters!

DETAILS
Capacity: Approximately 3,300 riders per hour
Features: Structural design computer analyzed and electronically monitored safety system
Ride Time: Approximately 2 minutes, 20 seconds
Speed: 60 mph
Amount of Wood Used: Approximately 500,000 board feet
Wood Type: Douglas fir (chosen for strength) from Washington and Oregon
Investment: $3.4 million (compare that to $25 million for the Millenium Force!)
Angle of Descent: 55 degrees
Dimensions: 900 feet long, 280 feet wide, on 6 acres
Lift Height: 124 feet, 6 inches
Track Length: 3,935 feet
Vertical Drop: 118 feet

Ridership has decreased significantly since its opening, expected with all the newer, faster coasters in the park but last year it still had 1,481,791 riders.

True...

There are no words for this level of stupidity...

And people wonder why I retain a lot of trivial and not so trivial information, why I'm a 'how' 'why' and 'tell me more' person, why I like to have all the answers...

Well...because I don't want to be on of these guys...

(From Overheard in the Office)

CSR, on speakerphone: And where would you like this order shipped?

Secretary: 123 Main St.*, Los Alamos, New Mexico.

CSR : We don't ship out of the country.

Secretary: That's fine, but this address is in the country.

CSR : No, you said to ship it to New Mexico.

Secretary: Yes, New Mexico is a state in the US.

CSR : Sorry, but we can't ship out of the US.

Secretary: Do you have a supervisor I can talk to, please?[Long pause.]

CSR supervisor: This is Tim. Can I help you?

Secretary: I hope so, Tim. Your employee doesn't seem to understand that New Mexico is a state in the United States, and so refuses to ship me your product.

Supervisor: Well, that's true. We can't ship out of the country. I'm sorry ma'am.

Secretary, raising her voice a little: Have you never even heard of the state of New Mexico? It's one of the big, square ones? It's right between Texas and Arizona? It's one of the 50 United States?

Supervisor: I'm sorry, it's just our policy not to ship out of the US.

Secretary: Tim, let me get this straight. Your company is going to lose a $14,000 order because the people in your customer service department are too moronic to know or comprehend that the state of New Mexico is a part of the United States?

Supervisor: Yes, ma'am. That's our policy.

Secretary, completely exasperated: Well, I guess there's nothing more to be said, is there?Supervisor: No, ma'am. Have a nice day.

Some people shouldn't be allowed to be part of public society.

Commercials...

Have you noticed how completely retarded commercials are getting?!?! Rob & I (when we actually see a commercial, thanks DVR!) sit there and say...ok, if that made it on TV, why aren't we making money by writing better commercials?
Seriously. They're crap.

Maybe that's why I like clever and cute commercials so much.

Craig...I know you'll like this one cuz I know how much you like penguins. ;)

Throw back...

Ahhh, the good ole days...

These were the shows I raced home to see...

Johnny Depp in Chicago...

So on our way to Merchandise Mart on Monday morning we noticed all these old school police cars...like from the 20's or 30's...on this one road we cross. I thought, "that's cool, I love those cars, I wonder what's going on...oh well".

Well as we're going back to the hotel that same street is closed on that block, there's a barricade and a dude with a walkie and there's all kinds of action going on on the street. The 'dude' is telling people to back up and stuff. Then 'the dude' says into his walkie "yea, it's gonna be a little while before Johnny gets here" and it all adds up.

"Johnny" = Johnny Depp

old school cars + road closure = filming of Public Enemies

SWEET!

They actually were in Crown Point, IN filming not too long ago filming at the actual place the real John Dillinger (wait...John Dillinger...Johnny Depp...JD...oooh spooky) escaped from jail (now a courthouse).

No sightings of JD but this picture was capped by someone and is on the People magazine website.

Mmmmm, eye candy...

He's on my "I won't get in trouble if I do him" list. Cuz, you know...we'll hook up anyday now.

Throwback of the Day...

One of my favorite movies...

These are some of my favorite lines.

And I love Airplane! because it showed that Robert Stack could be funny! Plus it brought us other great lines...
-And don't call me Shirley!
--This woman has to be taken to a hospital -A hospital! What is it?! --It's a big building with patients but that's not important right now.
-The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in a red zone. --The red zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in a white zone. ...-Look Betty, don't start up with your white zone shit again. There's just no stopping in a white zone.
-Do you like movies about gladiators?
-I've got to concentrate... concentrate... concentrate... Hello?... hello... hello... Echo... echo... echo... Pinch hitting for Pedro Borbon... Manny Mota... Mota... Mota...
-Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor?
-The tower, the tower! Rapunzel, Rapunzel!

And on...and on...and on...

One of the awesomest kids EVER!!!

Funniest Police Blotters...

The following clip is rated R...

What idiot names his cat 'Help?!' Where's the dog? Fire? Fire!

Source: Oddee.com

CUTE!!!

One of my favorite Carol Burnett skits...

He just 'snapped'...

I've gotten pissed at work before but...




Although I can't say I blame this guy too much...

NeoCon...

All day Monday and Tuesday I will be in Chicago attending NeoCon, a trade show at the Merchandise Mart for interior designers. It's huge.


5 entire floors are dedicated to the show with at least 3 of those housing permanent showrooms at the Mart.

It's also just a big fucking party. Starting at about 3:00 on Monday basically all of the showrooms will have cocktail parties...each trying to outdo the other. So by 4:00 you're sloshed and walking around getting more sloshed. There's also parties outside the Mart put on by the 'big guys' (the huge furniture manufacturers) that go well into the night. Also you could be schmoozed by a rep...taking you out to dinner at fancy shmancy places and buying whatever you want to eat or drink.

I'll have to watch myself (a little) because I'm the one schmoozing (kind of) one of the sales people I work with in Texas. I know, he's sales he should be schmoozing me...no, really I/we work for his company so...

Anyway I've worked with this guy for a few years and we've chatted it up a lot, I've sent him wine, I guess we consider ourselves friends. I will FINALLY meet him on Monday. We're going to dinner...he & I & three other designers here. He's super fun and we're going to a great place near the mart...Bin 36. I can't wait...wine, cheese, and more wine please!

I'll be back Wednesday!

JK Rowling's Commencement Speech at Harvard...

Rowling is a wonderful speaker. Her speech was truly inspring...

You can watch the speech in it's entirety here:
http://video.the-leaky-cauldron.org/video/1027#share

Or in three parts...

How cool is this dog!!!

Two-legged dog...that's right...two legs...as in bipedal!
Check it out...

There's no such thing as 'paperless' in the interior design world...

It looks like a bomb went off at my workstation...or my desk threw up.

Times I wish I had a basement...

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/06/04/severe.weather.ap/index.html

They were checking into the possibility of 7 tornados last night. I think only a couple are confirmed right now. There was just a tornado last week or so.

More storms in about an hour and a half.

And once again...not a restful night. That's just how loud and constant the thunder was. I like thunderstorms, but not necessarily this kind.

Anniversary Dinner...

Rob took me to Mama Carolla's for our anniversary dinner. (It's funny, he managed to keep it from me for a couple weeks and on the way home from work to change he let it slip accidentally...all that time and you let the cat out of the bag an hour before?!) :)

It's a quaint little Italian place that's in an old 1920's model home. http://www.mamacarollas.com/

The food was fabulous!!! And it won't break the bank so we'll be going back often!

I took pictures with my camera phone but they came out horrible, not at all appetizing.

We shared a bottle of wine - Santa Margerita Pinot Grigio - I highly recommend

We both had the Italian Wedding Soup - best I've ever had.

I got a 2 pc Bruschetta - again...best I've ever had. I don't like tomato chunks except when it's bruschetta. And it was topped with smoked mozzarella. SO good!

Rob got the Roasted Rosemary Chicken - amazing

I got the Misto del Mare - pasta with shrimp, crab, clams, squid, and scallops in a garlic herb sauce - totally blew me away.

Then we shared a creme brule.

I can't wait to go back now.

The anniversary cake was de-lish!!!

Yes, it is possible for wedding cake to taste just as fabulous one year later! I have to give props to my mother-in-law for freezer-burn-proofing our top layer of cake.
She wrapped it in plastic wrap and then put it in THREE big ziploc freezer bags!
I was slightly worried when I found that the cake was sitting on the cardboard piece that it originally came on...only that it wasn't wrapped with anything. Everything I read (while finding out the best way to thaw the cake) said to not have the cake sit directly on cardboard as the cake might suck up a cardboard flavor. mmmm yum
But it didn't at all! It tastes just as fabulous as it did one year ago. Everyone always says it's no good and a huge disappointment so we weren't expecting much. I'm glad it wasn't the case for us.
We paired our cake with Robert Hunter sparkling wine (we can't say champagne...you know...cuz we're not in France), one of four bottles we picked up on our honeymoon and one of our favorite places.


The cake was pink champagne flavor and...yes I'm aware that when cut because of the green frosting that it kind of looks like a watermelon. I don't care it was fabulous and went with our colors.


We got the heart-shaped champagne flutes for registering at Crate & Barrel. I love free stuff!

Nothing special for dinner (that's tomorrow...oh, I guess tonight) but we did salute our rehearsal dinner by getting Buffalo Wild Wings take-out.

I'll have to let you know how our dinner is, I don't know where Rob's taking me. :)

Happy 1st Year Anniversary to Us!!!

Today is Rob & I's 1 year Wedding Anniversary! It was the most wonderful day!

You can see the slideshow here:

http://www.schaubphotography.com/slideshows/Lastinger/