A Blog About Nothing

Today is the last day of the first month in the new year. And absolutely nothing has changed. Why is it that we get so excited about the arrival of a new year? We treat it like a giant celebration - woo hoo - we made it through another year! So what? What has the new year brought you? Nothing!

I don't celebrate New Years - I never have. I've always avoided the parties and the nutcases like the plauge. I tend to dread the coming of a New Year. But this year - I said - well - why not be optomistic about a New Year and see what happens. Nothing. Nothing happened.

I took a look over the records I have to keep for the unemployment office this morning. Since August 12th I have been looking for a new job {This is a week before I quit spontaneously}. I've sent my resume into 85 unique companies througout the Orlando area - applying to 105 different jobs. And nothing! I'm such a huge loser - I can't even make it through to a call back on the show The Biggest Loser.

Ok - so what if I'm dissappointed with not getting a call back. You're right - I shouldn't take it to heart. I had a one-in-a-million chance of actually getting a call back. I've heard them all over on the Biggest Loser forum as we all try and console one another. But - damnit - I am disappointed and I'm allowed to be moody about it!

Home From Casting Call!!!

I just got home from the Biggest Loser casting call! I arrived at 7:50am - and was #192 in line!!! The gate had been open 5 minutes before I arrived - so that tells you how many people were lingering around Universal property in the wee hours of the morning. We were screened by security as we walked into the park - and directed towards the promenade area of City Walk to line up.

At 10:00am two page applications were distributed to anyone who didn't have the 9 page one. Thanks goodness I had the 9 page application with me - I was able to give much more detail! Then about 10:30ish they started pulling in groups of 13. There were two casting directors - so 26 people were seen at a time - and the line moved pretty quickly. The whole thing was very well organized!

In the group, we were asked Name, Age, Occupation and current weight. Then we were asked "When I get down to my ideal weight, I'll ....." My response was "I'll be better able to care for my husband, and also land the perfect job!" Then we were asked "What would your motivational clothing be?" My response was a business suit - because the larger ones are not as nice as those for skinner people."

Christine (our casting director) said they'd be making call backs within two to three days! If we didn't hear from them - we didn't make it.

Also - while there a photographer from the Orlando Sentinel snapped our photo - so we had to stop on the way out to give her our info. Some of the people in our group thought we were being pulled aside for a call back! But - sorry - that wasn't the case. We did get to ask a few more questions of Christine regarding the call back though - and chatted with her while she was waiting for the next group to come in.

So ... now I'll have to wait patiently to see if I get a call back.

Open Casting Call - TODAY!

And I think I'm getting ready to puke - I'm so excited and nervous!!!!

I went to bed at 10pm last night - which is a good thing - because I was able to get 4 1/2 hours of sleep before the main transformer for our neighborhood exploded and sent green flashing lighting into the sky. Talk about the coolest light show around! Hubby and I jumped out of bed - because at first we thought the house next door was on fire. We met the neighbors outside and collectively - through our sleepy minds - determined that the main had blown and that the power would be out for a long time!

That's when I started to panic - no power means no hot water for a shower. No power means no hairdryer. No hairdryer means my hair looks like - well - a scarecrow! I couldn't go to a casting call with scarecrow hair!

I went back to bed at 3am and chanted over and over again - please turn the power on - please turn the power on! I must have fallen asleep - because at 5am I had my second heart attack of the night when the power came back on - and so did the house alarm!

Needless to say I've been awake ever since. First thing I did was jump in the shower and blow dry my hair! Now I just have to sit around wasting time till about 7am. Or until hubby comes back from his reconnaissance mission. Yes - my dear hubby has volunteered to drive over to Universal to see if a line has formed yet. He's the best! He'll call if there's a line - then swing back home to pick me up. If there's no line I won't get to the park until 7:30am. We've been told no one was allowed on property till 8am - so I have to think there's not going to be a line.

So - I know I'm rambling at this point - I'm nervous. But this is going to be so exciting!!! A great experience - and I hope to take lots of photos along the way. I'll post when I get home this afternoon!!!! Right around 11am - send good thoughts my way!

Friday Featured Artist - 01-27-06 - Art

Fred Wilder is an artist from Orange County, CA - or at least that's where I think he's from. It's really hard to tell - considering his BIO is full of questionable details. I came across Fred a few years ago - when I was going through my "I Must Collect Tin Robots from the 1950's" stage.

While Fred's artwork tends to be a bit wilder (get it - haha) than my current tastes, I do love his "Handsome Robot" series - and have in fact purchased several of his works. We're hanging them in the home office - or Pop Culture room as hubby has named it.

You'll find Fred's unique sense of humor throughout his web site - and reflected in his artwork. If you have a few minutes - and aren't easily offended - you should take time to visit the artwork pages on his web site.

Don't forget to sign Fred's guestbook while you are there! He often holds contest around Halloween giving away one of his paintings. Besides, how else are you going to join in the Robot Revolution?

You're Either With Me, Or Against Me

These seven words have done more to separate our country in the past few years than they have to bring us together. Since the President uttered this phrase we have seen an increase in the polarization of thinking in the people of the United States of America.

You are Either With Me - Or Against Me

Think about it? When was your last conversation about local politics? Did it become a heated debate with a clear and distinct polarization of arguments? Did you notice that your fellow debater started toting the party lines more and more? Start reading message boards across the web - you'll find MILLIONS of these arguments taking place on a daily basis. People have become so fixated on the issues of their party - they've forgotten to think for themselves!

We the people have started to attack one another.

You would think that we the people are the terrorists! On this evenings news broadcast I saw a woman beating a school board member over the head with her cane because she felt they were violating the Sunshine Laws. College students storm government meetings demanding that Liberty comes before Security. Studies are showing that campus harassment and crime is on the rise. It goes on and on and on!

Our children are no longer safe in their own schools!

Children are taking guns to school and shooting one another - could this be an extension of the despair we feel as country? A seven year old - SEVEN - took a gun to his daycare center and accidentally shot a classmate. SEVEN! A school in Houston is spending some of their education dollars to put up a fence around the school to deter fights. Four teens in Wisconsin are being charged with hate crimes! A young lady was expelled from her private school simply for kissing a friend.

Polarization leads to public demonstration

President Bush will deliver his State of The Union Address on January 31st. An organization is forming to drown out the message of the Republicans - what they see as lies. World Can't Wait - Drive Out Bush is organizing protests around the country with a goal to drown out the State of The Union Address. They will gather with pots and pans, musical instruments, drums, church bells, and every other noise making device you can think of. At 8pm - one hour before the address - they will make the loudest noise they can to draw attention away from the President - so that their mesage is finally heard! This is a desperate plea to the people of the United States to stop listening to the lies - and start thinking for themselves!

The polarization has to come to an end - if we continue to fight among ourselves - we continue to divide our once very strong country. Remember these key words from our founding fathers:

UNITED WE STAND - DIVIDED WE FALL!!!!

President Bush should remember these words during his Address. They are our only hope.

Open Casting Call - Saturday!

I am doing something totally crazy on Saturday! I've decided to go to an Open Casting call for the NBC show - "The Biggest Loser". I wasn't going to tell anyone which show it was - but honestly - it is so easy to go to the NBC web site and see which reality shows are holding casting calls - it would only take a few minutes for you to figure out.

My husband is keeping things real - reminding me on a daily basis that I have a one in a million chance to fill one of seven openings on the show. But I need to do this! I need to at least attempt to catch the Casting Directors eye. Besides - the entire audition process will make a really cool Blog posting!!!

I'm getting excited and nervous - I couldn't sleep last night. I made the mistake of chatting on TBL message boards for tips on my audition and couldn't stop thinking about possible answers to possible questions. There have been many people who have attended calls in other cities - all willing to share their experience. Apparently they are taking you into the casting director in groups of 10 - 12. You have 6 minutes to make yourself stand out from the group. Some of the questions that have been asked are:

• What would your t-shirt slogan be?
• How does your weight affect your job?
• What do you think of the obesity problem in this country and do you think it can be fixed?
• What do you think of how obese people are portrayed on TV?
• If you were thin - what would you do?
• What is your goal item of clothing?
• What makes you unique?

I have a pretty good response for them all - except "What Makes You Unique". This is the same question they ask in job interviews "Why should we hire you"? I have a problem with this because I think more logically - and logically we are pretty much all the same! Any answer I give they have probably heard 100 times. Do I want to throw in the "My husband is a transplant recipient - so I'm unique" option - because really that is what makes HIM unique. Or do I need to sit here for the rest of the week and self analyze myself to see really - what makes me different than anyone else - that might actually be impressive and interesting enough to a television audience!

So - those of you who think you know me - tell me why you think I am unique! And - don't go all mushy with the "you're kind to other people" and "you have inner strength" ... blah blah BLAH! I want something that makes me stand out from everyone else!

{Should I use the - I'm the World's #1 fan of Bono?}

Friday Featured Artist - 01-20-06 - Author

Gregory Maguire

I discovered Gregory Maguire a few years ago when his book 'Wicked' first came out. I thought the premise of the story intriguing and decided to give him a chance. The book turned out to be one of the best I have read. So - I bought his other books - 'Mirror Mirror', 'Lost', and 'Confessions of an Ugly Step Sister'. All three of these books were well worth the purchase!

Maguire for the most part is a children's book author. They include 'Seven Spiders Spinning' and 'Leaping Beauty'. His twist on adapting popular fairy tales is rather unique - modernizing the classics to appeal to todays modernized kids! If you're a Fairy Tale fan - as I am - you'll get a good giggle from his childrens books.

Maguire extended his allegory adaptations to the Oz series with 'Wicked'. Basically taking the popular story of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, and twisting it to give us the tale from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. Readers will find themselves rooting for the infamous villain - and becoming passionate about her cause. The story has enjoyed a return to popularity with its adaptation into a Broadway musical - one of the favorites and a very hard ticket to come by.

A continuation of 'Wicked', is Maguires newest release - 'Son of A Witch'. The story relates the adventures of Liir - a boy who had lived in the castle of the Wicked Witch. His adventures take you through a divided Oz - a political nightmare during the transition of power after the Wizard leaves.

Maguire paints a realistic picture of what life was really like in Oz - and of the struggles each character must face. In 'Son of a Witch' we learn that magic lives within us all - we just need to work hard to find it.

MASS GOOGLE SEARCH - Your Help Needed

In an effort to protest a recent government request to GOOGLE - I am asking everyone who reads this message to take part in a massive Google Search. Please read the article below:

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - The government wants to know what people have been Googling for. It's subpoenaed Google for details on what users have tried to find through its search engine. The Bush
administration says it only wants to find out how often people look for porn, as it tries to revive an anti-porn law. Google has promised to protect personal information, but it also says it complies with legal and government requests.

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The Bush administration continues to take away our rights to privacy. As I've stated in an earlier blog, if we don't start shouting as a group for this type of government 'Big Brother' mentaility to stop - then Dubbya and his cornies are going to get away with creating a dictarorship. I'm not so sure I want to be told which religion to participate in, and what my morale observations should be.

To participate in the Google Search Protest - simply do a search on these exact terms: "Useless Government Activity" then ask all of your friends and family members to do the same.

Thanks so much for participating! Let's show Corporate America - and our Government Leaders - that we're not going to let them get away with it!

Fairy Tales and Today

I'm thinking about writing a children's book. A modern day fairy tale so to speak. It will be about a young girl living with her parents - and her over active imagination. She'll be the true author of the fairy tales - as she relates her adventures in the forest behind her home.

I've actually been thinking about writing a project like this for some time. However - it's not something that really pays the bills. Since I'm still unemployed I thought if I'm going to make an attempt at writing the book - I should take advantage of the time now to do so.

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Did I tell you that I heard back from the PBS station? They hired someone else - the other person had been working as a freelancer at the station for a long time apparently. Since everyone knew this other person - they decided to hire them instead of me. Just my luck - and I have not heard back from the two companies I interviewed with before the holidays - so I guess I'm out of luck on all counts.

I'll be searching the want ads and Careerbuilder heavily this week. I also obtained the Book Of Lists from the Business Journal and will be customizing my resume and cover letters to select top companies. Now if I could only figure out exactly what it is I want to do!

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Anyway - back to the idea of a book. I'll probably be posting questions for research purposes here. Please take a second to honsetly answer the questions - it will really help me develop the story. My first question is - what do you remember being your favorite children's story and why was it your favorite. Just hit that "comment" button below and give me your response.

Friday Featured Artist - 01-13-06 - Paintings

This weeks Featured Artist is Guy Gondron. I love his landscape paintings from around Central Florida. The painting above is titled "Winter Park" and shows the massive 100 year Oak trees that flourish in that neighborhood.

I worked with Guy for several years, and he's a very talented graphic artist as well. Though his web site only shows his paintings. His works tend be a bit ethereal/surreal - having somewhat of a blurred effect. Guy is a HUGE LOR fan - and you'll find some of his paintings are stylized in that dark, fantasy realm.

Though the paintings are older - Guy has said that he'll be posting his newer works to the web site soon. You can find him at www.protoguy.org

The Good Ol' USA - a future Dictatorship?

I just finished a book by JA Jance - 'Edge of Evil'. While a disappointing read - not up to the JA Jance standards I'm used to - the book did have an interesting twist. It was about a female news anchor who kept a blog. In her case, the blog was started when she was fired from her station due to her age. She wanted another forum to write on. But then her friend was murdered and the blog became a means to track the story and leads related to the murder.

The news anchor in the story is stalked by a really bad guy who ends up at her home. Which leads me to the point of my post. The new law signed by President Bush this week. Yes, that's right my blog friends, President Bush signed a bill this week that prohibits anyone from annoying others on the internet without providing thier real name. That means - unless I tell you who I really am - I can't do anything that might annoy you. Criminal penalties include stiff fines and the possibility of two-years in prison.

As usual I can see the benefits and the negatives that go along with this law. It would be helpful on some occasions to know who is really behind the threats and insults. As in the book I've just read, Dyckersonville may have a stalker. We've seen the return of an interesting character who is obsessive over a news anchor close to where he lives. He has made several attempts to determine the true identities of two of the female posters at that forum. It would not surprise me if he finds a way to locate them in real life. In his case - the new law would be very useful. It would be a deterent against a possible stalker - a very good thing. Dyck - if you're reading this you really should log that guys IP address in the event he does do something whacky.

On the negative side of the new law - it's a blatant slam against the First Amendment, our Freedom of Speech and our inherent right to privacy. If we are all made to identify ourselves online - how fast do you think fourms, message boards and blogs will disappear? I'd say pretty much over night. While I don't have much to hide - I won't reveal my true identity here to keep nutcases like our friend on Dyckersonville away from my reality.

The Dubya contigency and the entire Republican party run on the "Less is More" mantra. Meaning, the less government involvement the better. However, during his two terms in office we have seen a steady increase in government regulation - all in the name of terrorism. While this most recent removal of yet another First Amendment right was not in the name of terrorism, it was buried within another bill as if to sneak it under the noses of the American people. Our Freedoms and Protections are being slowly taken away from us by Dubya and his cronies. Keep that in mind during the next election. Pretty soon speaking out against the government will become outlawed - and that my friends is the first step towards a Dictatorship.

Glazed Lemon Daisy Bread

I was cleaning out some storage boxes and came across this recipe. It's a little labor intensive -but the resulting bread is delicious! Light and fluffy and just yummy! I thought I'd share it here.

Glazed Lemon Daisy Bread


Dough:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup milk
1/4 ounce package active dry yeast
4 1/4 to 4 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice

In 1 qt. saucepan combine 1/2 caup sugar, w/2 cup butter and milk. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted (3 to 5 minutes). Pour into large mixing bowl and cool to 110F. Stir in yeast until disolved. Add 3 cups flour and remaining dough ingredients, stir until well mixed. Stir in remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and kead until smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes). Place doug in greased bowl; turn to coat dough. Cover and let rise in a warm location until doubled in size. (1 to 1 1/2 hours). Dough is ready if indention remains when touched.

Punch down dough; let rest 10 minutes. On lightly floured surface roll dough into an 18" circle. Spread with softened 1/4 cup butter and sprinkle with cloves. Place a beverage tumbler in the center of the dough, make 4 cuts at equal intervals from outside of circle to beverage tumbler. Cut each wedge into 5 wedges (you'll have a total of 20 wedges). Twist every two wedges together, pinch ends of twists together. Coil twists towards the center, making a daisy design. Remove tumbler, coiling one twist for the center.

Place onto a greased cookie sheet; reshape design as needed. Cover; let rise 45 minutes. Heat oven fot 350F. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in small bowl mix together all ingredients for glaze until smooth. Pour glaze over warm bread.

Homemade Candy

Today I have invited my niece (7) and nephew(4) over for a special Double Feature of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - old and new! To commemorate the occasion I woke up at 7am to take a bash at creating my very own brand of Homemade Hard Candy. As I type this - batch number one (the test batch) is cooling in the kitchen.

I purchased special candy flavorings while in PA over the holidays - it came in a variety of tempting flavors - but I opted for the tradition: butterscotch, peppermint and cinnamon. And just to be exotic I also picked up pineapple flavoring - as this is my favorite flavor of Life Saver.

If this batch of candy turns out any good - I may be in the candy making business! It's relatively easy to make Hard Candy. Here's the basic recipe:

3 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
1 cup water
2 tsp. flavoring
your favorite food coloring

Basically - you bring the mixture up to 260F (using your handy dandy candy thermometer) - then add the coloring. DO NOT STIR - the boiling action will mix the color in for you. Then - when the candy reaches 300F - remove from heat and stir in the flavoring. Transfer candy mixture to greased cookie sheet. Then when it's all cool you smash it into a bunch of yummy pieces!

If you're a pro - you'd have candy molds, etc .... But since this is my first batch I'm doing things the primitive way.

So - the first batch is butterscotch flavored. I put in blue and red food coloring (to make Willie Wonka Purple - of course). It's now cooling and almost ready to smash into pieces. The whole house smells like butter and scotch - which is a good thing! Too bad I really shouldn't be tasting any of it - but I will sacrifice the diet to ensure quality control of the product. I'll let you know if it turned out - or if I had to throw the whole lot in the trash.

FRIDAY FEATURED ARTIST - 01-06-06 - Music

James Blunt

While driving home from the grocery store this afternoon - I heard this beautiful - sad song. The voice was so unique and just fit the blue mood I'm in right now. The song is called "You're Beautiful" and it speaks about a man falling in love with a woman he's seen across the subway - but has no hope of ever seeing again.

Reading James' biography at his website, I saw that our British family history was somewhat the same. We both come from a long line of warriors - and have broken away from this family tradition to explore our creative sides. You have to read his bio - this guy has a tremendous sense of humor about himself. Another reason why I selected him as my first featured artist. {And he's cute to boot!}

I know most critics get into the sad undertones and the haunting melodies - though true - I won't go there. I don't dare pretend I know enough about music to criticize technique. And I've really only heard the one song all the way through - the rest I've just heard clips. All I know is that this song moved me - it made me rush home to jump online and figure out who this guy was!

Featured Artists Index

Index Of Featured Artists:

01-06-06 - James Blunt

01-13-06 - Guy Gondron

01-20-06 - Gregory Maguire

01-27-06 - Fred Wilder

02-03-06 - Sue Monk Kidd

02-10-06 - U2

02-24-06 - Taylor Hicks

Biggest Loser 3 Candidates

The Job Search Continues

It's been awhile since my last update on the job search. I know many of you don't care - but I needed to post something on the blog to keep you coming back for more! Let's see .... it's been 20 weeks since I stepped down from my position as Director of Marketing & Sales at the golf course. I have sent out 77 resumes, had 7 interviews and ZERO offers of employment.

My most recent interview was two days ago with the local PBS station as their Marketing Coordinator. A step down from my manager experience - but it's a job back in television so I'm not going to complain. {well - the pay sucks - I can complain about that}. The interview went well - like all of the others. It's getting really hard for me to work up the enthusiasm required when recruiters say "We'll let you know our decision next week." I'm learning what that really means is "We liked you - but not enough to hire you." The number of times I've been called back by a recruiter with a decision is ZERO. I've had to send out numerous follow-up e-mails to find out the position was given to "someone whose qualifications best matched the position."

So - I'm doing my best to be optimistic about the PBS station job. Looking at their EOO report online - they have a history of only interviewing 2-3 candidates for each job. Which is a PLUS for me. Heck - if they can find one other person who's qualifications are better than mine - then by all means give them the job! It only pays $27,000 a year anyways.

I'm still keeping hope for the two jobs I interviewed for prior to the holidays as well - sending out my special follow-up e-mail today. I'm hoping to hear back that they are making their decisions this week. The job I REALLY want {if I can only choose from the 3 most recent interviews} is at a posh country club in membership sales. The salary was $35,000 - but the current membership director is earning $1,000 per week in commissions. That's an extra $52,000 a year! SWEEEEEEEEETTTTT! Sure - it's a sales job - but for that kind of money I'd grow to like sales. The third job is with the local transportation company - in business development. What that means - is that it would be my job to convince the bigger companies within the area to purchase pre-tax vouchers for bussing to give out/sell to their employees. Since I have little sales experience, I have mixed feelings about this job. It would be stable - and it pays really well ($50,000) - but I'm not sure I'll like the job.

I sort of made the decision a few days ago to just take the job with the most money - if offered all three positions. To just suck-it-up and do the job as best I could regardless of whether or not I liked it. But, I'm starting to doubt that decision. Is it more important to make tons of money - or to love what you're doing. Out of the three jobs I'd probably enjoy the PBS job the best - but it pays the least. {Which is exactly how my world works - its just not fair}

Keep your fingers crossed for me! The unemployment checks will stop in 6 weeks - so I need to find a job before that happens! Otherwise I'll have to sling burgers or hock clothes at the mall! Ah!

If it wasny for ya' wellies where would you be?

"You'd in the 'ospital or in the infirmary. For you would 'ave a dose of the flu or even pleurisy! If ya' didny 'ave yer feet in yer wellies!" ~ Billy Conley

Today I have been told that my Uncle is dieing from Cancer of the Pleura. He's been in the hospital for several days being treated for what they thought was a case of Pleurisy. However - they discovered today that the Pleura was completely covered in cancer. They'll be taking him off the ventilator sometime today and he'll find his way into the arms of the angels.

My Uncle was a brilliant man - when I say this I mean that he just shone whenever I saw him. His personality was larger than life and I will always remember him smiling. Living in England, we didn't get to visit him as often as we would have liked. But he was always at our sides during important occasions in our lives. I think he would be amused to discover his ailment came straight from one of his favorite comedians songs.

My Uncle was a member of the Royal Guard at Buckingham Palace many moons ago. As a kid I thought this was the coolest job ever! He got to wear one of those big fuzzy hats, and was able to stand perfectly still even when people did their best to make them laugh. From there he moved on to become a Detective at Scotland Yard. He was my very own personal super hero - defender and crime fighter. A modern version of our warrior ancestors - well known in our family history.

My most recent memories of my uncle are from my own wedding. This was the last time that I saw him - and that was 9 years ago. He and my Captain-in-law got along very well - splitting a bottle of my father-in-laws best whiskey. I'm told they had a very good time - and my dad had to trick him with a bottle of O'Douls to get him away from the hotel bar afterwards.

My mother and aunt - sisters to my uncle - were able to spend a long vacation with him this past year. He had always wanted to see the Grand Canyon - and his wife was able to surprise him on his 70th birthday. My uncle flew to my aunt's home in Colorado - where my mom met them. They drive down through the grand canyon - making stops along the way - and then back home via Las Vegas. They had the time of their lives. I am so glad they were able to spend that time together.

My Aunt Anne - my uncles first wife - died of breast cancer when I was very young. I have always envisioned her as an angel watching over us all. I know she's watching over my uncle and his family now. I'll miss you, my Super Uncle.

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What Is Pleurisy?

Pleurisy, also called pleuritis, is an inflammation of the pleura, which is the moist, double-layered membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the rib cage. The condition can make breathing extremely painful, and sometimes it is associated with another condition called pleural effusion where excess fluid fills the area between the membrane's layers.

What Causes It?

Viral infection is probably the most common cause of pleurisy. Other diseases that can cause pleurisy are lung infections, such as pneumonia and tuberculosis, and other diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, liver and kidney disease, heart failure and pulmonary embolism. Other causes include chest injuries and drug reactions.

Obsession

Now, I have found that there is an obsessive tendency that runs in my family. While I won't go into details in order to protect the not-so-innocent, I will point out that I have witnessed these obsessive behaviors first hand. I am wondering if I should start research on finding the gene that creates this type of behavior - I could become rich and famous! But I lack the scientific knowledge to launch such a study - so I'll have to be content with observing behavioral patterns and noting occurrences of obsession.

I'd have to begin with myself. Yes - I tend to be obsessive on many things. I love to eat good food - as is evident in my stature. I love to bake - it's become one of my passions. I absolutely love to shop - get me in the mall with a credit card and I'm the happiest person on the face of the earth! Many of you have witnessed my obsession over Bono, the lead singer of the group U2, and the one person capable of saving the world! {my hero!}.

I have a new obsession. It's a PC game that should have come with some sort of warning label! Right on the front of the package -in big red letters - it should read

WARNING: THIS GAME MAY CAUSE ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR

It's a new PC game called simply, "The Movies."

I received the game on Christmas, and wasn't able to begin playing it until we returned home from Lake Carey, PA. In the past 5 days I've played the game over 30 hours. YES! I already admitted to being addicted! I just can't stop myself! I have not watched TV at night in the past 5 days. I have not seen the news in the past 5 days. I have no idea what's going on in the outside world - because I"ve been playing this silly PC game! It must stop!

But I can't stop. You see - I can create my own little movie studio. I can even create my own actors and directors - pick every feature and characteristic I desire. It's my way of controlling Hollywood! It's FANTASTIC! So far I've only created one actor and one director. Myself as the director, and of course, Bono as the actor. Yes - silly - I know. But it was the first character that came to mind when I was testing the Star Maker feature.

I've run through the tutorial and learned the basics of the game. I've begun my own studio from the ground up - starting in 1920. As each year goes by I can add new buildings, and create movies in all kinds of genres. As I gain more experience I can even write my own scripts, direct the filming, and edit the movie in post-production! Did I mention that this game is FANTASTIC!

I'm making an effort to force myself off the computer this next week - to take my mind off the game. I have a ton of projects planned around the house and I have another interview on Wednesday. Let's hope I don't mix-up reality with the game during the interview - and say "Oh yes - I have directing and production experience - I've developed 35 short films." LOL - that would be a hoot!

I think I'll play for another hour before I sign off for the week. So - who wants to become the next Super-Star in my game??