A Bad Robot Take on Lost?

This is interesting. Makes sense it could be really for a writer. And if it's not, then, well, it still makes sense to me.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great time in Detroit. I could just sit and stare and my awesome nephew for hours. Him putting dishes in the dishwasher, throwing things away, listening to his story about Max and Ruby, playing in his sandbox and his little house, wearing all sorts of cutie clothes, and etc. He has the perfect lightly curly sandy brown hair, and he can smile and smile all day long. He is just awesome. And my brother is such a good dad. Honestly, he is patient and just confident enough. And it's so cute to see dad with Joey; he is totally in his element. Of course, I could say that about mom, too. they just light up whenever he's around. That kid is so loved. And I hope he always is this happy, before the world gets to him.

It was good to see family and maybe I could write a better word than "good" but this was the essence of good. It's just good. It's easy and happy and I miss being there already, so so much.

Detroit I

Lots more I can write about, but between seeing Joey and watching the Tigers (albeit in a loss, despite Cabrera's three homers), I will just say more to come.

The crowds and Hockeytown are something to see, and being "home" is always wonderful. But we have two homes now. But hanging out with my dad on his birthday and seeing my little cutie nephew and seeing my aunt and uncle and later my cousin is all good. Too short, though. And I hate having to only be here every six months. I need to change that. It is a little feeling of bliss or contentment I don't feel very often.

Kwame Imprisoned

I should have wrote about this yesterday but I neglected to. This is classic: Kwame is going back to prison for 18 months - 5 years after, well, read for yourself:

To this day, you’ve continued to assert that this court violated the law by requiring to disclose those funds and that in any event they were intended to benefit your family and not for restitution. Had the court known about those funds, it would have immediately ordered their application towards the repayment of your restitution. Or, at the least, the court would have ordered that you pay 100% of your after-tax income towards the payment of your restitution. In fact, those funds have still never been accounted for. The broader context of this issue is, of course, that your family living expenses including living in a million-dollar home, driving brand-new Escalades, shopping at high-end designer stores and purchasing elective surgery for your wife. You have made it perfectly clear that now it is more important for you to pacify your wife rather than comply with my court orders. The court doesn’t know what your plans were regarding the restitution, however the court does know that when it determined a reasonable repayment schedule, you balked, feigned poverty and misrepresented your financial status. This contemptible behavior was in clear disregard in both the letter and the spirit of the court’s orders, which sought transparency to comprehensively examine your financial status and determine your ability to pay your restitution obligation to the City of Detroit....

Mr. Kilpatrick, you have asked not to be treated any differently than any other defendant who appears before this court. The problem is, you are different. You were a public servant, and because of your status as a former high-ranking public official, we expected you to set an example. Yet, despite this, you continued to engage in obfuscation and obstruction. You continued to be defiant. And in your letter to this court, you have failed -- actually it was a letter that was sent to the probation department, which is attached -- you have failed to sincerely accept responsibility for your actions. Frankly, your continued attempt to cast yourself as the victim, your lack of forthrightness, your lack of contriteness and your lack of humility only serve to affirm that you have not learned your lesson. Clearly, rehabilitation has failed. You have not adjusted well under probation. Probation is no longer an option. This court must now sentence you in a manner that assures that justice will be served. The terms of your earlier probation no longer apply. That ship has sailed. That plea deal was negotiated by your attorneys and the prosecutor. I only approved what I thought was a lenient sentence because everyone, not only your lawyers and the prosecutors, but also the City of Detroit, urged this court to accept the deal so the city could move on. The city wants to move on. You want to move on. So today we will move on.

Scathing! He is a pathological liar who doesn't think the rules apply to him, and he thinks he's been unfairly wounded by the system. Good riddance. And good job judge.

Fun with Friends

To follow up on a good weekend report, we had fun with Jenny & John and C&J on Saturday night for an evening on H Street. Starting with g&t's at home, followed by the Argonaut, H Street Country Club, and a grand finale at Little Miss Whiskey's. I think it helps us like the neighborhood more if we have friends over, and we hang out, as opposed to sulking about things, even when they are not great. And to hang out with other couple friends with NO CHILDREN is also quite nice. We need to do it more often, I think.

Two days til Detroit!!!!!!!

Hamlet

On Friday night, we went to see Hamlet at the Folger Shakespeare Library. It was actually my first time at the Library, though I've passed it often. It was a great show--Shakespeare done in 1950s attire, which made for some incredibly costumes.

The Washington Post gave it a lousy review. Yes, while the set was Ikea white bland, I thought the actors were energized and engaging, and they gave life to some of the witty phrases and memorable lines of the play.

Granted, the play itself may have been greater than the sum of its parts. But we enjoyed it.

Lost

So this was a good weekend, but the first thing I have to write about was last night's series finale of Lost. So sad that this show, which has been so entertaining for six years, is off the air. However, here are a couple of links that synthesize all of the responses to last night's episode. The Chicago Tribune one seemed particularly on point. Doc's is coming up!

And this ranking of episodes is pretty cool, too.

So what did I think? In some ways, I felt like there were a lot of questions unanswered. Like the fertility of the women on the island, the polar bear, the time travel. But the religious undertones, the idea of heaven, purgatory/limbo, the idea of fate vs. free will--all of it came together. I think Christian Shepherd's speech at the end about what happens when you die--being reunited with loved ones and finding each other--I think a lot of it resonated because that is what you hope happens. All of the people you loved and lost and went on the journey with come together and you reunite and you move forward together to what comes next, which is heaven.

Some details made little sense. Nadia always seemed to be Sayid's true love, not Shannon. Why did Jack have a son? And did they really have to kill Jin and Sun???? I wanted them to have the happily ever after with Kate, Claire, Miles, Lapidus, and Richard Alpert. But I liked the Doubting Thomas-esque nature of Ben, waiting outside the church. I liked Hurley, the good-natured one, becoming the guardian. And it felt appropriate for Jack to die in a way, seeing the plan overhead and his eye closing. It harkened back to the series premiere.

Lostpedia does a good job of rounding things up. I'm not entirely convinced the creators knew all along what they were doing--perhaps they knew the destination if not the journey. But a fabulous show, and I'm sorry to see it end.

San Diego

Just returned from a whirlwind two days in San Diego. Though some highlights were the food, including the World Famous $1.50 lobster tacos. We also enjoyed a mahi taco and onion rings at RT's Longboard Grill.

Ah, Pacific Beach. Seriously just gorgeous, though it was cool and overcast. I can't believe I was there two days ago....less than that actually.

San Diego had a nice downtown, too, though we both found the number of homeless people remarkable. We stayed at the Westgate. Though apparently it was only built in 1970, I seriously thought it was back from the 1930s. And not in a good way: worn carpets, a beigey pink color scheme, and an archaic key system.

Hungry Girl II

I am a bottomless pit again today. Maybe it's that time of the month induced, or maybe it's I should NEVER have gone to Whole Foods! Regardless, the Pirate's Booty and pumpkin seeds and brownies rocked me. Must run it all off tomorrow.

So I am back on the road the next couple of days to California for a program in San Diego. I'm tired just thinking about waking up at 3:30 am tomorrow. I hope I can eat healthy, nap, and get some reading done. And oh yeah, no delays, none at all. I do hope to listen to some good tunes and maybe, hopefully, a movie. That would be nice.

Old School Music

Thanks to Steve, we listened to a Behind the Music special on Phil Collins/Genesis. Man, now I am so sucked into the good old music. Invisible Touch, In Too Deep, Something Happened on the Way to Heaven, Against All Odds, One More Night, etc. Good 80s music that I was too lame to put on my ipod. Must rectify that situation.

Yeah, I did like all of the "lame" 80s love songs and I listened to all of them ALL THE TIME as a lonely girl. And while I prefer the National these days, I do like these tunes. So well written. Sigh.

Demolishing in Detroit

Even the childhood home of Mitt Romney.

Friday before

Off to Chicago in a few hours. I'm listening to this by Josh Ritter. I wish I could have been at his concert!

And I've been running to the National. Sigh. Love the National. Great mellow music and it's actually good running music.

I'm getting together with the FS gang at Lizzie McGuire's tonight and then meeting Michelle at Grand Lux cafe, as is tradition, on Saturday morning. I am already looking forward to it!

Friday before

Off to Chicago in a few hours. I'm listening to this by Josh Ritter. I wish I could have been at his concert!

And I've been running to the National. Sigh. Love the National. Great mellow music and it's actually good running music.

I'm getting together with the FS gang at Lizzie McGuire's tonight and then meeting Michelle at Grand Lux cafe, as is tradition, on Saturday morning. I am already looking forward to it!

Chicago Bound

We're off to Chicago tomorrow, which will probably mean more drunken debauchery and shenanigans. Though there are a lot of pregnant ladies this year, so perhaps folks will be on their best behavior.

I'm supposed to see Michelle, and a year ago, she told me she was thinking of babies. I wonder if she has news, or if she has different news. I feel self-conscious all of a sudden, like I should have news. Like turning 34 means biological clock issues are at the forefront. But I'm working, not a wife along for the ride. Sigh. I wish things were easy about this.

Speaking of babies, guess which nephew will be TWO tomorrow!!!! Two. Sigh. He doesn't know us, but at least in two weeks we'll be there to visit!

Tonight

Steve bought a new Mac Pro tonight. We'll see how much fun it is!

Making chocolate chip cookies.

And ate too much Thaiphoon. But so good and so much the bottomless pit tonight.

Some Things That Annoy Me

Bloggers who don't have 9-5 jobs, don't appear to do much work, complain about what they do have (boo hoo, I have to write a book), but yet have nicer wardrobes than me and iphones. Seriously.

Bicyclists who ride all over the street.

Cars that run red arrows.

No good candy in the candy jar.

Gen Y whiners.

The inability to fall asleep even after taking a Simply Sleep.

Waiting when I am antsy to get home for a run.

Bad running days.

Not having full use of my computer!!!

Our icky furniture.

Days when I can't decide where I want to go to lunch.

Taking the metro home.

Caught in the Crowd

I thought this tune by Kate Miller-Heidke was both catchy and sad. Gonna check her music on lala and myspace today.

Shoe shopping

I made a quick trip to the mall today and I bought THREE pairs of shoes. Three. That may be more than I bought in the past year combined.

I don't like spending money on shoes, which is ridiculous. I got black sandals, brown sandals, and red slip ons. I desperately needed all three. With as much as I walk, I need good shoes. I also needed a reddish cardigan, that I bought today at the Gap for only $25.

I wish I could buy an entirely new wardrobe. Someday...

Siroc

Had lunch with Jenny today at Siroc. Super yummy goat cheese, onion, and portabella mushroom sandwich for only $9. I will be back!

Off to an event tonight for Rebirth Over the Rhine....

More Ernie

So nice that Tigers (well, Ernie Harwell) fans could pay their respects today at Comerica.

I think I read somewhere that he was the most beloved figure in the state of Michigan. I think that was right.

Everyone described him as "the voice of their childhood." The anecdotes of how he said "and that was caught by a fan from Ypsilanti (or Milford or Warren or Troy, etc.) and how everyone wondered "How did he know that?!?" Totally related, LOL!

How many nights did we listen to his broadcasts? Or turn down the TV and listen to him and Paul Carey broadcast the World Series? Or listen to him exclaim "And that ball is LONG GONE!!!"

God bless him and his family.

Struggling

Trying to think of something to write about and I can't. It's been that kind of day. I am ready to go home, run, and eat a nice dinner.

I don't even think it is writer's block. Just nothing is going on. Nada. The news is sad--attempted car bomb in Time's Square, murder at UVA, Ernie Harwell's passing, Lost almost at an end...really nothing cheery to write about.

Maybe more later...

RIP Ernie Harwell

After an eight month battle with cancer, Ernie Harwell passed away tonight. He was 92.

Tears are in my eyes, because he was such an iconic voice of my childhood. Hearing him announce Tigers games is something I will remember from childhood, him and Paul Carey on the radio. He was everyone's grandfather, and he was every bit the Detroit Tiger was Al Kaline, Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson, every hero from 1968 and 1984 were. He was a war hero, a devoted husband, a proud Detroiter, and really one of the most beloved people you never really knew. And I am upset and saddened he's gone. He's a voice, a man you knew in your childhood and that part of Detroit and the Tigers is gone now. An end of an era, really.

I am sure he is in a happy place now, because he deserves whatever reward heaven has in store for him. But this earth is a little less of a place without him.

More here. And here.

Stuff I Want To Do

Get new shoes.

Try Liberty Tree. Try Souk.

Get together with Liz & Ann with cocktails.

Go To St. Lucia.

Figure out the house without it being too painful.

Get to the gym tonight.

Finish listening to the new Josh Ritter album.

See my nephew and my mom and dad and brother.

Get my new passport.

Eat Uno's pizza without feeling bloated and fat.

Check out Biergarten Haus, if it would ever open...

See the Red Wings win tonight

Music Mix

Almost perfect mix of music today....last night's Freelance Whales/Shout Out Louds concert at the 9:30 club (at least I got to hear the music, even if I had to miss it :-( ) and the streamed new National's CD. Good stuff to make a slow day go by a little bit quicker.

There are a lot of new tunes coming out soon that I am excited about. Josh Ritter is up, then The National, in June there is Sia...And I might have a couple of others. I just need to make more room on my ipod!!!

Weekend

We had a fun time on Friday night celebrating Queen's Day at the Dutch Embassy. Then we got sucked into We Are Marshall. And yesterday was a good, old ordinary Saturday: gym, wine store, Target, Harris Teeter, a nice dinner at home (chicken florentine pasta).

And today was mass, brunch with the girls at Chart House in Old Town. I got there a little early to read the paper at Starbucks and then walked around the Torpedo Factory. It is SO hot here, sweltering and humid and nearly 90 degrees. Sigh. Summer has arrived.