RTT: Vote, Korean Pop Star and Real Spiders

Lots of bidness today.

First of all...

Just do it.

 

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Thank you to everyone who asked/prayed about how Mommy fared Hurricane Sandy. A couple of you even sent me personal emails asking how she was. She would LOVE to know that she is so cared about by people "from the internets", but I can't tell her because then she would know I talk about her. Anyway, thank you so much. She, Pop and Aunt Grace rode out the storm together on Long Island, and came out just fine, and luckily, their electricity came back on within 24 hours. A big tree blew over in the backyard, but thank God, didn't hit the house. Instead, it landed on top of the neighbor's above-ground pool and pretty much trashed it. We're hoping the insurance will take care of it.

Now, when I say that Mommy came through the ordeal just fine, I don't mean to say that she wasn't a total and complete nervous wreck, because she was. MUCH worrying and fretting and blaming and second-guessing. But hey, that's Mommy. Pop, the war vet, actually said to me "Gretch, it made me wish I was back in Korea." My b-i-l Tony and his wife, the Amazing Niki, STILL don't have electricity, and so are staying with Mommy and Pop. Now remember, I stay there for many weeks at a time every year, but Niki and Tony are locals and so have never experienced this joy. Niki called the other day, sounding like she was about to have  a nervous breakdown, and told me that her esteem of me has risen tremendously. She's asked me to please say a novena that she survives the ordeal. It would be nice if all of you would join me.

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I had the nicest visit on Friday with Aimee from AimeeWrites!!

 

Me and Aimee - aren't we cute?

She was down in LA from Seattle, visiting her sister, and so after years of an avid on-line friendship, we finally got to hang out. Actually, I picked her up at her sister's office, and gave her my ten cent tour of Hollywood, which consisted of driving around to all of the hotspots and pointing to them out the window while the two of us gabbed and gabbed about every damned thing under the sun! I mean, we never stopped talking! I don't think we finished a single subject, just kept tangenting from thought to thought. Never a dull moment. We did stop for lunch, where we were joined by Elizabeth...

 

 

Me, Aimee and Elizabeth. All cute.

 

I realize that I look exactly the same in all of these long-arm shots. I should really stop taking them. Or maybe do a series of them. Kind of a retrospective of unattractive long-arm shots of me with various friends. 

Anyway, much fun was had by all. Aimee was just exactly what I thought she'd be like. Smart, funny, fun. Isn't that amazing? Every time I meet somebody I've only known through blogging, I'm never disappointed.

So if any of y'all are headed this way, let me know. I'm up for another ten cent tour if you are.

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On Saturday, Jude FINALLY had his first swim meet. He did great! I realize that video of someone else's child's sporting event is exactly what all of you are dying to see, so I'd hate to disappoint. Here is Jude in the 50 yd. Freestyle...

 

That is me, hooting and hollering. And yes, he did win his heat by a LONG way, but unfortunately, it was a slow heat, and he didn't win a medal. But for a first time out, I think he did tremendously well.

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For about 4 days this week, Jimmy and I BOTH kept forgetting to buy our little dog, Fancy, her food. She was completely out. I realize that we are just the WORST doggy parents! We kept going in to feed her and realizing that we still didn't have any food, but we were too tired and lazy to make a special trip to the store. It's pathetic. I kept feeling guilty and therefore filling her food bowl with her treats. Lots and lots of treats. And yesterday I found out that Jimmy had been giving her Honey Nut Cheerios!! Apparently, he would pour it into her bowl just like it was kibble, and she gobbled it up! This can not have been good for her, right? Feel free to chastise us both!

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All the kids, and I do mean ALL the kids, at Jude's school are obsessed with this tremendously silly video...

 

Have any of you ever heard of it? It's a Korean pop star named Psy.  I can't figure out if this is a world-wide phenomenon, or just Jude's school. His school is right in the middle of Koreatown, and we have lots of Korean students, but Jude has discovered all sorts of "Gangnam Style" parodies on the YouTube, so it must be popular elsewhere. Who knew? I apologize to all of you who just listened to this video, because you will now be singing this song for the rest of...your life. I can not get it out of my head. "Heeeeeeey, sexy la-dy!" ERghhhh.

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Yesterday, when I finally got around to taking down the Halloween decorations, I discovered a large, creepy, real spider living on the fake spider webs I'd wrapped around the bushes in front of our house. And I couldn't figure out quite how I felt about the poor spider. Did he just happen upon this enormous web and think "Hmm, maybe, if I hang out here, the other spiders will think I made this myself and be terribly impressed." Or maybe he was just very confused, and thought that maybe he'd spun this huge web and forgotten, but decided to stay there anyway. Or maybe he was just extremely enterprising, and thought "I don't know why the hell some human hung this web here, but it's mine now!" What do y'all think?

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Happy Tuesday. Again...

 

It's the American thing to do.

and then go see Stacy.

Comments

[Claire]

That's kind of funny about the dog food. I know I am really low on it but I also know I have some canned food in there so if I run out, they'll have SOMEthing. But it's making me lazy about buying more.

[Jan's Sushi Bar]

The advantages of feeding your dog raw meat is that, well, you're seldom out of dog food. We don't give Scooter our grass-fed and pastured stuff - we buy him whatever is on sale at the grocery store - but if he runs out before I can get to the store, I've been known to give him scrambled eggs and leftovers.

Stoopid dog is ridiculously spoiled.

And yes, the Honey Nut Cheerios are about the worst thing he could eat. Wheat especially is very bad for dogs.

[The Bug]

I haven't watched it (& can't at work), but that Gangnam thing is a really big thing apparently. There are all kinds of people making their own Gangnam Style spoofs - kind of like the Call Me Maybe song. So now I'll finally go home tonight & watch the video & be in the know - ha!

[Arnebya]

I do not want to watch that video one more time. If the girls aren't watching or singing or dancing -- MAKE IT STOP.

I'm glad Mommy and Pop fared well, and I just sent up an electricity prayer for the Amazing Niki.

I wanna come to LA and get the tour and talk incessantly and be cute yet long arm photographed.

I think the spider is stuck.

Voting today after work.

[VandyJ]

I've seen that video haunting around the interwebs since that Gangnam style dancing was on Dancing with the Stars. They even had a short dance for Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley at the CMA awards show. It really is a thing.
I give us about another year and Turbo will be smoking up the pool too. Good for Jude for his first race!

[Alaina]

ok, so I saw that korean pop video for the first time the other day, and I have to say....I don't get it. Am I old or something?

[Kendra]

When we had a pup I would sometimes forget to get her food so if I realized that after I was home for the day I would just give her some hot dogs or sandwich meats. She loved me!

And my s-i-l and I learned the dance to Gangnam Style and "performed" it at our friends wedding a few weeks ago. It was hilarious.

And I'm really glad to hear all was well with mommy!

[unmitigated me]

Okay. Voted. It took two hours to get through the line and another ten to vote and five to submit the ballot. Incredible turnout...my husband went to the polls as soon as they opened and he also waited two hours.

The Psycho song is fun, but I prefer this version...slow and jazzy acoustic by a Korean group from Berkeley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmBByDQHJAA

Colleges give scholarships to really good swimmers and runners! I can see Jude at the summer games in 12 years!

[Erica]

Jude has a great stroke and turn!

We put high fiber cereal (sometimes Cherrios) on our dog's kibble everyday. Great Danes need the extra fiber to help keep certain glands clean.

Here's a Gangnam Style video from the Naval Academy:
http://youtu.be/xhHufV9g4k4

[Marsha]

I had no idea what Gangnam Style was until Dancing With The Stars. My husband showed me the video. I'm so out of the loop!

[Elizabeth Aquino]

It's cracking me up that you're new to the Gangum Style video and "introducing" us. It reminds me of the time time I mentioned to my friends that I loved this new song that I was hearing on the radio called "We are the World." I was taunted and made fun of for perhaps ten years afterwards, but don't worry, I'm an empath and won't do the same to you.

And I think you look so pretty in ALL of your photos -- really! As you do in real life.

[AimeeWrites]

I LOVE your arm-length photos; you look fabulous in all of them. Thanks again SO much for my tour and the conversation...and the opportunity to meet Elizabeth. We could've talked for three days straight and not run out of conversation. Just wonderful.

Ha, Psy has been everywhere, including SNL! I don't get it, either.