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I've been trying everything humanly possible to get my sidebar with my profile and links back up to the top of the page. I just couldn't figure out what was making it go down all the way to the bottom. I went post by post and realized by 7/15/05 was somehow too wide and didn't allow the sidebar enough room. Eureeka! So I fixed it and now it's back up. Ok, kind of a boring post, but oh well.
The dark clouds and flashes of light seem to suggest a thunderstorm's a comin'. The skies are angry because of all this heat!!!! So to prevent an early demise for my new-ish computer, I shall bid you adieu.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

I watched this film last night and I was blown away. This has got to be Jimmy Stewart's absolute best performance. And he looked better than ever. I generally stay away from political movies (unless they are historical), but I kept hearing about how great the filibuster scene in this film was so I just had to watch it.

I love the classic patriotic idealism in the movie. Yet even with that it captures the corruption in politics so vivdly, and although good prevails, it's a tooth and nail struggle against the wicked.

If it weren't 96 degrees outside and if I had air conditioning in the office room where my computer is, I'd go on gushing about it. But alas, I'm melting away in the July heat. So I'll leave you with my favorite quote (paraphrased)...

Mr Smith: Either I'm dead right or I'm dead crazy!

Politician: Would the Senator care to take a vote on that?

J'aime le Vache Maigre ~ I love the Skinny Cow

It's been almost 4 months now since I gave up refined sugar. I stopped eating it cold turkey because I was tired of being sick all of the time. I'm hypoglycemic and any intake of sugar (or caffeine) spurs a battle in my pancreas between my blood sugar and my insulin. Having what I call a "glucose attack", when your blood sugar gets really really low, is the pits. First you feel faint, then you get shaky, then your hands start to sweat, then you begin to sweat all over and eventually, if you don't eat anything to bring your blood sugar back up, you can pass out and go into a glucose coma. All this happens when you have too much insulin and not enough sugar in your system. Normal logic would lead you to believe that you should eat more sugar to prevent this. But actually sugar induces your body to produce more insulin which stays around even after your blood sugar crashes.

So I gave up all white sugar, brown sugar and high fructose corn syrup But boy was it difficult to do. We live in a sugar-hungry world and every which way you turn there are sweet temptations just waiting for you. My biggest loss was ice cream. I've tried so many no sugar added ice cream products that were just bleh! I had a particularly bad incident with no sugar added Peanut Butter Fudge Swirl ice cream. Sounded good, but was simply terrible. Recently, upon a co-worker's recommendation I tried Skinny Cow. To my surprise, their products were really good. I love Skinny Cow's Fudgsicles and Mint Ice Cream and Chocolate Cookie sandwiches (see poorly taken picture above). They are sweetened with Splenda (my sweetener of choice) and while they still have sugar, it's the natural sugar of the milk and the cream and not overly refined cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup. What a godsend. Now I don't feel so deprived of my favorite treat!

Baroque in Boston

So last week it was Shakespeare on the Common, and this time it's Baroque in Boston. Actually, it was more like Baroque in Cambridge. I ventured out last night to Sanders Theatre (<-- click to see a pic) at Harvard to go see the Boston Landmark's Orchestra perform some Baroque pieces. And just like Shakespeare on the Common, this was free. I got there early and thus had the most amazing seats! The chamber orchestra was a 20 person set with 11 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos, a bass and one very enthusiastic conductor. The music was so spectacular that I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. They played Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances Suite II, Bach's Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Major (my favorite!!), Telemann's Don Quixote Suite (you could literally envision Don Quixote's horse galloping along the countryside) and a few suprise pieces. I was tremendously pleased.

I can't help but feel a pang of jealousy when I go see these kinds of concerts. I played second violin in an orchestra for four years, albeit in elementary and junior high school. But I remember what it was like, being on that stage with your instrument and playing amazing classical pieces in front of large crowds. It's the most amazing feeling. You get this adrenaline rush that transfers an amazing amount of energy into your instrument which thus creates incredible music. However, my musical talents and ambitions were weak so I left behind my orchestra days and now can appreciate the dedication these professional musicians have to pursue their art.

So if your in the Boston area, they are playing again on July 25th at 8pm on the Common! I highly recommend the show, especially if you are a classical music fan. It's free, it's high quality and it's a lot of fun.

Shakespeare in the Park

If you live in the Boston area and love Shakespeare, you must must must go and see this. The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company shows one play each summer. It's free, it's outdoors on Boston Common and it's simply wonderful. There is nothing like watching a live Shakespeare play under the stars. This year they are doing Hamlet. I went on Saturday and it was a delicious treat. And the actor who plays Hamlet, is very dishy. ::giggle:: So go thee hence, to thine own self be true, listen to the words words words and suffer the slings and arrows to go see this wonderful show.

Get Me OUT!!!

Another Friday night, home, alone with nothing to do. Allow me to correct that. Nothing interesting to do. Double correction. Nothing Intersting AND Exciting to do!

I have a tendency to be an introverted person. Shyness and embarassment overwhelm me and oftentimes people take my reservedness as snobbery, which couldn't be further from the truth. But first impressions are what stick I guess and people don't have the patience and understanding to give people a chance to open up. And thus the friends I have are few and far between. All my closest friendships I've carried with me from high school, when I was a social butterfly (not to be confused with being popular which I was far from being). But now I've lost my magnestism and become more reserved. And even those friends which I've kept and moved away and moved on. They have busy lives of their own. Boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, children, jobs, etc.

So, I'm on my own, alone on a Friday night and I really don't want to be. Which is why I've decided to make a sincere effort to change my situation. Every Friday night, starting next week, I'm going OUT! Out of the house to go do something both Interesting and Exciting. I'll even settle for semi-entertaining if it comes down to it. I need to do this now before I start school and while I still have summer Fridays when I get out of work at 1pm. Now all I have to figure out is where in god's name I'm going to go next week? This is going to be tricky.

Vacation Medley & Newport Cliffs

The scarcity of posts has been due to my having a superb time on my much needed vacation. We recently spent three days in New York City visiting family, sight seeing and people watching. Even with the recent events in London, we were brave enough to take the NYC Subway for the first time and pay our respects by visiting Ground Zero. I got to meet my online buddy and all around nice person extraordinaire Amit which was a definite highlight.
Yesterday, we took a day trip to Newport, Rhode Island. The weather absolutely delightful. It was partly cloudy and a good 70 degrees. Plus, being right by the beach we were wrapped in this deliciously cool ocean breeze. Being an adventurous threesome (myself and the twins- my mother and my aunt), we took it upon ourselves to try the Newport Cliff's Walk. It's a 3.7 mile journey along Newport's beautiful cliffs with insanely gorgeous views of the ocean, the beach and the famous seaside Mansions. The first 2 miles were pretty easy, just a wide paved path. The last 1 1/2 mile stretch was tough with it's mounds of rocks, dark tunnels and narrow pathways. It was well worth the effort. Here were a few snapworthy moments for you to enjoy.

Thérèse Raquin

Whenever I finish a novel, I partake in one of two very strange customs. If I really enjoyed the book, I kiss the front cover in homage to the author for allowing me to experience such a wonderful story. If I was really despised the book, I throw the unworthy tome across the room. (And since I get very emotionally involved with stories, I really don't have an inbetween). And I'm sure from the picture below you can surmise what the end result was from my reading of Thérèse Raquin by Emile Zola.

This novel had a lot of potential. It's a French novel about two lovers, Thérèse and Laurent, who kill the one person in the way of their affair, Thérèse's husband Camille. The book is really interesting up until they commit the murder, which happens around page 70 or so. The next set of 124 pages is just one long and torturous anticlimax. Basically repetitive descriptions of the guilt and endless torment suffered by Thérèse and Laurent that go on and on and on. Also, Zola seems to love delving into the grotesque and he describes dead bodies in great detail. The one scene that really grossed me out was when Laurent visits an open Morgue in which unidentified bodies are on display behind glass. The bodies are laid out on slabs of stone with cold water running over them constantly to inhibit the process of decay. End result? Bits falling off. Eww! If you really want to take a crack at this book, I highly recommend reading through chapter 13 and stopping. By that point, you will have already read all the best parts of the novel (including the Morgue scene). Then just satisfy yourself by knowing that they don't live happily ever after.