Mood:    Pretty darn good.
Swear Words Spoken Today:  None.  Today has been exceptionally exceptional.

1: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says:

"Screw you and the horse you rode in on," he said.  (Makes you wonder what I'm reading,doesn't it?)

2: Stretch out your left hand as far as you can, what does it touch?

Photos of New York City that are hanging in my cube, and a Lego battleship setting just over the photographs.

3: What is the last thing you watched on TV?

The Practice.  I am addicted to that show—so much sexy James Spader/Rhona Mitra sexual tension.

4: WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what time it is:

4:13 A.M.

5: Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?

4:19 A.M.

6: With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?

Artie, a teammate, whistling that obnoxious tune Daryl Hannah’s character whistled in Kill Bill.  For the fifteen thousandth time.  Phones are beeping (ours beep, not ring).  Various shoes on the floor.  The humming of my very loud hard drive.

7: When did you last step outside? What were you doing?

Almost 12 hours ago.  I was leaving my truck and coming into the office.  It was nice and warm and sunny.  Then the sky exploded and it came a downpour and knocked our power to the office on three separate occasions within 2 hours.  Which is why I’ve been inside ever since.  That and the fact that I have to work.

8: Before you came to this website, what did you look at?

I checked my email and was working on writing a chapter for one of my novels.  Also redesigned the frames for my website.

9: What are you wearing?

Crushed velvet shirt with a rather metaphysical design of the workings of the universe, jeans, flip-flops, necklace with an Egyptian cartouche pendant. 

10: Did you dream last night?

Yep—that Tara, myself and a co-worker named Steven went to Manhattan and got lost wandering around the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  It was a very cool dream. 

11: When did you last laugh?

About 30 minutes ago, watching Steven climb atop our cubicles to hand decorations.  He looked ridiculously close to Tarzan.

12: What is on the walls of the room you are in?

Welcome to the tour of my cucible:    To the left we have a  horizontal, thin, poster of the Manhattan Skyline taken about 20 years ago, a photo of the Empire State Building taken last year by moi, a NYC postcard, NYC photos from my last vacation, and a Lego Destroyer on a shelf. 

Straight ahead is the hulking desktop, a Lord of the Rings mini-poster, Jack Vettriano mini-calendar and a few pics from the Stargate series, as well as a page-a-day calendar that is supposed to teach me French. 

To the right is my scared corner of zen.  The horrible pink of the cubicle walls is covered by silken bamboo-pattered fabric to make the look interesting, light-up globe lamp, lava lamp, pine tree that’s been dying a miserable death for two years now, three betta fish in separate tanks, miniature zen garden, fish paperweight and a pair of seashells.

Behind me is the filing cabinet, a Chinese takeout box that’s been converted into a night light, some plant monstrosity that I do not know the name of that refuses to die, postcards of the Mirage and Bellagio hotels from Vegas, massive Las Vegas Strip poster, vertical poster of a nice, uncharted island paradise and another massive poster of, you guessed it, the New York skyline.

Oh, and overhead is a 500-piece Lego fighter jet that I mouthed from the ceiling.  So far, it’s fallen on my head three times.

13: Seen anything weird lately?
Aside from Steven acting like Tarzan?  Yes, actually, I have.  I was driving to work the other day and, apparently, the sprinkler system on the college baseball field had died.  The entire team, in uniform, was lined up like a bucket brigade with a green garden hose running over their shoulders so they could walk around and water the field.  Why that hose needed to stay off the ground is still beyond me.

15: What is the last film you saw?

Kill Bill part 2.  Pretty cool film, but underwhelming in its conclusion.

16: If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first?

BMW Z8 convertible, turquoise in color, khaki interior.  Then I’d send a chunk of it to the VFW, another chunk to the ASPCA,another chunk to Visa, and then go buy a townhouse on Fifth Avenue with a Central Park View.

17: Tell me something about you that I don't know:

I am starting to really love Dungeons and Dragons.  I also collect little glass figurines.

18: If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?:

I would make it so that the educators of this world are fairly compensated for their lasting contributions to society, as well as the hell that they sometimes have to endure at the hands of the system as well as their students.  I would also take away the increasingly ludicrous salaries that are flung at professional athletes of all sports. Salary should be directly tied to the meaningful (re: useful) impact one has on society.  I don’t think hitting a ball is a requirement for greatness or worthy of a twenty million dollar signing bonus when there are people out there trying to make a difference in the lives of others, who have to decide on a daily basis between buying groceries and paying the bills.  Go ahead and flame me, but I’m not changing my opinion.

19: Do you like to dance?:

Oh yeah.

20: George Bush: 

has gotten some of his priorities severely out of order, and needs to drop the fucking war president agenda and start making decisions about the lives of others based on solid information rather than speculation and personal agendas.

21a: Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?

Thessaly Rose or Brynne Asher

21b: Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?

Edward Aleczander or Vidar Alejandro.  I love all names starting with “A.”  If you don’t believe me, check out the cast list of some of my stories.