Connie and Zack: the conspiracy of two

Just a forum where my wife and I can ramble together

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Oh No!

Guesss I'm living too much in '82


UncleR
You are Uncle Rico and could throw a football over
them mountains.


Which Napoleon Dynamite character are you?
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Suppose

If you could be anywhere, anytime, anyone, right now, who/where/when? It's a fun thought experiment to put oneself in another person's shoes. Perhaps it builds a sense of empathy too.

After all is said and done, we are more alike than different. We feel similar things. Our biological legacy shapes much of what we are, and this is just as true now as back in the hunter-gatherer days.

Do the thought experiment. Then thank the Divine that you are here, now, and you.

Acceptance of self and compassion for others, these are my foundation values.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Sex and Violence

I Heart Rome. If you have HBO, you should watch it. Seriously.

I could gush and rave, but sex and violence really speak for themselves.

I feel that I am the only person who gets this epic. I hope that's not true.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

I reserve the right...

To be factual in a fiction or fictitious in fact

To never quite be satisfied

To present more than you are ready to handle

To glorify the mundane moments or downplay the profound experiences

To give you the whole story

To imply more than I say

To pick up on your vibe

To revel in the details and ignore the point

To sing poorly

To publish lists

To sound smart by using large words

To reference my interests in whatever context

To give advice whether you asked for it or not

To have something going on upstairs

To wake up early

To accept myself

To hope that this all does something for you

To remake my life as needed

To abandon old ways

To be introspective

To paraphrase Chuang Tzu liberally

To be my own person

To cherish my family

To outgrow mistakes

To leave things half-done

To be happy when the dawn and dusk come

To give all thanks to the Divine

To go to therapy once a week for the rest of my life

To drink seven pints of water in an overly ritualized fashion

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Pussy cow?

Zack and I just returned from a trip to LA, visiting family and attending a wedding. The wedding was held in Long Beach. Driving on the 405, the 22 and the Long Beach Freeway (710) and through the many car dealerships triggered some old memories.

If you want to buy a Ford, go see Cal.
If you want to buy a Ford, go see Cal.
If you want to buy a Ford, go see Cal.
Go see Cal
Go see Cal
Go see Cal

It was a commercial, whose jingle was set to "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands" and for some reason, "go see Cal" always sounded like "pussy cow." (Anyone who grew up in SoCal during the same time period will tell you the same thing. It was made all the more confusing by being prompted to "visit Cal Worthington and his dog, Spot", and Cal, dressed as a cowboy, would appear with various exotic animals. None of them were dogs, nor were they cows. One commercial did feature a tiger.

I also recalled the Pete Ellis Dodge jingle - "Long Beach Fwy, Firestone Exit, Southgate", followed by "91 Freeway, Lakewood Exit, Bellflower." There were no cowboys or elephants or tigers in the Pete Ellis Commercials, but they did feature one of those animated bouncing balls over the scrolling directions. Ask the same people about how to find Pete Ellis Dodge, and it's likely that they'll sing you the jingle.

I have mostly nostalgic, fond memories of these commercials but it's a little scary how everyone our age who grew up in SoCal can remember them. They ran during the weekday afternoon commercials. Whoever came up with those jingles are marketing geniuses.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

She's one of us now

A coworker of mine, Marina, recently received the lime mini for her birthday. Yesterday, she told me that when the battery ran out while waiting for her BART train to arrive, her commute became very depressing.

Several months ago, there was an article in Newsweek stating that a day like today is one that iPod owners look forward to simultaneously with dread and anticipation.

Steve Jobs: “Do you have an iPod?”
Madonna: “Of course I do! That’s so dumb! Every time I get one a new one comes out the next week.”

After lunch today, I showed Marina the new nano, which replaces the mini (IWANTITIWANTITIWANTITIWANTITIWANTITIWANTIT!!!!!!!!). Her eyes widened and she gasped. "I'm going to throw mine in the garbage and get that new one!" she growled. And then, "I hate Apple. But it's sooo coool!!!"

Yep. Definitely one of us.