60 Things You Can't Possibly Know About Me

Liberated from Kwizgiver

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now? Nothing. No car.

2. When was the last time you threw up? Mid-December. It was a Monday morning. I was in Beverly Hills, the first to puke in my oldest friend's new apartment. I had a migraine.

3. What's your favorite word or phrase? "What the fu ...."

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today? The little kid in the orange jacket and hood, Ken the Maintenance Man, Carlos

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Saying a little prayer for LaLiz

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Riding home on the el, seated uncomfortably in front of a homeless man who made walrus noises with his mouth for no apparent reason

8. Have you ever been to a strip club? Yes

9. What is the last thing you said aloud? "That's it for the Gourmet Grill" (I was feeding the cats)

10. What is the best ice cream flavor? Mint chocolate chip

11. What was the last thing you had to drink? Water

12. What are you wearing right now? My nightshirt

13. What was the last thing you ate? Lean Cuisine Rigatoni

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? no

15. When was the last time you ran? Friday, February 11. I almost missed the train.

16. What's the last sporting event you watched? Last weekend the Bulls and someone

17. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Boston or Atlanta

19. Ever go camping? yes, and I don't ever need to go again (Kwiz' answer, and it applies)

20. Have you ever lost anything down a toilet? Yes. I swallowed a gold crown. It cost me hundreds of dollars to replace, but there are some things that I simply won't do for money.

22. What is your guilty pleasure? The after-midnight sitcom reruns on the Hallmark Channel

23. Do you use smiley faces on the computer a lot? No

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw? Only when I get fountain drinks

25. What did your last text message say? "OK"

26. Are you someone's best friend? yes

27. What are you doing tomorrow? I have a lot of meetings and a shrink appointment

28. Where is your mom right now? At her house

29. Look to your left, what do you see? My green lamp

30. What color is your watch? Today's watch is silver with a deep blue face

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Hugh Jackman

32. Ever ridden on a roller coaster? yes

33. Birthstone? Topaz

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive through? Go in

35. Do you have any friends on facebook that you actually hate? No

36. Do you have a dog? No, but I wish I did

37. Last person you talked to on the phone? Kathleen

38. Have you met anyone famous? Yes. I met Bruce Springsteen in 1981. And in 1982 I hung around by the stage door after a matinee and saw Elizabeth Taylor leave the (then) Shubert Theater, where she and Burton were appearing in Private Lives. She was wearing a big caftan and carrying a parrot in a cage. She certainly was a colorful character!

39. Any plans today? American Idol

40. From whom did you get this? Ms. Kwiz

41. Are you happy? yes

42. Where are you right now? My spot on the sofa

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? That I have to go to all those meetings tomorrow

44. Last song listened to? I fantasize that I can play the piano when I listen to this



45. Last movie you saw? Blue Valentine
46. Are you allergic to anything? Bee sting and morphine (my but that sounds like quite a combo, doesn't it?)

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? Roxy flats

48. Are you jealous of anyone? Yes

49. Are you married? No

50. Is anyone jealous of you? I suspect so

51. What time is it? 7:39

52. Do any of your friends have children? Yes

53. Do you eat healthy? I'm making a renewed effort in this area

54. What do you usually do during the day? Sit at the computer

55. Do you hate anyone right now? No

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily? Yes

57. How many kids do you want when you're older? When I'm older? Please! The Baby Ship has sailed.

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 54

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags? Yes

60. How did you get one of your scars? Like most boomers, I got a vaccination

I Want Wednesday

I want the cubs at Firefox Live to stop growing up! They are far more sedentary, far less playful these days, and soon they will be moved outdoors with the adults. I have enjoyed these two darlings so much. I hate that their youth is ending so quickly.

Farewell, Old Girl

Elizabeth Taylor died this morning. Her life was certainly well, even extravagantly, lived. Yet I feel kinda bad. Partly because it's the end of an era. And partly because I truly did enjoy her work. Here's a post I did, years ago. Consider this my tribute.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

An appreciation of La Liz

When I was growing up, Liz Taylor was one of the most famous women in the world. Jackie Kennedy Onassis was her only competition. Princess Grace and Sophia Loren certainly had their fans, but when it came to dominating magazine covers, Liz and Jackie were in a class by themselves.

Jackie is a woman I always admired. Stylish and stoic, smart and enigmatic, she is still the lady I wish I could be. Liz, on the other hand, had become a garish joke. She and Burton always seemed to be drinking, fighting and smoking. She wore mu-mus and obscenely big diamonds and too much makeup. Her movies sucked.

But then I discovered her old movies, and suddenly I understood what all the fuss was about. She might not ever have been a great actress, but for a time she was a most compelling movie star. Did they coin the phrase, "she makes love to the camera" about her? If they didn't, they could have. Her cinematic charisma is genuine and powerful, like a force of nature.

She herself once said, "Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses," and that's certainly true of her child-star years. She's so affectionate and natural when she throws her arms around Lassie or The Pie that you remember that your first great love was was four-legged, too.

Her teen movies are all pretty dopey, as MGM teen movies tended to be. The only one I've watched more than once is Little Women. She made a terrifically selfish, yet somehow lovable, blonde Amy.

Then she grew up, and her beauty was breathtaking. Father of the Bride and Father's Little Dividend show her as this ideal little 1950s girl. She had no aspirations in the world beyond being a good daughter, then a beautiful bride, a supportive wife and a loving mom.

Then came A Place in the Sun. She is fabulous in this film, literally the embodiment of the American dream. She made a ton of really great movies during this period. She came to dominate the screen and seem somehow more modern, more vibrant and more carnal than anyone around her. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Giant, Suddenly Last Summer, even Butterfield 8 (a movie she hates) are all watchable and rewatchable because of her.

Then there's her Martha. Her work in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is the high water mark of her career. This was the perfect material for her contemporary, carnal qualities and she is simply brilliant. I had the opportunity to see Virginia Woolf live a few weeks back. Kathleen Turner was ill that night, so I don't know if her live Martha could have eclipsed Liz' cinematic creation. But the understudy who played the part was unable to erase the memory of Liz's boozy voice barking out those lines.

Now when you think of Liz, it's easy to dismiss her as silly. Her friendship with Michael Jackson, her weight gain, her ceaseless health problems, her addictions, her jewelry. I understand this because when I was growing up, I thought she at best irrelevant and at worst frivolous.

But then I saw her work, and I'm the better for it. Thank you, Dame Elizabeth, for some indelible screen moments.