Love at first sight

Most of you know how I feel about reality television. Well…. one show finally got to me. Last night, I watched Queer Eye for the Straight Guy on NBC and today I feel an urge to finally commit to cable.

I watched the Fab Five assist the hopelessly romantic John with preparations for his big night – a marriage proposal to his Armenian love. Those guys thought of everything, even providing the Armenian translation for “I love you.”

I’ve always been fascinated by the stories of how couples met and what happened the night he (or she) proposed. So I started thinking about the couples in my life.

My grandparents are going to celebrate 57 years of marriage. Their marriage was arranged, but you’d never know it. My dad met my mother at a dance. He watched her, gathered his courage to ask for a dance, and by the time that song was over he knew she was the woman he would spend the rest of his life with (sigh).

A friend of mine dressed up as Santa and proposed to his wife on Christmas Eve in front of her entire family (no pressure there).

As for my dear cousin… a male friend of mine was over. My cousin dropped by for a visit before my flight the next morning. We all hung out for a few hours – nothing significant appeared to happen. When he leaned down to give me a hug goodbye, he whispered in my ear that he was going to become part of my family. That whole night, I hadn’t even been aware that I was witnessing something special.

So, forgive me for prying, but how did you propose? Were you nervous? Were you expecting the proposal or did it come out of left field? And how did you know you wanted to marry that person?

This one’s for Buzz

Today Buzz threw down the gauntlet – he sent everyone on a mission to “feed their head”.

New and interesting information crosses my path on a daily basis – nature of my work. But this is what I’ve come up with today.

1. Researchers are a few steps closer to defining arousal.

I learned that understanding arousal is the Holy Grail for neurobiologists. Arousal is supposed to be at the heart of all human emotions.

2. Parts of the Berlin Wall still exist

I was under the impression that tourists completely destroyed the Berlin Wall in 1990 – gone forever. Today I learned that people are making a living from dismantling and selling pieces of the wall. Hurray for capitalism!

3. Paul Sereno discovered another dinosaur species and named it “regal reptile from Narmada.”

Actually, it’s officially called Rajasaurus Narmadensis. I searched for the reason why most dinosaur names end in “-aurus,” but couldn’t find anything relevant (zilch in the dictionary). I’ll spend some time brushing up on my Latin tomorrow. (the answer is probably really obvious)

Thanks for the inspiration Buzz! Oh – and if you read this, I just wanted to let you know I haven’t forgotten about my list of famous Actors.

Stay tuned!

Music Thursday

A great tune – Should I Stay or Should I Go? by The Clash. I’m on deadline (you’d never know it though) and writing away to my high school faves – U2, Depeche Mode and New Order.

God, I love music!

I wish I could share with you, but the lyrics will have to do.

Pure genius

Who remembers Rockhound, Steve Buscemi’s character in Armageddon? In the film, he was a genius who graduated with a PhD. in his teens, published in prestigious journals in his early 20’s, and, in adult life. developed into a disturbed individual with peculiar, sometimes violent, tendencies.

Well, let me tell you – these people exist. For real.

One of the many things I enjoy about my work are the chance encounters I have with genius.

This morning…. I spoke with a guy (who will remain nameless to protect the guilty) who received his first PhD (in mathematics) at the age of 19, went on to attain 2 more PhD’s by his mid-20’s (in something really hard, like physics), taught for 5 years at a string of universities like Cornell, and worked for General Electric, before deciding to quit his job, take art classes at night and bike cross-country while trying to make a name for himself in political cartooning. WOAH!

He’s the exception, not the norm.

Libya pays dues

Libya formally accepts the blame, almost 15 years after Pan Am flight 103 was shot out of the sky over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Meanwhile, around the world, airline and airport security continue to top list of concerns.

Digging for answers in the past

I’ve often wondered what it would be like to traipse across the globe like a female Indiana Jones, mining for ancient trinkets and the buried treasure of everyday life long forgotten.

What did Heinrich Schliemann do when he realized he’d unearthed the walls of Troy? What a thrill it must have been to rediscover Pompeii.

Well archaeologists are at it again – digging deep to reveal the ancient city of Pozzuoli in Italy.

Meanwhile, in Rome, a group of 35 archaeologists are excavating to determine whether Caligula really was a megalomaniac or if his whims were widely exaggerated after his death.

The verdict = he was off his rocker.

“It’s like someone — a president or a king or you know, Bill Gates — turning St. Peter’s into their entrance hall,” Darius Arya, one of the directors of the excavation, said during a break from the dig in the Roman Forum in the heart of Italy’s capital.

I sometimes wonder what future archaeologists will think of us when they unearth our cities.

Internet and video stores push Penthouse publisher towards chapter 11

You know times are bad when porn loses money.

“Founder Bob Guccione narrowly missed losing his Penthouse Mansion, one of the largest private homes in Manhattan.”

Girls’ weekend in Savannah

I know what y’all are thinking… Savannah? In August? I’ve got to be nuts, right?

Well, that remains to be seen – but the flight is confirmed, the rooms are booked, and I will be joining my best friend in Savannah over the extended Labor Day Weekend. Woohooooooo!

We’ve been planning a weekend getaway for months – but for one reason or another, haven’t been able to confirm anything til now.

See, as T-Bone wisely pointed out in today’s cliche post, it took me a while to realize what I had until it was gone.

I’ve been extremely fortunate in my life. I’ve always had that one best friend. That elusive creature who didn’t compete with me for a man’s affection. Or grab the Jones of New York skirt marked down 80% out of my hands while I wasn’t looking. Or try to sabotage a presentation to look better in front of the boss.

The friend who, after hearing for the millionth time that he’ll never find anyone better than me, still pats my arm and nods – without rolling her eyes. You know – that one friend you never phone before dropping by. The one who would meet you out for wine or coffee at 10:00 p.m., just because. The partner-in-crime who had your back, pushing you towards datable candidates, while dragging you away from potential trainwrecks.

The one who tells you straight up when you’re being a b*tch.

Well, she moved away a year ago – leaving me with many well-intentioned friends, but no one who just “gets it.” It’s been quite an adjustment for me. I never realized how good I had it, until I didn’t have any local best girls left. Local is the key.

So even though August isn’t the most ideal time to lounge around in Savannah, I’m really looking forward to that southern hospitality Adam’s always writing about while meeting people on the River Walk, shopping, doing the cemetery ghost tour, and, of course, chatting late into the night over bottles of wine.