Studio 60 in the NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/30/arts/television/30watc.html?ref=television

If Aaron Wrote My Life

I've been a little obsessed with finding a ticket to the John Legend concert Saturday at the Norva. There is no way that this is going to happen unless I run into a scalper or something (unlikely). And I've been kicking myself for not getting tickets earlier, so it got me thinking, what would Aaron do? Well, Aaron would be able to get a ticket and probably hang out backstage, but that's not what I mean. If Aaron were going to write this he'd probably have me get all turned around trying to find a scalper all day on Saturday only to run into J.L. himself near the stage door and be invited to watch the show from off stage left. Then we'd date for a while before he got transferred, but not before giving an extremely damaging quote to a researcher which would get dropped into a story- oops, sorry I got lost in West Wing land for a minute (car bomb aside, I wouldn't mind being Donna for little while). Nothing like that is actually going to happen, but wouldn't it be nice if Aaron wrote my life...

Part one and two

I'm watching the West Wing season seven a little bit each night. Trying to hold out and make it last longer-although we all know about my lack of will power. Last night the will power was out in such force that I watched two discs and stayed up until 2:30. A great idea when you're coming in to work in crisis mode. Except.... (drum roll here) MY DATA IS BACK!!! So now I can't move to France and become a famous mime, but I can do my job without having four panic attacks in a day.

I have to admit to you that there were three episodes that I didn't get to watch when they aired. There was some personal turmoil last Jan/Feb (which is no excuse for a real fan, I know) and so I missed some things. I kept up with what was going on online and my mom watched them and gave me reports, but it's not the same. The roller coaster ride of election win and the loss of Leo was heartbreaking. It's part of what kept me up until all hours of the morning. (I mean, Josh in his boxers didn't hurt...) I don't really know how to express the amount of respect that I have for these actors except to say that at no point today will I regret staying up as late as I did. I was watching Donna tell Josh that Leo was gone and remembering how I learned that John was gone. I was sitting on my couch watching WW reruns on Bravo instead of the news when my old roommate called me and asked me how I was. Something in her voice told me that I was about to be not so great. I miss Leo. I am sure that his friends and family miss John Spencer. It makes me sad to know that I won't be able to follow his career as I am his cast mates'. And that his great talent is lost. But it somehow helps to know that I have those DVDs of him--so we can visit every once in a while.

I QUIT

I am so frustrated right now that I don't even have words for it. I don't know that there are words for this level of utter frustration and the only appropriate action I can think to take is a temper tantrum, which is out of the range of possibilities while I am at work, so I guess I'm just SOL. A titling database that I have been working on for two weeks is gone. GONE. Nothing I can do. No way to get the data back. Definitely no way to get the thing up and running in the time I promised my bosses, not with everything else that I have on my plate. Add in the fact that everyone's IQ points seemed to have dropped by at least a hundred today and that none of them seem to be able to even tie their own shoes without my help and what you end up with is a serious need for some Bombay Sapphire. I will be out of here by seven tonight if I have to chew off my own ankle and spring this Hell trap.

It's called a skirt guys!

OK, so I may not be the most girly of the girls, but this is ridiculous. I wore a skirt to work today. Stop the presses and call the Queen. Apparently it's a matter of nation wide importance. I was in a good mood when I got up this morning, and it was the first thing I saw in my closet. So yes, I am wearing a skirt. And heels. And earrings. And now I'm getting calls at my desk from people all over the building.
Cindy: Heard you're all dressed up.
Me: Good lord, you too?!
Cindy: Going out tonight?
Me: Why?
Cindy: Well why are you all dressed up?
Me: Because I've always been in love with you Cindy and I'm trying to get your attention.
Cindy: Seriously.
Me: I don't know! Why is this such a big deal?
Cindy: Fine. Don't go getting all frustrated!
And I wouldn't have except that it was the third conversation of its kind that I had had this morning and I'm BUSY here people!!!
Actually I was only planning on doing some laundry tonight, but since I look good today (and that is an apparently rare event) I think I'll take myself out for some oysters tonight and laundry be damned!
Question:
Is it just that I can't take a compliment or would everyone feel this way- if you keep telling me how good I look today over and over, I'm going to start thinking that I normally look pretty crappy, at least to you. Whatever. Oysters and beer will fix it!

BABIES!!!

Welcome Lillie Ann Colley!!!

I have a new cousin! Lillie Ann Colley was born this morning at 10:20 am in Louisville, KY. She's 19 inches long, 7lbs, 6 oz of adorableness. As soon as we have a picture I'll share it with you.

In other news...

Went to lunch with a friend from work and before I was interrupted by the happy baby news I was being regaled with stories from her date the previous evening. A couple of things: First of all, just because we work together and happen to go to lunch together occasionally does not make us friends. I don't need to hear every detail of your date. Actually I don't need to hear ANY of the details. Why don't we just stick to TV shows, music and movies, huh?

Secondly- there is no need to tell me all about the sex you had last night. Especially when I'm trying to eat!!! Seriously, I have never been so happy to be interrupted by a phone call in my life! People, there are just some things you should keep to yourself. Needless to say I won't be having lunch with her again. And it's not that I don't know that women talk about these things. I have sisters and I have friends. I even have friends at work who know how I feel about a certain someone and one friend who called me as she was leaving a date last night (but she's a little crazy). The difference is that this is someone I've had lunch with maybe three times in the 11 months I've been working here. Not cool. Not cool at all.

Now even MORE news:

My brother (actually he's my half-sister's half brother, but what the hell) just finished a TV movie that is going into post production now. It's called Pandemic and should be on USA in the new year. So this Christmas we all have to remember not to make fun of the cheesy TV movies because they're paying for the presents!!!

B-12

How much do I love Corinne Bailey Rae? Well, not as much as Brad Whitford, but it's close.

Ok! So, we're getting better, starting to pick up some steam here. Last night's Studio 60 was closer to the vintage Aaron we all know and love: playing around with time, mixing the high drama with comedy. I feel much better. I'm still lovin' the idea of Jordan and Danny, but I have a feeling that it's Jack's baby. Anybody wanna' take that bet?

On a personal note, I had an Aaron night all night long! I started watching Season Seven of the West Wing on DVD. Jimmy Smits in a flight suit is in itself worth the price of admission. And for a while there my night was going great. WW, Heroes and S60 with a healthy dose of Brett Farve thrown in...and then....

The Packers start losing, AGAIN. This isn't fair people. This is NOT RIGHT!!! I have been a loyal fan for a long time.I didn't cut and run when things went bad (4/28....you know who you are) We all know this is Brett's last season and damn it he deserves a winning one! 252 consecutive starts apparently mean nothing to the football gods. Whatever. I'm letting it go. We'll trounce the Jets on Sunday, Sega will cry and all will be right with the world. Probably not, but a girl can dream....

Crackpots and These Women

Give me hope

Give me hope

That emptiness brings fullness

And loss of love

Brings wholeness to us all



Swear that you can't swim the river

But I saw you runnin' to jump in

And I swore I'd never be your sinner

Til I held your sin

-Indigo Girls





Ok, so I went home for lunch like always and I was dithering over whether or not to tell him to just go now or allow myself a walk down memory lane over dinner. I get to my apt and he is eating my second piece of cheesecake and playing Fight For NY on my PS2. Let me say again...EATING MY CHEESECAKE!!! And (take a breath because this is truly heinous) one of my West Wing DVDs is ON THE FLOOR!!! Needless to say he is leaving as I type this.

So I just want to say, thank you David. Thank you for reverting to the true jackass that you have always been and treating my apartment and my things with absolutely no respect.

So now I have my sanity and my day back. I will spend the evening with two of my favorite men, Brett and Aaron. Aaaahhhh. Much better.

PS. the Dan Band holiday CD, HO, is out!!! I got an email about it when I got back from my ass kicking lunch hour. Things are already looking up!

On the Day Before

If I knew my mind
Like the back of my hand
The gold in the rainbow
Nothing panned out as I planned....

And there's always retrospect
When you're looking back
To light a clearer path
Every five years or so
I look back on my life
And I have a good laugh
You start at the top
Go full circle round
Catch a breeze
Take a spill
But ending up
Where I started again
Makes me wanna' stand still

So much to say. I had a great weekend up until the very end, when it all went to hell and as much as I might like to just focus on the happy-fun side, that is just not the kind of person that I am. I didn't think anything of the fact that I kept listening to Watershed, by the Indigo Girls all weekend. It's not unusual for me to get one song stuck in my head, so I didn't pay any attention to it. I was distracted by all the happy-fun... and green eyes. I'm not one of those people who lives their life by a horoscope or consults 'the cards', but there are signs. If you're listening to the song that was playing when you realized you were in love with a certain bastard over and over all weekend (no matter how good it is) you can't really be surprised when he shows up at your apartment while you're eating cheesecake in your pjs. Of course I was surprised. Shocked. Could have been knocked over with a feather and all that. It seems that the friends I had run into in DC had run into He Who Shall Not Be Named the next night and given up the deets. This just reinforces my 'life sucks' Theory of Everything. It would have been different if I had come to the door looking fabulous and found him 40 pounds heavier and balding. But no. There I was in my flannel snowflake pajamas with the cheesecake in my hand and we won't even talk about my hair b/c it's too embarrassing. And he was still- him. So, now the rat bastard is sleeping on my couch while I'm at work. We're going to have dinner tonight and "catch up" and then he'll be on his way to make some other woman's life miserable. I don't want him here. I want to leave work, make myself a leftover turkey sandwich with brie and cranberry sauce. I want to sit on my couch and watch the game and Studio 60. I want to put on my Cheesehead and scream at the TV like an idiot. I had PLANS!!!! I know, it's my own fault. I could have slammed the door in his face. Except I couldn't. Do you ever stop loving the first person you loved? It's been seven years since he left for Cali, at least five since I've heard anything from him, and still it's like it was all yesterday. Except I'm not naive little girl dreaming of bright lights and Oscar acceptance speeches. I have a life and I am building a future brick by brick. So maybe five years from now I'll look back on this and laugh. Right now it's just another thing in a packed day that I don't want to deal with.

Too Angry For Words

I wasn't going to blog today. I'm still pretty tired from T-giving and I overslept this morning, so I'm not feeling overly productive. I was going to let it all go today. Then, I decided to check the Norva website to see if there were any tickets left for the Fray concert in January. I mean, I KNEW that there wouldn't be, but it never hurts to check right? WRONG!!!! I'm scrolling through the schedule and I see that JOHN LEGEND is playing there NEXT WEEKEND. And of course it's sold out. It's John Legend. I had to call my mom I was so damn upset. How did I miss this? What happened? Where was I? I mean, I LOVE this man and he will be in my town and I will be....that's right, nowhere near him. Fine. That's fine. I messed up. I'm a big girl and I should suck it up, they're just concert tickets. I'll get over it...right after I flop down on the floor and have a temper tantrum...

ps- the Fray was sold out too. Life sucks.

The last WW vid I'll post

One of my top five scenes

Cast on Ellen abt John

CJ and Danny- How can you not love him????

Josh is adorable...again

Josh and Donna

Margaret and Leo

West Wing Brothers in Arms

The Jackal

When the President Stands Nobody Sits

You HAVE to check this out!!!!

Since I'm stuck at work I might as well cruise the internet for West Wing memorabilia...hey it made sense to me. I hit the JACKPOT!!!! So all you West Wing fans check this site out. The best is the WWLD-What Would Leo Do? T-shirt, and I NEED a Big Block of Cheese Day sweatshirt! YEA!!!!
http://www.cafepress.com/buy/santos+mcgarry?CMP=KNC-G-EF

Thanksgiving Hangover

I went to Fort Washington, MD to see some friends and family for Thanksgiving. My mom went to the Bahamas and my dad went to Vegas, but I had to work on Friday, so I was going to behave myself.... My cousins and friends had all decided to have our Turkey Day at my cousin Tara's house in MD because she lost her mom last year. We ate like kings and played football in the back yard in what was left of the Nor' Easter and generally had a great time. My plan was to watch Grey's Anatomy, drink some wine and get a good night's sleep... At about 10:15 I was on the phone with a friend talking about Kristina and Burke when I was picked up off my feet and dumped into a car.(All I have to say is that SOMEONE isn't getting anything for Christmas!) We went to some bar in Georgetown where I ran into friends from Charleston and the rest is history. Actually,the rest is the brass band that has been banging in my head all day. It won't be history until I finally get to bed---which I still haven't done.
The problem with all this, other than the obvious, is that I'm supposed to be seeing someone tonight that I would really like to get to know. He's been pretty patient with my wacky schedule and now there is no way I'll be able to go out. I'll be lucky if I make it through the day. Well, we'll see what happens...

A little present for you

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving
Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned...The dark meat and white
But I fought the temptation with all of my might
Tossing and turning with anticipation
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
and gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
"Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
with a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees....
Happy eating to all~ Pass the cranberries, please.
May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious, May your pies take the prize.
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs!!!!
Happy Thanksgiving to each of you!

American Music Awards

I'm getting ready for Thanksgiving. Baking and cooking (read cursing and kicking the oven) so I tuned in to the AMAs last night more for background noise than anything. I have a friend from home who was in High School Musical, Monique Coleman (although back home she's Adrienne) and of course she looked great. It's pretty amazing to see someone you used to talk about going to awards show with when you were teenagers actually at an awards show. I am SO very proud of her! Also I wanted to see the Dixie Chicks perform and Kanye West win something, or bitch about not winning something. The Chicks were great-as was Tenacious D. I'm not sure how I feel about the movie though. Like other college kids across the country I felt like I had 'discovered' the D and I'm still not sure if I want to share them. Greatest Song In The World (A Tribute) is still one of my top five favorite songs. Needless to say I will definitely be seeing Pick of Destiny this weekend. All in all I guess the best thing that I can say about this year's AMAs is that they could have been worse. I could go on a rant about women who wear shorts with gowns men who pimp cliches and call it music, but I'll restrain myself. Three things though: I would appreciate it if the guys from Nickleback could stop being so damn attractive. I don't really like your music and it bugs me that I can't just change the channel when I see you. Also, the the Chili Peppers have always and will always rock and they do it without taking themselves so damn seriously--everyone could learn a thing or two. And lastly, a confession, YES I DID dance in my kitchen to Lionel Ritchie and I am not embarrassed...ok maybe a little bit....

Well I getting out of town for Turkey Day so there won't be anything tomorrow (although I will be watching all of the thanksgiving West Wings because that is what real fans do) but I'll catch you all up on Friday. Have a great Holiday!!!

RIP Robert Altman

www.nytimes.com

They posted a notice today at 11:41. Apparently he passed at 11:29 this morning. Mr. Altman ws 81 and a particular favorite of mine. He will be missed.

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More On 'Robert Altman'
Robert Altman
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: February 20, 1925 - Kansas City, MO

Avik Gilboa/WireImage.com
From All Movie Guide: During the 1970s, an era widely recognized as a renaissance period of American moviemaking, few directors enjoyed greater prominence than Robert Altman. An iconoclast whose work acutely attacked the conventions of genre filmmaking, Altman both satirized and revitalized such warhorses as the western, the musical, and the crime drama, waging war on the sterile artifice of mainstream storytelling by creating a singularly sprawling and deliberately messy cinematic world bursting at the seams with sounds, images, characters, and plot lines. Famed for his inventive brand of overlapping (and often improvisational) dialogue and an acknowledged master of modern camera technique, Altman's quixotic career has been uneven at best, yet he remains a pivotal figure of contemporary cinema, a true maverick responsible for many of the defining motion pictures of his times.

Option Period

You know you're a real fan when the theme music wakes you up and you are suddenly no longer tired at all. I barely made it through Heroes last night. I feel asleep way before I found out if they saved the cheerleader and the world. But as soon as the Studio 60 music started (continuing my love affair with W.G. Snuffy Walden and the entire Sorkin creative team. And guess what? Ricky and Ron are gone! I'm fine with that. Aaron is a genius, but he does not write petty feuding well. So now there is more time to focus on Bradley Whitford and Amanda Peet. I've been waiting for something to happen between the two of them since their first scene together and I knew Aaron wouldn't let me down. Take a look at next week's promo. I know, I know, Matthew Perry is supposed to be "the hot one". And that's fine, you can have him. I'll take Brad Whitford any day. Even the dumpy sweaters and reading glasses cannot make him any less wonderful. It's innate charm and wit combined with amazing talent and great eyes. Sigh....

Free Stuff

So, I got a gift certificate to iTunes from a friend from home a couple of minutes ago and of course I went straight to the website and spent it (who needs willpower anyway!) Now I've got the new Amos Lee cd keeping me company at work. And honestly, with a voice like that I rally don't mind being at work any more.

Everyone who wants one is getting a free turkey today at work. I may have to work on Black Friday, but I'll be eating a free bird on Thursday!!!

It's funny, I started the morning kind of down: It was early, the Packers lost and Brett got hurt. Now everyone in my office is walking around trying to find a place to put their frozen turkeys! I must admit, I am amused.

What kind of weekend has it been

So, I am quite proud of myself. I got all of my errands done AND managed to read the entire NY Times on Saturday. Can't really complain. So then on Sunday I decided to get out of the house to watch the games. Not that you can ever spend too much time watching SportsNight and West Wing re-runs at home, but I had decided to make a change. I talked to my mom for a while in the morning and she was going to a baseball game and then out to dinner with some friends. And since I told her that I was going out myself, I was pretty boxed in. (BTW, who plays baseball in November????) Anyway I went down to my new favorite bar and ended up meeting a pretty cool group of people. One was a Jets fan, but I've decided not to hold that against him because of his karaoke skills. The point is that it felt good to get out and meet new people. I guess the universe was rewarding the fact that I took action by steering the boors and bores away from me. No plans yet for the week, but I'm seriously considering taking myself to a movie tomorrow night. We'll see how it goes....

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Mom's Birthday

So, my mom's 62 birthday was yesterday. She had great one, which was partly on my account (yea me!) but mostly because of the life she has right now. It is extremely lowering to admit that I am jealous of the social, and quite frankly, the internal, life of a 62 year old woman. I am 27 and I spent last night the way I spend most nights. I made dinner, debated cleaning my kitchen and doing laundry, decided against both and settled down to read a book and watch a West Wing episode on DVD. That was my friday. Not so distinguishable from most of my other days. My mother, OTOH , wrapped up a full week of going out with friends and family and generally having a great time with a family dinner and then going out to her favorite places with people she really likes. A 22 year old guy that she works with baked her a pumpkin pie for her birthday, that's how cool my mom is. I would rather hang out with her than anyone else I know. Including myself. Here's the thing: I am a reasonably intelligent and attractive single young woman. I have a good job. Not great, but it'll do for now. I have plans for my future and a generally optimistic attitude. People like me. So what the hell am I doing sitting at home on a Friday night? What the hell is wrong with me????

I know that part of it is my own doing and part is circumstance. I moved to this port city in Virginia with a boyfriend who is no longer my boyfriend. I don't know anyone here that I don't work with and it is hard to meet people once you're out of school. I am ridiculously nostalgic for a tight knit crowd of college friends. I went to college in Charleston, SC the city where my family lives and was never at a loss for things to do or people to do them with. I knew the place and the people well enough that I was completely comfortable going out at night by myself. It was a rare night that I didn't bump into someone I was related to, friends with or who was a friend of a relative...relative of a friend... you get the picture.

So, the question now becomes, how do I re-enter the social world? There are so many options. I could volunteer someplace and soothe my liberal guilt while meeting people and helping others, I could hang out with people from work, join a gym, a book club, ten million options come to mind and if I was giving someone else advice I could make a small booklet of ideas. Ideas are not the problem. Time is, a little bit. I do work a lot. More than that is the comfort of wallowing. There is always another book to read, movie or show to watch. There is always an excuse. I've become comfortable with my isolation to the point where I just don't want to talk to people. I want to be left alone at the same time that I am awash in loneliness.

The beginnings of a plan to fight this ennui are forming, slowly but surely. First, whatever the thing is that I most DO NOT want to do is what I will do first. I know that I'll feel better once the laundry is all folded or the sink clear. If I can't stand the thought of people I am going to go out to dinner. Well, that's the plan anyway--we'll see about my willpower.

So the plan for day after work is to start things off with a bang: Grocery shopping, laundry AND cleaning! And tomorrow? I'm going out to watch the football games. Out of my house and downtown!!!

Never done this before. I guess I'm not alone in that. Well, it's not Saturday, so I guess I should wait until then to really start posting. In which case I should stop typing right now and delete everything I have so far. Hmmm. No. Well, I guess I'll see you on Saturday, so if you've stumbled across this site looking for brilliance you will have to wait until then...possibly far longer...