I'm Still With Coco and Other Random Bits

* Last night was the final episode of "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien". If you missed it, you can check out clips from Hulu . I've included the clip of Conan's emotional farewell speech from the end of the show below. I kinda teared up- then he made it better by playing "Free Bird" with all celebrity band: Will Ferrel, Beck, Billy Gibbons, Ben Harper, and the Tonight Show Band.
[side note: That was Ferrel's pregnant wife dancing along in the background. They made out during musical breaks- hilarious!]



A classy guy all the way... I totally needed a hankie.

* List-O-Rama Sunday will have a new theme: What's up, Netflix? This week was hit or miss with Netflix... First- I feel shame for Netflix that Red Box has movies available that that have a "very long wait" online. I used Red Box for the first time ever this week. I just couldn't wait for Netflix to send me "Paranormal Activity"- come on! Anyway, this week I watched several movies, both good and bad. Check out my blog tomorrow for full reviews.

* Jennie's Word of the Day: Hectic (alternate choice: hungry)

* So, a Dallas area golfer found a chupacabra. I gotta tell you, this thing did look crazy weird, but not like any chupacabra illustration I've ever seen. You tell me, what does this look like to you?

(answer at bottom of page)

* The insomnia is back. I could feel it was coming. It's like a person who's broken a bone and can tell when it's going to rain. As I write this, it's 6:13 AM. I've already watched two movies and a "Millionaire Matchmaker" marathon. (Dude- a guy totally had a monkey attached to him and licking his head! I laughed for 30 sec. That is grade "A" comedy!).

Our book club book for this month was "The Brief History of the Dead" by Kevin Brockmeier. I can't tell you how much I loved it. In the afterlife, Luka lives his second life in peace and quiet. But then the residents of The City begin disappearing. On Earth, Laura finds herself trapped in the Antarctic with no contact with the outside world. How do their stories connect? What's the point of it all? LOVE! Anyway, I brought this book up because there is a passage that describes insomnia in the most truthful and honest description I've ever read.

…her mind, let's face it, was the problem. Her mind was a roulette wheel, rattling and spinning in endless circles, and there she was standing beside it…
That was what insomnia was, after all- an excess of consciousness, and excess of life… The only way to fall asleep was not to care whether you fell asleep or not: you have to relinquish your will. Most people seemed to think that you fell asleep and then started dreaming, but as far as Minny could tell, the process was exactly the reverse- you started dreaming and that enabled you to fall asleep.

This is exactly what it's like. In order to fall asleep, I must begin to dream, or daydream as I usually think of it. Only then is my mind able to transition from mile a minute to slumber. What the above passage and book fail to mention is the inability to stay asleep. The mornings I'm surprised by my alarm because I've slept soundly are few and far between- they're also damned exciting. Usually, I wake up 3-4 times in the night which is a lot when you only average 5 1/2 hours of sleep. Surely there must be a better way to shut off the brain for a short while...

Diary Entry #3: Maybe Not Very Random

* Thursday was lovely, spent with my folks at the movies for my Mom's bday. We saw "It's Complicated" (it was, I give it 3 stars but my parents would probably give it 4 1/2).

* My new obsession is Diet Snapple Peach Tea. Try it- I think it's even better than original Snapple which is often too sweet. Plus, you learn fun facts from the caps. Today's fact #705: Every ton of recycled paper saves about 17 trees. Not very interesting, sorry.

* The countdown has already begun on this blog- Golden Globes Sunday at 7 central! As of now, we have about 13 fabulous people confirmed for the watching party. I have never had so many people want to watch an awards show with me. I hope they know what they're getting themselves in to. See, I'm there to watch the show, eat snacks, drink champagne, and talk during commercials. I don't mind a bit of comment about attire, celebrity level of drunkenness, etc. while the show is on, but if I have to "shush" you.....

* Last night I went to a waxing party (yes, it is exactly what you're thinking). I'd never been to one and was a little nervous. I was only getting my brows did and I knew all the ladies there, but still... It's nerve racking to have someone new ripping the hair from your body. Thankfully, there was wine. The best part was hanging out with my girls, waiting our turns for torture, and drinking heavily. Of course, hilarity ensued. Example: "Berries, cream, nuts... Nuts and berries, very creamy, but I don't want another one cause you can't shoot cream all night". I have no idea what they were talking about, but I prey it wasn't food related. Also overheard, "Oh lord! What would she have looked like as a man". Again, no idea. After this, it gets a bit hazy... This was my first time out of the house in about 2 weeks due to illness, the first time drinking in as long. I may have overdone it.

* Jennie's word of the day: (she just gave me a face when I asked her.) "Uh.... I got nothing". Sorry Jen, that's more than one word. I'm going with "uh". Enjoy!

* Is it just me, or has The Tonight Show with Conan O'brien been the best it's ever been this week? Controversy works well for him. I have never laughed so hard. The interview with Ricky Gervais was genius. I can't believe (or I can) that he slammed NBC so hard considering he's hosting the Globes on the network Sunday, or not.

* I got into a conversation with some friends last night about crying at the movies. I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but I've become a "sniffler". Tears well up and I have to dab my eyes, trying to cover up that I'm crying a bit. There was a shift in my chemical make up, giving me more "feminine" characteristics. I don't mean that in an odd, or transsexual, or whatever, kind of way. Just that I have never been a very good "girl". I didn't play wedding. I didn't like romantic comedies (still not a big fan, but they have their time and place). Now, I get teary watching "(500) Days of Summer". Forget about "The Notebook"- though I'm almost proud to say I don't cry until the very end, and only that one time.

When I was younger, there was only one movie that made me cry. Just watching the trailer made me hold me breath. "Heavy" is one of my favorite movies of all time. I'm not sure how it missed my "Best Movies You've Never Heard of List", perhaps I wanted to keep it to myself. It is the first movie by James Mangold (Girl, Interrupted, Copland, Identity)- one of my hero's. It's the story of a small town, or more specifically, a dive bar/diner run by mother and son (Pruitt Taylor Vince, who turns up in everything now). Vince is overweight and anti-social. He's in love with the new waitress (Liv Tyler), but can't bring himself to do anything about it. Flitting in and out is Deborah Harry (I KNOW!!) as the sassy, slutty, waitress who thinks she deserves to be in everyone business. When the mother dies (Shelley Winters), Vince has to learn to stand on his own two feet, even if that means creating a major SNAFU. I makes me cry every time, I can't help it. Perhaps it planted the seed way back in '95 that I was a real live girl.

What's weirder to me, or more disturbing actually, is that I have no emotional response to actual events. Dog died? uh huh. You have cancer? That sucks. My attitude is sympathetic at best. I have no idea when I became "unfeeling", though I suspect I always was. My psyche is most interested in itself and how things pertain to it. I guess crying at movies is the only way I can remind myself I'm not a sociopath. That works right? Right?

* BAFTA (British Academy Awards) have published their long list nominations. Check it out. They take place Feb. 21st (smack between the Globes and the Oscars). I am super excited about who's on this list. I can't wait to find out when BBC America is going to air the show.