When your past is on DVD
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Invasion Stanford. (I just wish I could give you the actual movie.) Turns out Husband was in a student film while a student at Stanford. He recently obtained a copy of the DVD and we started watching it last night. Actually, it's not a movie -- it's a 4-part sci-fi/comedy miniseries. Husband plays "Arthur" the apparently insane RA who has (in my opinion) the best lines in the script.

Wow....Husband at 19. With hair! Not just hair, a ponytail! It's the oddest thing seeing him on film. I mean it's one thing to see photos of someone you love before you knew them, but it's another to see them walking, talking, and being....well....a college student.

So far we've watched 2 parts and it's proven to be an amusing experience. Invasion Stanford has some clever moments, and it's VERY Stanford. It also has a spaceship that looks like the Satellite of Love from the old MST show. Plus aliens, an anti-road-reflector movement, and actual footage of KZSU. It's pretty funny...and, for me, highly surreal.

The coolest...
Last weekend Husband and I watched the classic '60s cop flick Bullitt. I hadn't seen it in years and I'm happy to say it seriously holds its coolness factor.

Was there ever any actor as cool as Steve McQueen? Those steely, ice-blue eyes. The strong, silent stare. That sexy macho-ness. In retrospect I think he had all of 10 minutes of dialogue in the movie, but it doesn't mater. His presence is magnetic. And the famous car chase just plain rocks.

I love seeing movies shot in San Francisco. It's always cool to be eating popcorn and say "hey, I've been to that cafe." Or "my best friend used to live a block from there." Well the classic chase in Bullitt is geographically impossible (from the Mission to the Marina to San Bruno Mountain) and they do pass the same little green VW bug three times, but it's just so damned cool you don't care. Tires squealing, hubcaps flying, bouncing over hills and screaming around corners.

So the plot manages to be both thin and hard to follow, it's still a great film made even better by the sexy Mr. McQueen and an uber-hip '60s score by the genius, Lalo Shiffrin.

Fictional favorites
The always-interesting Dark Party Review asked a few authors "What literary character do you find the most compelling? and, as usual, got some interesting answers.

For me, it's gotta be good old Sherlock Holmes. Sure the stories are flawed and cliched but there's just no forgetting Holmes once you read about him. The moods, the razor-sharp brain, even his rudeness are all quite distinctly him. He may not be the most likable character ever, but he's definitely compelling.

Runners up:
Pip (Great Expectations)
Jane Eyre
Don Quixote
Elizabeth Bennett
Winnie the Pooh

What is it with Target?
I don't usually shop at Target. But they have Nick & Nora jammies (which I love) at a good price and since I no longer fit into anything I own, I went to buy some jammies. That's it. Just a pair of pajamas. So why did I walk out 45-minutes and $175 later?

Target is one of those stores where every time you turn around you realized you need something. And because they sell everything, you end up spending FAR more than you intended. "Oh yeah, you tell yourself, we're nearly out of toothpaste." And into the cart it goes. Oh hey, they have sweats on sale and I don't fit into any of those either...so you pick up some sweats. And a new sports bra (in case I ever, in my life, feel like working out again). And a kitchy-cute candy holder for Halloween because it's coming up. And some new socks for Husband because he bought new shoes and his old socks are too thick. And....

...and so it goes. And all around you are similarly zombie'd out shoppers with their own weird assortment of items. Ten pounds of laundry detergent and two hideously ugly purses. A huge plastic storage container, three bags of Halloween candy, and some mouthwash. (Maybe the candy isn't for the neighborhood kids.) An enormous bag of dog food, some jeans, leopard-print slippers, and tampons.

So it's not just me. It's a Target thing. You go in for one item and come out with the most bizarre collection of things. And as you're loading them into your car, you're already thinking "what was I thinking?"

Congratulations on your ulcer
You know you've been sick for too long when the news that you have an ulcer brings out congratulations from your friends. I've been amused every since the diagnosis and the reaction from the people around me. They've stood by me for so long that, like me, they're just happy to have a name to put to the insane zarf-o-matic creature I'd become. Yesterday I went by KZSU and two of my fellow DJs were happy at the news. Mind you, I am too, I just think it's funny. I imagine if this had come out of nowhere the news that I had an ulcer would be greeted by the requisite sad faces and sympathy. But in my case, it's very nearly a party.

And frankly, I prefer it this way. I'm much happier with my congratulations card (thanks again, Mama D) than I would be with the long face. It's just so...me...that being told I have an ulcer is really cause for celebration.

Ugly as sin...
...but impressive. That's the California Condor. And I just saw one. On the onramp to 280, of all places, trying to kidnap some roadkill (yum) with an envious, but obviously overmatched crow watching from a few feet away. I'm not 100% certain it was a condor but it was huge, had that ugly red face, and definitely looked like the gargoyle pictured here. I gotta admit, I'm hoping it was a condor because if so it was a really cool unexpected sighting. If it wasn't a condor, I'm not sure what it was.

Alone time
When you're married it's always a bit odd to find yourself alone for a weekend. With Husband covering the Monterey Jazz Festial for his new blog I'm bachelor girl. this weekend.

I'm spending my time reading lots of trashy novels and, at the moment, watching football. (I'm rooting for Buffalo over Oakland because 1) I hate the Raiders and; 2) The Bills' quarterback is a Stanford grad who happens to be the brother of a friend.)

I really miss Husband, but being alone has its advantages. For example, the sofa is now a mess, covered with books, my laptop, a sweater, the remainder of the Sunday paper, two remote controls, the telephone, and a couple of magazines. The cat, while generally sweet-natured, is giving me the green look of death because I keep singing (badly) for no reason. (When I'm alone I'm Aretha Franklin.) And the house is generally a mess because there's no one here to trip over a pile of pillows, my slippers, and the part of the Sunday paper that isn't on the sofa.

Cat and I are getting along without Husband, in spite of the fact that I don't know how to play with her correctly and she pissed me off by pulling everything off of my nightstand at 5 am. But for two solo girls, it's quite harmonious. She's sleeping, I'm being lazy. I have to go down to KZSU today but just can't seem to get out of my sweats and into my car.

But it's odd. There's nobody to point out the good Sunday comics too. And my "wow, he looks just like his sister" comments while watching the game really don't seem to interest the cat. And last night, I was so desperate for entertainment, I actually watched 10 whole minutes of a really awful movie on the Hallmark Channel. (Don't worry, I recovered my sanity and switched over to a documentary on mummies.) And dinner....I have a hard time motivating myself to cook for two. Cooking for one just seems silly so I'm the Lean Cuisine Queen for the weekend. Although I'm was damned tempted to go out for Chinese but, again, just couldn't get out of the sweats. Boy I'm lazy.