Another hilarious moment came just minutes later when Rocky, the Terminator, and the aging and very frail host (of the fundraiser) lined up to take a picture together and Arnold said, "This is the stud picture," as only Arnold can say in his Austrian accent.

Moments like that are what make me kinda want to go back. It's true, I will never have another job that affords me the opportunity to make such...priceless...memories. Also, it sounds like I am missed there (for my freakish typing skills and organizational abilities) which is always nice. My old supervisor said he would be happy to have me just come in as often as I wanted so I could teach my old systems to the new people. You see, the key to knowing how to streamline procedures is to be so lazy that you absolutely refuse to work any harder than necessary and thus create procedures that maximize efficiency. See, Ma? My laziness has come in handy after all.

So yes, I may be going back. Maaaaaybe. We'll see. They're sucking me in slowly...next week, I'll be volunteering at their non-profit event with Garth Brooks.

Also, while they are representing Senators like DeWine who is on wrong side (imho) of the immigration issue, they also represent Talent, Burns and Allen, and possibly a few others (they have their fingers in EVERY important Republican race nowadays) who made Polipundit's Hall of Heroes. I could probably just request not to be put on any DeWine campaign related projects. Ah. I'm rationalizing going back >< This is not a good sign.

So then I emailed my old supervisor and told him to put me down as a volunteer for the event with the governor on Wednesday. And poof. I'm back. Sort of. Hopefully I've grown savvy enough to use this opportunity to make some connections in the business world. They should come in handy when I'm looking for an internship next summer.

I called my old supervisor today about getting a letter of recommendation and mentioned that I might be looking for part time work soon and he said that I could always go back there and do all those fun things I used to do (batching checks, data entry, research, etc.). It's tempting because it's familiar, but then I think, do I really want to go back there? The place that I'm pretty sure stressed me to the point of getting sick? And do I really want to go back into the world of campaigns and what goes on behind the scenes? And do I really want to work on all of these campaigns now that I'm irritated with the Senate Republicans and President Bush on the immigration issue?

There has to be a better part time job out there.

Paul asked me tonight where his real Joyce went and demanded that I bring her back.

Tomorrow I am attempting seared tuna salad with a wasabi dressing. This is big people. It involves using the stove. Alone. With no supervision. Have I mentioned that I am afraid of the stove? My mother instilled this phobia of oil flying out of the pan and burning me while I was still very young and I have never really gotten over it. I am also scared of knives. So you can see why this whole cooking thing is rather uncharacteristic of me.

This worked out well for me when I was living on my own. Everything was always exactly where I left it and important information was thus always easily accessible.

Now? That I live with Paul aka the obsessive clean freak? Things are not working out so well. In fact, I might have to kill him tonight. Important documents in above-mentioned Sephora bag? Likely thrown out last month when I was stupid enough to leave him alone in the apartment for four days. What was I thinking ><

One of the few times I attempted to cook (it was a simple dish, too) my own mother took one bite and declared that I would have to finish any leftovers on my own. Yes, it was that bad.

But! Yesterday! I made baked mussels WITHOUT ANY SUPERVISION! In fact! No one else was even home! And I did not burn down the apartment! Cookies for everyone!

So, understandably I am now starting to think that maybe, just maybe, I can finally justify staying home all day long while Paul (the one that can cook and clean) goes off to work.

This is what I made for dinner tonight (with minimal supervision from Paul):

1. Cheddar quesadillas w/store bought salsa verde (the label was in Spanish and it was in a can, it is delicious and I will be buying all my salsa verde in cans from now on)

2. Chicken salad with a peanut-soy dressing

3. Garlic shrimp

4. Baked potatoes au gratin

A dinner fit for the playoffs =)

I told Paul after game four that inevitably the old selfish ball hog Kobe would be back. Why? Because people who are fundamentally selfish don't change, and certainly don't change over night. I knew it was just a matter of time before the old Kobe reappeared. My theory is that after game four Kobe figured they had the series locked up and it was time for him to be the superstar again. I always tell Paul that if he's really a Laker's fan he should be hoping that they get rid of Kobe because as long as Kobe is around the Lakers will never be a team.

His selfish play and those cocky smug faces he makes...not to mention the fact that he is AT BEST an adulterer (which is bad enough) if not a rapist...is why I always cheer against Kobe and the Lakers. It drives Paul crazy because he has been a die-hard lakers fan since the 80's. But it does makes the Lakers' games we watch together more interesting. Anyway, GO SUNS!

All over the world, terrorists let out a sigh of relief, knowing that you can go to America, conspire to murder 3,000 innocent civilians, and still live out your days in greater comfort and luxury than their caves could ever afford them.

After Moussaoui’s active, proven participation in a conspiracy that resulted in the brutal mutilation, murder and dismemberment of 3,000 people who had done nothing wrong whatsoever, you bravely stood up and spat on their graves by giving to one of their murderers what they can never have:

Life.

I think that Osama is in a cave somewhere laughing at us right now, pointing to this as more evidence of America as the "paper tiger." I've been listening to the talking heads and there seems to be a sort of general agreement amongst former prosecutors that the two verdicts (first that he was eligible for the death penalty, but then not to give it to him) do not make sense in light of each other. I am also disturbed by the fact that it sounds like they bought his lawyer's sob stories regarding his "rough" childhood and "abusive father" as part of the reason they chose to give him life instead of death. Boo-freaking-hoo.

I think FoxNews' Kimberly Guilfoyle made an excellent point when she said that Moussaoui will have more than a lot of homeless American citizens (roof over his head, three square meals, a mattress, possibly cable TV and internet access?). To me this is just wrong. But, c'est la vie I guess. I also liked her comment about how his "sad" childhood shouldn't have been a factor in their decision because many of the victims of 9-11 probably had worse childhoods than he did and it's not an excuse not to be a man and do something positive with your life.

As a Christian I know that I am supposed to forgive and turn the other cheek, but honestly, I hope the other prisoners at the supermax where Moussaoui lives out the rest of his life show him a good time in the showers EVERY day for the rest of his pathetic life.

I have the utmost respect for the 9-11 families and the way those who were hoping for a death verdict are handling themselves right now. They are much stronger than I think I could be in their shoes.

I really hope the Heat wins the championship because I love Shaq (and despise Kobe for running him out of LA). If they don't win, then I'm hoping for the Cavs (go LeBron!), the Suns, the Clippers or the Nets (Vince Carter is hot). I also really like the Pistons because they're just so good as a team. That's what basketball is all about. I remember after Kobe scored 81 points, we were having dinner with Paul's parents and his mom was like "Who wants to see that? That's not a basketball game, that's the Kobe Bryant show." Paul's mom rocks =) And not just cause she's a conservative Republican who hates Hillary and loves Condi.

So, I'm facing a dilemma y'all. I thought I made myself clear in this post that I will no longer be publishing rude anonymous comments. My whole thing is, if you think you have a big enough dick to write up a rude comment, you should really at least have the balls to own up to it. But, apparently, trolls don't have balls and don't know how to read (making it especially ironic when they accuse me of not being well-read), they only know how to type inane comments (complete with bad grammar and spelling).

My dilemma is that this particular troll is so hilariously hypocritical that part of me wants to publish the post so that everyone else can get a good chuckle out of it. But I don't want to encourage him (I am assuming it is a guy) or any other trolls. So here is what I'm going to do. I'm going to publish for you all the best part of his comment so we can all ridicule the anonymous coward. If he would like to grow a pair and re-submit his comment with his name (and preferrably an email address) I will gladly publish his comment in its entirety.

You live in a city filled with azns who are very bigoted, racist and extremely phoebic towards those who are darker than them. Consider who you date and why you date him.

Oh, where to begin. So much fodder in just these two sentences. First of all, please crawl out from under whatever rock you've been hiding beneath. I live in Los Angeles. You know? One of THE most diverse cities on the planet. I love how in trying to accuse me of being a racist you reveal how racist YOU are by making a sweeping comment on "azns" (by the way, what the hell is an "azn" last time I checked I was asian). Don't presume to know the first thing about me - I bet you didn't know that before I found out that I wouldn't qualify medically I was planning on joining the Peace Corps and requesting to be sent to an African country. I'm not even going to bother telling you about all the wonderful black and Latino coworkers I've had over the last few years because you're obviously nothing but an ignorant jerk who's bitter because he can't get a date. Why else would you be advising me on my personal life? Are you upset because you think I won't date you? Here's a couple tips for you...1) I'm engaged and 2) I only date MEN, you know, people with testicles. Try growing a pair and maybe someone, somewhere will give you a chance.

And that right there is the very last time I will acknowledge any troll posting anonymously.

Paul asked me last night if I could stay an extra week if his company asks him to stay but I don't think I can take it anymore. I miss my cat. I miss my bed. I miss...class? Yes, I actually miss going to class and feeling like I have somewhere to be and something to do. Here, I just kind of feel like a bum. Maybe I wouldn't be feeling so cranky if I could just get some sleep.

I also think its really gross how when I blow my nose here after a day of being out, what comes out is kind of a grayish color. Yuck.

First of all, I am completely addicted to the show and am going nuts here in NYC where I am being deprived of HBO. Luckily, I have On-Demand at home and will be able to catch up on the two episodes I've missed once I get back to LA.

Why am I so addicted? The only way I can explain it is that it's kind of like rubber-necking at the scene of a horrible accident. Also, I've developed a strong liking for the first wife Barb (played by Jeanne Triplehorn) and am really hoping that she will extricate herself from the polygamist lifestyle, which is clearly making her miserable.

To me the show captures perfectly why polygamy is not popular in our society and never will be. It's really sad watching Bill trying to care for the needs of three wives, doing more than most men do for one wife, but still falling completely short because, well, THREE WIVES people! Paul's one and only comment about the show was, "How does he (Bill) still have that much hair?" Men may be under the impression that having three hot wives (although I don't find wife #2 attractive at all, and #3 looks like a teenager so it's kind of gross seeing her in bed with Bill Paxton) is a fantasy come true, but in reality you end up with three women demanding your time, money, affection and then you gotta take viagra to keep up and end up dizzy and in danger of suffering a heart attack.

Then there are the women. There is so much jealousy and pain there that I just can't understand why they stay. Well, that's not exactly true, #2 grew up in a polygamous cult and so it is all she knows. #3 is just looking for family and love. But why Barb (#1) stays is beyond me. She is beautiful, intelligent, competent and grew up in the official Mormon church which is (at least officially) against polygamy. It's clear that sharing her husband causes her a great deal of pain (apparently in this week's episode, she breaks down crying and tells Bill that she feels as though she's been "robbed" of him). Relationships are hard enough without having to fight such a basic human instinct as jealousy every day of your life. And the fact that they all acknowledge that they must fight "temptation" (jealousy) only makes it that much more confusing to me.

It seems pretty clear that polygamy, even when it is "ideal" as it certainly is in the situation of the main characters of Big Love, still brings a great deal of disharmony to the family unit. Even without all the sexual abuse, physical abuse, the oppression, etc. it still appears to slowly destroy everyone involved. We are no longer an agricultural society that requires a ton of children to work the fields. In order to succeed in this day and age, children need loving, nurturing parents who have the time to attend to their emotional needs as well as their physical ones (clothing, food, shelter). Bill's character can't even provide emotional support for his wives, nevermind his seven children. And again, they are probably the most idealized version of polygamists that exist (after all, he can afford three mortgages, whereas most real life polygamists are on welfare).

Well, the drilling has ceased and the bed calls. Maybe more on Big Love later.

The only thing I did notice was an increased NYPD presence all over the city, but particularly in the subways. I'm not sure if this is directly related to the protests but I assume so?

So how was your day without illegal immigrants? Mine was a sunny day in the city, complete with some fruits and veggies for breakfast/lunch, shopping, and I even got my eyebrows and upper lip threaded at a salon that I came across on my way back to the subway.

What shocks me the most is that this case is completely unambiguous. There is no question at all of what Andrea Clark wants. She wants to live. And if the doctor's at St. Luke's hadn't medicated her into a coma, she would be able to express this to them now as she did before they drugged her into a state of unconsciousness. How can they possibly argue that the right thing to do is to give up hope on a woman that wants to fight for her life?

Please contact St. Luke's and let them know (politely) what you think of this situation. I called them this morning and was transferred to their media relations department where I left them a message (they are apparently too pussy to pick up their phone), so don't be surprised if you are transferred to a voicemailbox as well.

One last thing...looking back on the Schiavo case, is it really so surprising that we ended up here? When you begin to devalue life...the lines get blurred. Sigh.