What IS Up Doc?

Well, the semester has collapsed into finals (which are next week), so I finally have some time to think and sleep. Let's see. Paul successfully passed his 90-day review at work and was rewarded with a hefty raise. He's still very busy at work. There's a very funny story about why, but I'm not sure if I can post it. I don't want Paul to get fired too! We bought a new TV as a slightly early Christmas present to us. It's the 32" Sony LCD TV I mentioned before. We got it for a better price too, courtesy of Circuit City's bankruptcy. The old one wasn't doing so hot, so I figured it was replace it now during the fine sales season or replace it sometime during the next year when TVs may or may not be on sale. I really like it. It's a good thing it mostly covers Christmas because buying presents is hard for people with disposable income. Paul just buys himself what he wants, so there's nothing left for me to get him! (Yes, I am well-aware of how incredibly fortunate we are to be in such a position and yes, I feel the appropriate level of guilt, which is why I am having been answering yes every time I'm asked if I want to donate a dollar to [insert name of worthy charity here] at the checkout and tipping generously.) If you have any good Paul-present related insights, please share them because I don't!

There is No Me in Avant-Garde

There is no me in avant garde. Or we. Paul and I learned this last night as we yet again embarked on "an adventure." Oh foolish mortals, when will we learn that there is a reason we live a normal life? It's because we're NORMAL. By definition, if one are not normal, then one is abnormal. Who wants to be abnormal?

Our tale begins on Tuesday, when someone courteously left behind an alternative publication at the bus stop. I need to kill some time, so I started flipping through it. There was an ad for a film--Repo: The Genetic Opera--which Paul and I had periodically discussed. It had an intriguing premise (it's a horror opera--really, almost every line is sung) and cast (Paul Sorvino, Sarah Brightman, Anthony Head, even Paris Hilton). It was an 1-day engagement with one of those director-writer Q and A sessions after the film. So we said, what the heck? Let's be adventurous. So, I bought the tickets--little nervous about the part that said dressing in costume is encouraged--and on Thursday, despite the many better and more important things we had to do, drove off to a little dollar movie theater in Chandler. I became slightly more nervous given the amount of black and capes as we waited to verify our names and ages (you didn't actually get tickets, they put your name on a list at the door), but figured it was part of the adventure. We got in, found seats in a giant theater with with tables (like the Alamo Drafthouse!) and random pieces of furniture to make extra seats. (Ever watched a movie in a church pew? Me neither, but I know where to now.) Soon, the theater was overflowing with black, fishnets, piercings, and leather. Still, I held steady. Hadn't Chris Hicks once written that there was a certain amount of humor being there for one of those Rocky Horror Picture Show things? We sat through the opening banter and then the director, writer, and composer took the mike. The director opened by saying that Repo: The Genetic Opera had been called the worst film ever, the worst movie of the year. This is when genuine panic first set in. What were we in for? Well, something. A few parts were good, more were interesting, many I covered my eyes for. In brief, there's a man (the Repo Man) who repossessions organs. He's been coerced into the job (he's really a doctor, you see) because his daughter is ill. His boss is the villian. He is also the man's dead wife's ex-lover and possibly the daughter's biological father. Throw in the boss' three worthless children (in the role of the bawdy buffoon) who are squabbling over their dying father's estate, a drug-dealing grave robber/narrator, and a blind opera singer who is also owned by the villian and was the dead ex-lover's best friend. There's mostly revenge, some parents-must-let-go-at-some-point, a smattering of mixed social commentary (obsessions with plastic surgery, drug addiction, the evils of consumerism/genetic modification/etc.) as the plot's connective tissue. Paul and I had a secret signal worked out if we had to flee--three quick squeezes of the hand. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication and I misinterpreted Paul's attempt to flee as him wrongly thinking I wanted to flee. Thus we wound up staying for the whole thing. And thing really is the word for it. It certainly gave us much to talk about on the drive home.

Paul's Official Opinion: Repo is a terrible movie--but stylish. It's uniquely terrible. The gore was over-the-top, yet lacked a payoff. C+ (B as average)
Jennifer's Official Opinion: Repo is a disappointing movie. It was often interesting, but lacked any real development of the plot or characters. The opera aspect was really underdeveloped. This is impressive when you consider than 95% of the movie was sung. (Paul agrees.) C+

Have Yourself a Merry Little Thanksgiving Now

Thanksgiving was a small affair for us this year. It was just us and I didn't have any pie pans, so it was a little less like Thanksgiving and a little more like a fancy Sunday dinner. We just had turkey, mashed potatoes, and rolls. And I still haven't made that pumpkin pie. I did buy a pie pan though. Apparently, Black Friday deals don't apply to pie pans or Walmart stores as it turns out. Those with particularly keen visual acuity will note that the very, very fine print notes that "local" prices and advertised online prices may differ and prices are not guaranteed. Thus a Sony Bravia 32" TV can be shown online as costing $498--and not available online for purchase--and $598 at the actual store. Not that I want to break kneecaps over it or anything.

In Kittenwatch '08, Piper has destroyed some carpeting and is proving scratching post-resistant. She also came dangerously close to eating my engagement ring (Paul had to snatch it from her tiny jaws), so now all of my jewelry has to be stored in its box at all times. I don't know what it is, but she really likes that ring. She tried to bite it off my finger today. I don't really enforce kitty discipline, but she's going to get spritzed in the face if this continues. Other than that, she does pretty much normal cat stuff. Which is cute and all to me, but Paul gets a huge kick out of it. It's like what people say about the wonder of the Christmas and children's eyes, only with the wonder of cats and Paul. Everything is new and exciting and entertaining. Sure, Piper will chase a laser light around for an hour, but Paul's the one laughing and operating said laser light for an hour. He's currently trying to teach her how to "talk" with some success. (Piper is an extremely quiet cat. She doesn't even really meow, just kind of murmurs.) Here's some pictures we took of her doing "cute" things. She's merely tolerating the camera in the second one and the third one is from Thanksgiving before dinner. I don't know about you, but nothing says vacation and comfort like a Quark's Bar shirt and "weekend pants" as Land's End euphemistically calls them. Oh, and that's Paul's behemoth of a birthday computer in the background of the first shot.

Creeping Towards Thanksgiving

I've heard complaints from little birdies that I'm not updating my blog enough. I agree, but for heaven's sake, it was the week before Thanksgiving, one of the most treacherous weeks of the semester. I made it out alive by the skin of my teeth! I kid, but it really is getting tight. It's that point in the semester where the professors realize what they have planned and what they have time for are no longer able to be reconciled. The good professors accept this and cut down their plans accordingly. The bad professors just keep on combining days and assignments and assume it will somehow magically work out. I have only one good professor. I'm burned out and tired of being sick, Paul's been pretty sick and exhausted as well. We really need a decent break.

Piper continues to show her personality. She's very inquisitive, exhaustively investigating every cranny, surface, noise, scent, person, etc. She's already climbed behind the washer, gotten inside the dresser, and tried to jump behind the oven. Thankfully, I caught her in mid-jump. I tried to take more pictures, but she was fascinated by the camera. All I got were blurry photos of various parts of her. We've also discovered that while she does like cat toys, what she really like is small balls of foil--preferably a couple of York wrappers or Klondike bars. She will chase those around for hours. She is also a skilled cricket catcher and likes sleeping on hard flat surfaces like tables or the top of the dresser. She still tries to eat moving appendages.

Hope this keeps the little birdies happy for a few days. :)

A Week Without Paul

Paul abandoned Piper and I this week under the guise of "training" and "Delaware," so we were forced to hold down the fort by ourselves. It took only three days before I think I officially became one of those crazy cat ladies. Strange, sad things happen when your only companion for 20 out of the 24 hours in a day is a cat. We actually muddled through quite nicely. After all, I had work to do and that can take up an infinite amount of time. Really, every day, wake up, do homework, go to school, come home, watch Bones, do homework, go to bed. It's a very monotoneous schedule even for me. You might note a lack of meals. That's because I discovered that--contrary to what I thought--Paul had been doing all of the cooking/food obtaining. Also, that I lack sufficient motivation to make something for myself that isn't macaroni and cheese or pasta salad from a box. (The epitome of laziness, I know.) Something should probably be done about that. Paul, I think, got the worse part. He was stuck in a hotel with nothing to do for five days. It sounded like cabin fever (hotel fever?) was beginning to set in. I'm really looking forward to his return. It'll be nice to have someone to talk to who answers back and isn't me. I'd also like someone who snuggles without trying to eat me. Piper's developed a crippling tastes for toes and, oddly, knees of late.

We Have a New Family Member!

It's something Paul and I have been talking about for a long time, but we finally decided to go for it. And now we're three! Please say hello to the newest (and only) addition to the Bussio-Muhlestein household: Piper! She's a year-old grey tabby with great big green eyes. She's not very big, but she is very sweet and snuggly. She'll curl up right on your lap. She's spent most of today hiding in various places, but we've been able to coax her out periodically. She had some trouble with the litter box at first, but she's used it successfully now once so our fingers are crossed that that will be the end of it. This is the picture from the Humane Society website; I'll put up some others when she's feeling more photogenic. She had been at the shelter since July, so they were very happy to see her go. We, of course, were delighted to see her come.

A Sign of the Coming (Zombie) Apocalypse?

Read the following sentence and tell me if it doesn't send you running to your bomb shelter: I liked Max Payne and beat Paul at House of the Dead 4--in every category. I know, I know. It's eerie. It weirds me out too. It's just not right! I don't know what happened. I was only going to Max Payne to humor Paul. I didn't expect it to be a stylin' B- film or spawn to a household in-joke. (Heck ya, I'd like to report something!, spoken to a 911 operator during the most outlandish shoot-out ever.) I should have seen the warning signs, but I foolishly plunged straight into virtual zombie combat. Now, I'm no slouch in the zombie-killing department. I know my way around a light gun. But I have never been more than an able sidekick--until last night. Though I picked up a light gun naught but one time in two years (also to play House of the Dead 4 briefly in Taiwan), I excelled, taking down hordes of zombies in a blaze of flashing lights. If it were House of the Dead 3, zombie limbs would have been have been everywhere. Amazing and Perfect shots were flying all around. I beat Paul repeatedly in total score and every category of shot. I was so surprised I forgot to go grocery shopping. That's darn surprised.