Guster:

• My friend had her gum taken away from her during the purse search prior to entering the theater (Wiltern). She even had to spit out the piece she was chewing.
• Yet the people in front of us managed to bring pot in.
• And the Nada Surf guitarist with dreds was smoking a cigarette on stage. While playing guitar. And while singing. He just bugged.
• And everyone was allowed to bring in ping pong balls to throw on stage during The Airport Song.
• But gum? God forbid you bring gum.
• I didn’t get carded at the bar. My friend pointed out that was perhaps because most underage kids wouldn’t be ordering a vodka tonic. Whatever.
• Nada Surf was eh.
• Guster was off; something just wasn’t right.
• The audience was very low key, and there seemed to be a lot of new fans who didn’t know many of the songs.
• Adam rocked the trumpet during Ruby Falls.
• Barely anyone did the counting with their fingers during Barrel of a Gun.

Weekend:

• My drive down to San Diego was uneventful, as was my drive back.
• My parents’ house looks absolutely fabulous.
• It will look even better once the sinks are in. Yep, we had to wash our face/brush our teeth using the bathtub. This is the closest our family has ever come to camping.
• The day of erev Yom Kippur, I frosted the sugar cookies I made up in LA. We took them to the break-the-fast the following day.
• During erev Yom Kippur dinner I embarrassed my sister by offering her opinion on a dicussion neither of us were paying any attention to. Fortunately, I was forgiven for doing so the next day in shul.
• I took my medicine (that helps keep the tonsils/glands swelling down) on Yom Kippur on an empty stomach. Not the best move. About ten minutes before the shofar blowing, I started dry heaving and had leave services.
• As always, it was a fun weekend, even sans sinks. I’m going to visit again sometime next month before my surgery so I can hang out and see the finished house.

So my Detroit Tigers have found themselves a wildcard playoff spot this year. Could there be another Tigers vs. Padres series? Unlikely, but you never know.
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It appears bubble skirts are now back in fashion. Leggings and Flashdance shirts just weren’t enough? If that funky way of folding our jeans at the ankle ever comes back, I will personally go around and unfold everyone’s pants.
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I’ve been listening to track nine (Us) on the She Wants Revenge CD on repeat. There’s just something about that song.
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Tonight is my monthly girls’ night with Ann-Marie, Jen, and Marisa. I can’t wait!
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Yom Kippur put me way behind on my TV watching. My Tivo is so full that I’ve just about given up on ever watching Studio 60 again; I’m now two episodes behind. In other TV news, how awesome was Vincent’s laundry ranting on the Project Runway reunion show last night?
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I am back on Jdate, thanks to the want for grandchildren generosity of my parents. Hopefully there will be some good (as in good dates, not good blog material) soon.
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Has anyone successfully used Motorola Phone Tools to download pictures from their Razr phone to their computer? If you have, would you help me?
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Last night at a roundtable discussion for all the Bigs, I asked a question but didn’t get a response I’m satisfied with so I thought I’d throw the question out to my readers: Without going into detail, my [almost-13-year-old] Little’s home life is far from easy. Her mom makes most decisions for her, so when I take her out, she has an extraordinarily difficult time choosing things (e.g., an ice cream flavor, a piece of pottery to paint, candy at the movies, pizza toppings, etc.) If I let her, she would easily spend an hour going back and forth, so I usually end up choosing two things and saying, okay, do you want A or B. (I learned long ago that open ended questions are bad.) But, I want her to be able to make decisions on her own, without my having to narrow down her choices. Any suggestions on how to handle this?

Weekend Stuff
I’m sick again. More details about that in the Tonsil Update part of this post.

Friday night after work, I had food delivered to my apartment. The total was $15.04, so I had $20.04 (plus two singles in case he only had a $5 bill) ready for the delivery guy. I gave him the $20.04, he said thank you, and began walking away. I asked him for my change, to which he replied, “I only have $2.” Which meant of course, he got a $3 tip. (I usually only tip delivery drivers $2–am I cheap? What’s the going rate?)

Also, I have two issues: First, isn’t it a bit presumptuous of him to think I was giving him a $5 tip on a $15 delivery order? Secondly, don’t delivery guys normally carry at least $5 in change?

Okay, now that that is off my chest I can bore you with details of yet another “take it easy” weekend where I did the following:

• Blog housekeeping. You may have noticed that the smilies in the comments are working again (you’re welcome Elise), and all links are now on the links page rather than in the sidebar. Yes, this is what happens when you have to live in a bubble and not get sick until after a tonsillectomy. You find random shit to do.
• Finally figured out how to download pictures from my cell phone to my computer.
• Managed to hit Target, the market, the dry cleaners, and clean my apartment before I crashed for the night.
• Watched four (yes, four!) Law & Order episodes.
• Realized that ohmygod, there is actually a chance of Detroit winning the World Series.
• Bought new tops at Banana Republic and Macys. Good sales.

Next week is already looking super busy and next weekend I have some friends coming into town from Michigan and Colorado. Lots of good stuff going on!

Tonsil Update
For those of you interested in my tonsils, here’s the latest: I woke up Thursday with yet another sore throat. Went to the ENT who said it’s probably viral because my temperature is below normal and my tonsils are pale, and those are both signs of a viral infection. Who knew? Anyway, he put me on some anti-viral medication (again, who knew?) and told me to get a flu shot ASAP and “take it easy” yet again.

The doctor also gave me a sheet of paper detailing what I can expect following the surgery. Basically, I’ll have a super sore throat, a swollen tongue, and horrible bad breath. Yay, can’t wait.

Just a note that in case you don’t see any new posts for a few days, not to worry. The doctor called today and said that although my culture came back negative for Strep, it came back positive for something called a pseudomonas infection. (Any doctors out there care to shed some light on it?) Anyway, the antibiotic he put me on, Levaquin, makes me a little jittery so I don’t think I’m going to be sitting in front of the computer any more than I need to. I’m going back to see him tomorrow and will ask about a different drug and some other stuff.

Have I mentioned how anxious I am to get my tonsils out?

Girl, in a moment of antibiotic and antiviral medication induced stupidity, puts an ad on Craigslist. Girl receives a bunch of emails from boys. Girl responds to five. One in particular stands out, and an email exchange commences. Phone numbers are swapped. Girl thinks Boy is too good to be true–Jewish, 36, 6′3″, former doctor turned screenwriter–hey it’s LA, it’s entirely possible.

Then, Girl receives email from Random Girl claiming to be the girlfriend of a boy (she wouldn’t say his name) who was snooping in her boyfriend’s email (don’t ask me why) and insists that her boyfriend (who Girl has been corresponding with) is not who he says he is, whatsoever.

Girl MySpaces and Googles and Friendsters all five boys (and Random Girl) using their email addresses. All but the Boy she is excited about check out. Research indicates said Boy is 27, Catholic, divorced, and um, very obviously not a doctor. Random Girl is 22.

Girl thinks either a) Random Girl is a wacko; b) Boy is a liar; c) They are both nuts; d) Craigslist is still a bad place to meet men; e) All of the above.

Girl decides on e) All of the above.

And that my friends, is why you should say no to drugs Craigslist.

Are Julie and I the only ones who watched the season premiere of What About Brian? If you saw it, what did you think? Seemed a little far fetched to me.

In other TV news, Project Runway rocked. Do you think Jeffrey cheated? I think so.
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Tomorrow two of my friends are coming into town and I am so excited! It’s been a couple of years since the three of us have been together in the same city. One of the girls is pregnant, and I have a feeling the other may surprise me with pregnancy news as well.
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In dating news (ooh, got your attention, didn’t I?), I have a date for Tuesday night with a guy who thus far, checks out quite well. No red flags. No weird phone conversations or emails. No crazy girlfriends emailing me. Anyway, please think good thoughts.
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Remember how the other day I said the new antibiotics were making me jittery? Well, I went home from work early on Tuesday because I was extremely jittery and nauseous and feeling really out of it. I called the doctor who then lowered the dose and increased the number of days. All good, right?

That night, I relaxed at home, talked to Eve, my mom, and my sister, made dinner, took my medicine, and found a comfy spot on the couch. Then I realized oh fuck, I took a second dose of the antibiotic when I took the second dose of the antiviral drug. (Did I mention I was really out of it?) I called the pharmacist in a panic, who basically said I’ll be very jittery and dizzy and nauseous (which of course, is exactly what I was hoping to avoid with the whole lower dose thing). I got no sleep that night. I watched TV until about 2:00 a.m. (my Tivo is now empty), tossed and turned, would fall asleep for about two minutes then jerk awake, fall asleep again, then wake up dripping wet with sweat. I called in sick to work (which really sucks because I need those sick days for my tonsillectomy) and slept Wednesday away, save for the I’ll Prove My Baby Is Your 14th Child episode of Maury.

And to top it off, I still have a stupid sore throat.
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And finally, how about them Tigers, hmm?

Two of my girlfriends came into town (sans husbands and child) from Detroit and Denver for a quick weekend, and they apparently brought the crappy weather with them. Actually, it wasn’t too bad, and we managed to do a lot of shopping and perhaps even more eating. They both used to live in LA, so it was up to them what they wanted to do. So, in two days, we:

• Went shoe shopping.
• Hit a children’s boutique on Sunset near Gardner.
• Had dinner and make-your-own-smores at Luna Park.
• Shopped and walked around The Grove and Farmers Market.
• Had salads at California Chicken Cafe for lunch.
• Ventured out to Burbank for Yummy Cupcakes.
• Watched the Tigers make it to the World Series!
• Walked around Westwood Village and enjoyed pizza and Diddy Riese.
• Talked, talked, and talked some more.

It was a nice weekend, and I’m glad I got to catch up with both of them.

However…

It was also an emotional weekend for me. They both called their husbands constantly, talked about babies, maternity clothes, and mortgages, and I just felt so…not a part of it. It was like there was a huge, invisible wall separating us. When I was telling them of my dating woes, I didn’t get the kind of empathetic response I’m used to; instead, it almost condescending and stung a little. Or maybe I’m just too sensitive. Or maybe this is what it’s like when most of your friends are married and you’re still single.

Remember back in June when I asked you guys to tell me about yourselves? Well, only about 10% of you complied. So for the rest of you, spill it. Here. Now.

Tell me something. Where are you from? Are you married? Single? What do you do–for fun or for work? How did you make your way to my blog? Anything.

Warning: Project Runway spoiler below. (Sorry Eve and Nanette!)

My date for Tuesday night was rescheduled to this coming Tuesday. He’s sick and said he’d rather wait until he feels better, which works for me. In related news, it turns out that he and Eve grew up together and have known each other since they were in nursery school. Small world.
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I want to buy a new bookshelf at Ikea (and sell my current ones on Craigslist), but I have no way of transporting it home. Any of my friends with SUVs want to go to Ikea (in Burbank) with me? There could be some baked goods in it for you.
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I went back to the ENT yesterday because my throat still hurts and my glands are still swollen. He did another throat culture (where he literally cultured inside my tonsil, ouch), and put me back on the antiviral drug. I have to keep taking it until my surgery. What fun.

In other health news, I got a flu shot on Monday and apparently have some sort of reaction to it. My arm has been red and sore all week so I’m going to the doctor this morning to have him look at it. I’ve been getting the flu shot for years and never had a weird reaction before.
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I invited myself to Julie’s son’s birthday party. I’m such an awesome friend.
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Anyone else watch Project Runway? I really liked Laura’s designs and am so bummed she didn’t win.
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I think next year I’m finally going to sell my little Civic and get a new car. A couple of years ago I was talking about getting the Audi A4, but with the price of gas and other stuff, I’ve been considering getting a hybrid, specifically the Prius or Civic. Anyone have one? Do you love it? Hate it?
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Looking for a new chicken recipe? The other day I made this recipe for oven fried chicken. It’s really good!
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And finally, if you haven’t already done so, please tell me about yourself! I’ve really enjoyed reading about all of you, and I love that I’m somehow responsible for introducing people to Guster, baking, and even a boyfriend.

It’s been a busy, hot, and not very relaxing weekend. I:

• Confirmed plans with Mr. Tuesday Night.
• Noticed someone I spoke to, but never met, via Jdate a few years ago reads my blog. This weirds me out a little.
• Went to Ikea with Marissa who is totally awesome for taking me.
• Put together a bookcase and CD tower.
• Didn’t cry at all when I realized this was The Ex’s wedding weekend.
• Watched my Tigers lose. Horribly.
• Volunteered in the sweltering heat at the Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters booth at the Sherman Oaks Street Fair. Did I mention it was hot?
• Baked cinnamon-sugar cookies.
• Did laundry.

My social life has been pretty nonexistant since the tonsils began ruling my life. But anyway, I have a baseball game (which my lucky uncle and two cousins flew out to Detroit for) to watch.

Some recent searches that landed people here:

• i feel pain in my right tonsil
• impact of soup opera on atitude and behavior
• why do the canadian people get married in the early age?
• aliens on a bus
• how much does it fucking cost to use a commercial washer at a laundry mat
• marnie s noodle shop
• is it kiddie corner or caddy corner?
• why are indian guys so clueless dating
• does arrowhead water really come from a mountain spring
• low cut jeans haters
• pacman pictures
• bird crap on windscreen
• look with your mouth saying
• how to say be quiet in hebrew
• adopt a kid as a spinster
• krispy kreme bus 100 questions and answers
• you are very sexy women
• chicken and waffles sales clerk pics
• what is the song played on topanga s sixteenth birthday from boy meets world
• paul moyer is a asshole
• i had to book my friend an afternoon appointment for a flu jab what time in the afternoon did i book it for?
• pictures of jewish food called surprise cupcakes
• how can i get julianne moore s haircolor?
• is 73 degrees too cold to wear shorts?

As always, write a story using at least five of the search phrases. And if you’re a new reader, tell me how you got here. Please.

It’s Tuesday night and I’m sitting on my sofa, in sweats, alone, watching the third game of the World Series. What is wrong with this picture?

If you answered, “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for/having drinks with Mr. Tuesday Night?” you are correct.

Yes, he flaked. F - L - A - K - E - D. Flaked. He was supposed to call me last night to finalize plans, namely a place and a time, but I never heard from him.

I had a gut feeling about his flakiness last week when he cancelled because he was sick, but ignored it thinking it was my own paranoia. Plus, we have a friend in common, and she said he’s a really good guy.

What kind of guy doesn’t even have the courtesy to cancel a first date? Hell, even an email cancellation would have sufficed. He’s just plain rude.

Did anyone else read about the newest fad–eyelash transplants? Seriously. It’s for real. And only $3000 an eye.
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I have to set the record straight about Detroit winning game two. It apparently had nothing to do with pine tar, and a lot to do with my dad wearing his Detroit Tigers socks. Don’t ask.
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In TV news, I think I’m the only person still watching What About Brian, aren’t I? Six Degrees is confusing the hell out of me–is her name Mae or Claire? Or does she have multiple personalities? The Cho brothers on The Amazing Race–stupid or nice? I haven’t decided yet. Top Chef–loving it! How I Met Your Mother–still awesome.
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I went to Target yesterday to buy a new vacuum cleaner. Did you know they’re all bag-less now? Too cool. Anyway, the reason I mentioned Target–they have Christmas crap already. Isn’t it a bit early for Christmas stuff? I mean, at least wait until after Halloween, non?
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Totally unrelated to anything else, I want to say a quick hello to my aunt Nan who apparently still reads my blog but never comments. Tsk tsk.
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And that’s it. No tonsil news other than my last culture came back negative for both Strep and pseudomonas. (Yay!) And my doctor gave me strict orders to “be careful about who you choose to kiss.” Fortunately, that seems to be an easy choice lately.

So this weekend was pretty sucky, in that I’m feeling sorry for myself kind of way.

I decided to try to do a bunch of fix-it things around my apartment, then got frustrated when I realized I needed an additional set of hands in order to complete the tasks.

I then logged onto IM and received a message from a guy I dated many moons ago, and haven’t spoken to in years, asking what was new. I told him not much and asked what was new with him. Turns out he got married two months ago. Not really what I wanted to hear.

This of course made me think about The Ex’s recent wedding and caused me to doubt my decision to not marry him after college. Then I reminded myself of the dinner we had a few years ago, and his lovely display of craziness two years ago. I keep reminding myself I made the right decision.

Today was the annual bowling party for all the Big Brothers/Sisters and Little Brothers/Sisters. In the lane adjacent to ours, I noticed a cute Big Brother wearing a Guster t-shirt. (I happened to be wearing my Guster hoodie.) Anyway, the band’s not very popular on the west coast, so I decided to comment on his t-shirt. We chatted a bit while waiting for our turns to bowl and he mentioned Guster’s playing some special show in a few weeks but you can’t purchase tickets, they’re only available through Hillel (or something weird like that) and we exchanged email addresses in case either of us figures out a way to score tickets.

So, after more talking, we discovered he’s from the same city (Bloomfield Hills) I’m from in Detroit! And he used to live down the street from me in Hollywood! And he’s a lawyer! And (obviously) a Big Brother! The more we talk, the more I think, how cool! Finally, as things begin winding down at the party, I ask why he moved to the westside from Hollywood. His answer? “I moved in with my girlfriend.”

Fuck me.

Are you going out tonight? What are you dressing up as?

I’m planning on somehow maneuvering my way home from the Westside (always fun with the huge West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval street closures) then not leaving my apartment for the rest of the night. And remember, if you’re going to be celebrating Halloween in Hollywood tonight, leave that Silly String at home!

By the way, does Devil’s Night still exist? I remember it from when I was growing up in Michigan, but I never really hear about it anymore. More info: I looked up Devil’s Night on Wikipedia.