smiley faces

Eeks. There is a serial murdering gang called the Smiley Face Gang that's been killing college men by drowning them and then leaving a painted smiley face at the scene of the crime...Our temporary new boss is a Jaclyn Smith-lookalike, and my coworker is crushing on her big time. He's like skipping around like a school boy in love, fetching her donuts. I think his heart about stopped when, upon receiving a Diet Coke from him, she said to him that she would like to take him back to Kansas City (where she's from) with her. It's actually kinda cute and amusing. I think coming to work has become fun...Mariah Carey marries Nick Canon. WTF? Maybe meltdown #2 is coming soon. Let's hope...Radiohead says it's not gonna give away its stuff for free anymore. Meanwhile, Coldplay is allowing free download of the first single from its new cd. The song's called Violet Hill - and I like it very much...How cool was it that Amanda played the Immunity Idol on Thurs nite and in effect eliminated Alexis? While I would have rather seen diabolical Natalie or manipulative Cherie, I am still happy to see Alexis go. Go, Amanda!...Iron Man is at 90+% fresh on the rottentomatoes meter and grosses over $100M in its opening weekend. It's the first blockbuster of the year. I predict this, Indiana Jones, and Batman will be the big hits of the summer, while Speed Racer and the Hulk will bomb. I like the people involved in Speed Racer and the Hulk but the previews really have not looked good...I've already failed to commit to my shopping ban. Two days into May, I already broke down and bought a North Face polo and pants from REI's latest sale. They were items I have been eyeing for a while. Ugh...Ian McKellen is set to reprise his Gandalf role in the upcoming Hobbits movies. Yay! I can hardly wait (or is that can't hardly wait?) for the day I get to set my butt in a theatre and return to Middle Earth again...Madonna's Roseland set received great press reviews. I thought it was just okay, but then again, it's kinda hard to feel the effect when you are looking at a tiny, blurry rectangle on a computer, with the sound out of sync by a couple of seconds. I did love the 4 Minutes set design though. What is disturbing though is that an early, unconfirmed list of cities that she is touring later this year excludes the Bay Area, which means that I rejoined her fan club for nothing and that for the first time since the Girlie Show, I will be missing a Madonna tour...I have jury duty coming up at end of May. I actually won't mind a small break from work, as long as I don't get stuck on a case with a bunch of dumbasses to decide the fate of some mafia boss...I've been sick for the past few days. Started with a sore throat and escalated to coughing and congestion and slight fever and headache. I took a sick day on Thurs but went to work on Friday. I lasted okay; I actually have a lot to do at work so taking two days off in a row would not have been prudent. I spent Saturday and likely will spend today holed up in my house watching bad movies (The Nines? I like Ryan Reynolds but what a piece of pretentious crap!) and catching up on my Tivo'ed shows (the white teenage girl in me is just loving Gossip Girl - it's just so dreamy and pulpy)...Murakami is having an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. It looks really cool. When is that show coming to SF?...I was reading Men's Journal, and when Jeff Bridges was asked the question of how he deals with heartbreaks, he responds with the lyrics from a Leonard Cohen song Anthem that go, Ring the bells that still can ring/Forget your perfect offering/There is a crack in everything/That's how the light gets in. That's freaking brilliant, and inspiring. I spend so much time fretting over the imperfections that I often fail to move past them and just appreciate life and things and people for what they are...Finally, to extend my enjoyment of Once and the Swell Season concert, I found an NPR interview with Glen and Marketa and also a podcast of the concert in D.C. back in 2007. These people really put a smiley face on me.