Thursday, June 30, 2005
We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Ch-ch-ch-changes...
Here's the 80s photo without the shades... and with the clearly visible tan line!! Got me thinking about the various hairstyles I've had over the years, after having LONNNNNNNG hair all through high school (the down-to-your-ass kind that gets stuck in the toilet if you're not careful).
So, of course I had to scan some evidence.
I was probably about 22 in this photo... this was after I had cut off most of my mane.
This is another '80s photo...after the spikes grew out. I was trying out my friend's new bathtub. (doesn't this hair look like a wig?)
1988 perm. This one didn't last long. My hair is so straight that a full perm would only stay curly for about a month.
This was SUPER short, circa 1992. I was really, really thin so I could pull it off, but EVERYONE told me I looked like Liza Minnelli (hello? that's NOT a compliment!) so I grew it out and I will never, ever cut it short again.
Adventures in Cyberia Site Debuts!
Now that Blogger has made it possible to post photos without using Flickr (to a point, anyway), I'll definitely be updating frequently. MUCH faster process.
NOTE: For now I'm stuck with a standard Blogger template, but I've downloaded the design kit with the official Sims graphics and Ro from Ciao My Bella! will be giving us a cool skin very soon!
Here's a closeup of Nadia...ain't she gawgeous?
Don't You Want Me Baby?
My blog buddy Lu is asking people to post their TOTALLY 80s photos of themselves (ok, if you were 5 in the 80s it doesn't count).
Here you see me in all my spiked-hair, white-anklet, shoulder-padded glory. Now I ask, "Don't you want me, baby?"
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Meet the Roflers
Introducing.... The Roflers!
Heidi
Me (aka P.G.)
Nadia
Kevin
Charlie
and Julie
The boys have romance on their minds... and someone had better learn to cook because we've already had TWO fires! Julie got a job as a scientist and Nadia is going to work in a restaurant! Micah Bloginski stopped by wearing his mascot costume. Heidi and Julie have been boogying, Kevin likes to play darts with me. Charlie has been trying to chat up all the women.
See and read tonight's escapades here:
The Rofler Family
Now, in case you're wondering what the Bloginskis are up to, wonder no more.
Dawn is obsessed with Deni. She wants to be Deni's friend, wants to flirt with Deni, is afraid Deni will reject her. All Deni, all the time.
Micah is taking over for another more famous team mascot. Can't wait to see the new costume.
For the Bloginski update, go here:
The Bloginski Family .
If you look closely, you'll see Dawn hugging Deni. ;)
A Little More Sims Info
1. I will still be posting content OTHER than the Sims stuff, for those who aren't interested in that. (what are you, nuts?)
2. For those who aren't that familiar with the game, I don't have a lot of control over some aspects of the game. For example, when there was a fire in the kitchen yesterday, and Robin freaked out, a therapist literally dropped from the sky to treat her. All I do is try to keep them happy (send them to bed when they are tired, make sure they learn things like mechanics so they can fix stuff, etc.) and I can encourage various kinds of interaction (chatting, flirting, hitting on, etc. Not that I would do THAT. har har.
3. Although the families will live in different houses, the individual Sims will drop in on each other and maybe we'll throw a party this weekend!
4. Another thing I do when creating each Sim is assign an "aspiration" (choosing from Fortune, Knowledge, Family, Romance and Popularity).
The Bloginskis break down as follows:
Deni: Fortune
Dawn: Popularity
Micah: Fortune
Karan: Family
Robin: Knowledge
E.C. - Family
5. And last but NOT LEAST: One thing I hope to achieve with this game is to introduce you to each other's blogs!!! I'm starting a separate blogroll in my sidebar for the participants, with the word "SIM" after their blogname. Go visit!!
Now, I must get back to the labORatory.... nyuk nyuk nyuk ....
Those Crazy Bloginskis
So! Everyone has a job now. Micah and Karan are Team Mascots and wear funny bunny heads to work. In this scene, they have brought a friend home, but Micah has fallen asleep on the sidewalk. At the bottom of the screen you can see Robin's current state of mind.
Deni and Robin are in the military, and Deni even got a promotion on her very first day! Unfortunately, she can't cook and keeps burning things. She even caused a fire in the kitchen and the firemen had to come. Robin was so freaked out that a therapist had to be called to calm her down.
Dawn is a dishwasher and she's already managed to miss the carpool one day. However, she is becoming more popular and is officially friends with Deni!
Micah has been dreaming about Karan, Deni has been dreaming about Micah, Karan learned plumbing and fixed the bathtub. There's now a dartboard in the kitchen and a few strangers have stopped by to meet our bloggers.
Here's a picture of E.C. getting a job via the internet as a campaign worker:
AND here's an updated story with photos from the official site:
The Bloginskis
With any luck, I'll be creating Family #2 tomorrow... Remember, only people who have supplied me with their zodiac signs can play!
Monday, June 27, 2005
Regurgitation Monday: Ten Things I've Done That You Probably Haven't
Copped from The Infected Papercut and a host of others. I'm going to keep this pretty tame, as my 19 year old reads this blog from time to time!
1. I co-produced an Off-Broadway show, starring Ileana Douglas and Enrico Colantoni.
2. I was thrown out of a car that hit a pole at 75mph and had virtually no injuries.
3. In 1977, when I suspected that my boss at Newsweek had written a letter to HER boss trying to get me fired (it was in a sealed envelope on his desk), I read her typewriter ribbon and deciphered the entire thing.
4. I worked as a car salesperson for 6 weeks. Since I needed to retain my soul, I quit.
5. I got Honorable Mention in the New York Magazine Competition (the Mary Ann Madden one that doesn't exist anymore) in 1971. The challenge was to write "What I'm Doing on My Summer Vacation" by a famous person, without using the letter "e". Mine was: "I'm staying homo" by Truman Capote.
6. My daughter and I were driven to her school by Bill Murray and his wife one morning in Manhattan. Their son happened to be in her class, and they spotted us waiting for a bus. It was a very interesting drive.
7. I drove to Florida from New York in one day.
8. While working in an allergists office during high school, I passed out cold when he scooped some black phlegm out of a patient's throat. Ew.
9. I made out with my high school Science teacher.
10. I lost money on NYC real estate.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Adventures in Cyberia
Our first "family" in Cyberia...the Sims neighborhood I created for us. I just spent about a half an hour posting the links to each person's blog and a recap of today's events but Blogger ate my post!
You can see some screenshots from today's activities here:
The Bloginskis
So, you have the links for Dawn, Deni and Micah (see previous post). I gave Dawn a hat and some braids!
I added three more bloggers to make this group of roomies:
Robin of The Wisdom of Funky Bugs (dark hair, red top)
Easy (EC) of Glory-Road (Cardinals hat)
Karan/Rugdesigner of The Shoes Keep Dropping... (seated in front)
Dawn wants to be popular but she acts kind of dumb so everyone's annoyed with her. She and the guys are still unemployed. Deni, Robin and Karan have accepted some, er, weird jobs. All six of them are living in a 2 bedroom house.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Sneak Peek!!!
I've started playing god already...creating Sims of three bloggers who either have pics on their blog, or in one case whom I've actually met! At this point I'm just doing the physical stuff and clothing, but I'm really trying to get the features as close as I can to the real person. (It's hard to see here, but up close they're pretty good!)
When I start creating the neighborhood that's when I apply some personality traits to each character. It would REALLY help for me to know your astrological sign (because that's how the personalities are determined). If you don't send it to me I'm just going to guess!
I'm going to create houses with about 5 or 6 Sims (a "family" of bloggers which will have a silly last name) in each house. As each house is populated I will begin to post screenshots of the activity in that house. (Once the 2nd house is done, there will be activity crossing over from one to the other). There are also pre-created "strangers" in the neighborhood who may pop in.
If this really takes off, I may open a 2nd blog just for our Sims Game!
Here are the first three Blogger Sims:
Deni, The Last Girl on Earth
Dawn, Webmiztris
Micah, of Micah's World
Friday, June 24, 2005
Fearsome Foursome
Like the Kramdens and the Nortons, or the Flintstones and the Rubbles, my parents and my Aunt Ginny and Uncle Shon were inseparable. And like those timeless couples, the love was expressed in some interesting ways.
My aunt and my mother are sisters, but my dad and my uncle formed the closer bond. As the kids played in the next room, the four of them would play Pinochle and yell and scream at each other as though millions were on the line. "What the hell are ya doin'?" "You don't know what the hell's what!" "Goddamit, Marge!" "Whaddya, stupid??"
While my mother followed tradition and married an Italian, my aunt broke free and brought a Welshman into the family. This was fortunate, since it made the men even LOOK like Ralph and Norton, or Fred and Barney.
We always envied our cousins because their parents were so supportive and loving (ok, my aunt DID throw a Brillo box at one of her sons once). My uncle enjoyed taking his kids places, participating in sports with them and displaying their trophies. In our house, the only trophies belonged to my parents: Bowling trophies which sat [not kidding here] on a shelf over their bed. Hey, whatever turns you on.
Of the four sisters, my Aunt Ginny is the most real, the warmest, and most inclined to tell the truth about the family. It was she who told us that my mother wielded control and power at six years old because she had to translate for my grandparents who spoke no English.
She also told us that my grandmother's philosophy of childrearing included the concept, "Never kiss your children when they are awake." These little revelations have helped me put together some of the jigsaw puzzle that is my mother's psyche.
My uncle is 82 now. He was crushed when my dad died...they were as thick as thieves. But he and my aunt, although both struggling with health issues, continue to be warm and upbeat and sometimes hilarious.
At a recent family function, I sat and talked to him for awhile. He's virtually blind but still plays golf, with the help of a good friend who positions him over the tee. What cracked me up, though, was when he described a 90 year old woman in their apartment complex as having "A.Z." Senior citizen lingo for Alzheimer's!
If you look REALLY closely at this photo you'll see me... that's a white maternity dress my mother is wearing. ;)
Photo Friday: Orange
This week's Photo Friday entry was taken in Central Park, of Christo's "The Gates". Being there was indescribable. You'll notice, too, that people wore orange as they walked through the exhibit. Even dogs wore orange. I know there's an "orange you glad ..." joke in here, but it's too early in the morning for me to think of one.
Feel free to come up with your own!
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Who Wants to Be a SIM??
I have a great idea for a blog game. I'm going to buy the SIMS2 (just came out for Mac). What if I were to create SIMS based on all the bloggers who want to play, and then once a week or so I'll post screenshots of what everyone is up to?
Leave a comment (with your blog link) if you want to play, and if I get enough people I'll divide everyone into several houses and see what happens!
(you could find yourself in a hot tub with another blogger...you never know with the SIMS!)
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Ay yi yi
This is how I feel about the Yankees right now!!!
(sorry for the drive-by post...a meatier one will appear by tomorrow)
Monday, June 20, 2005
A Father's Day Message from Beyond?
Lucas was quietly walking around the perimeter, trying to approach the house sparrows that would briefly light upon the fencing. All of a sudden, he called to us and we looked over to see a sparrow sitting on his index finger. It was momentary, but profound, and my sister looked at me and said, "Tony?'
All I know is that wild birds don't normally come to rest on our fingers. Was it my son's dad paying him a visit on what was a difficult day for him? We can only speculate. But it was a joyous moment he will never forget.
Regurgitation Monday
As promised, here's another Monday re-run... It's a short but hilarious read called "Good Night Nurse!".
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Family Reunion
This is so cool. My friend Jason adopted Cody (on the right) about 18 months ago (he's 4 now). Cody was badly injured on the track and Jason patiently nursed him back to health.
Recently, he discovered that Cody's mom was finishing out her career as a brood bitch after birthing a total of 24 pups. Her name is Pretty, and he made arrangements to have her transported from Kansas to Bridgeport where he picked her up this past Thursday.
Pretty is ELEVEN years old...and now she'll live out the rest of her life with her baby boy.
I haven't posted about greyhounds in awhile, but remember if you want to contribute to our adoption group (it's costly to keep the dogs in foster care and provide medical services until they are adopted), click HERE. The greyhounds thank you!!!