TEN THINGS I'D LIKE TO DO TODAY

I've been fighting writer's block all week, and losing miserably.

The good news is, as a result of prolonged mental inertia, I've finally been able to do other things -- things I've been meaning to do. I finished 20 episodes of season one of The Gilmore Girls; only four more to go before I begin season two. I pruned and cleaned up the garden -- also picked ripe honey tangerines and calamansi from my container citrus grove. I got caught up with my reading (can you believe I had November magazine issues still in their protective plastic seals?) and bonded with my cat.

The bad news is my mind is still a blank. Even a fun day spent with Stacy failed to stimulate my brain activity. Not even when she told me about a newspaper article she read that declared Mac (as in Apple) stores the new hot place to meet prospective dates, even partners -- and not only for techies and geeks either. Normally I'd start thinking: has the guy manning the Genius Bar now replaced the bartender as king of pickup central? What cheesy pickup lines would one have to endure here ("I'd love to download something into your pod, baby.")? Will there now be a dress code enforced at the store?

I hate losing, even if only to a state of mind. So to cheer myself up, I'm going to think of 10 things guaranteed to make me happy today. Nothing like world peace, relief for the tsunami victims, or an end to starvation -- those are already givens, and won't be accomplished within 24 hours anyway. I'm only listing things that can occur sometime today, even if in theory only.

1. Comfort food -- to me this means chicken and pork adobo, liver and onions, scrambled eggs and french toast, garlicky paella with tutong (crispy bits of rice scraped from the bottom of the pan), matzo ball soup and kishka at Canter's, Il Fornaio's Pizza Cristina (fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, baby arugula, prosciutto, shaved parmesan, and truffle oil), creamy mushroom soup, chocolate-and-banana crepes. OK, must stop now (it's lunchtime and there's absolutely nothing in the fridge for me to eat).
2. Boo napping on top of my chest as I nap. I love listening to her soft snore and smelling her kitty breath as she nuzzles her wet nose on my neck. When she wakes up, she taps my cheek with her paw nonstop until I open my eyes. If that fails, she hops off and sits on my head (all 13 lbs. of her!).
3. An 80-minute Nourishing Facial at Burke Williams Day Spa.
4. Take the AMTRAK with Arnel to Santa Barbara and have a romantic seafood dinner by the pier.
5. Karaoke reunion in Koreatown with Ted, Ed, August and Anna, Dennis, Mina, Kennedy, and all the usual suspects. Followed by a late-night dinner at Full House in Chinatown (sigh, the good ol' days).
6. Arnel doing his goofy dance in front of the TV to wake me up from my Piolo-gazing reverie.
7. Lounging on the chaise outside in the balcony while wrapped in a soft chenille throw and sipping cold cucumber-and-lime-flavored water, enjoying the cool wind and gentle sunlight kissing my face as I read.
8. Three hours of leisurely shopping, with stops at Anthropologie, Book Soup, Sephora, and Smith & Hawken. Better yet if I head for LA and walk along Third Street, Robertson, Beverly Boulevard, and La Brea (great shopping -- and eats!)
9. Watch the the last four episodes of season one of The Gilmore Girls with Boo curled up on my lap -- without having to worry about doing the laundry and dishes or finishing up organizing the garage.
10. Winning the war against writer's block.

There. Just thinking about my options makes me happy. What's on your list?

Comments

[sistah #1]

since i just had knee surgery and am now relegated to sitting in bed with my knee elevated and wrapped in ice, my wish list is fairly simple...

i'd like to be able to:
1. walk without the use of crutches
2. get to the bathroom or the kitchen without it being a big production
3. drive ANYwhere, ANYtime, to do ANYthing
4. have a reason to shower and get dressed every day, other than just for hygienic reasons

and what i'd like to be able to do most of all:
5. go outside and sit on the beach to enjoy the wonderful sunny weather we have out here in southern california!

[Gigi]

So sad my sistah. :( If it makes you feel better, sistah#4 shares your pain. I don't know if it makes HER feel better knowing that, though.

RE: #5 - I guess the next best thing is to sit outside on your patio and breathe in the ocean air (which you still kinda get at your place if the wind is blowing in the right direction).

[acid42]

Dang. I can't seem to find any place here in Manila which sells the boxed sets of Gilmore Girls.

Love the series. And how come they never made merchandise for the show? When i went to the States in 2002, i was looking for shirts or whatever stuff to buy which had Gilmore Girls emblazoned on it. no such luck. tsk tsk tsk.

[Gigi]

Hi acid42,
I've been reading your blog since I saw your info at PinoyBlog as well -- am dying to know who that primadonna is (if I even know of her, that is :) ).

Anyway, I can't find the boxed sets here that easily either. Season 2 has been available at Costco since Christmas, but I can't find Season 1 anywhere -- not Target, etc. -- except online. If I see any show-related merchandise, I'll let you know; otherwise, I haven't seen any either.

Gigi

[acid42]

hahahah. i sincerely doubt you would know who the primadonna is. Promise: she's no big star.

Cool blog. Love your writing. Very down to earth.

Thanks for keeping an eye out for the merchandise. Although my wife would probably cock an eyebrow if i ask her to order something online using her credit card and she sees it's a shirt that says "I wish I were a Gilmore Girl." mwahahahaha!

[Gigi]

Thanks for the kind words. :)

OK, you've got a point there. And if you got the shirt for her, then you'd be in the doghouse.

[theo]

Gi: I've been reading your blog (sorry, I haven't been up to date on mine) and I have the biggest question..... why is "Gilmore Girls" e x t r e m e l y popular with the Filipino audiences? Both my niece and nephew are infatuated with the show (primarily because they have told me they live vicariously through the young Asian American girl's life). My cousin watches religiously as do several friends.

I've probably seen only one or two episodes - I thought the writing was really strong - but I don't seem to sense what all the fuss is about?

Actually, I saw Emily [Kuroda] in Chay Yew's "A Winter People", a play based on Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard", last year at Boston Court Theater. She has amazing stage presence (she was also in "M Butterfly" last year, with Alec Mapa - he's now doing "Half & Half" on UPN) and is so kind and warm (can't say that about her other half). In fact, she was suppose to play Imelda in my production of "Dogeaters" last October but had to bow out because she's filming a movie (sorry for this long digression).

Anyways, despite Emily et al., what is the fascination with the series? Any deconstruction warmly appreciated.

[Gigi]

Hi Ted,

I can't speak on behalf of other Filipino "GG" fans (acid42, feel free to jump in if you have any thoughts on this matter). I think a huge part of it is it's the ideal family show: I can watch it with my mom and dad next to me and I won't have to worry about being embarrassed about anything (except my parents won't be able to understand the fast dialogue -- don't know why because my sisters and I all talk fast). As for me, there are a number of reasons I'm so attached to this show.

(1) the writing -- so so strong. funny yet poignant and whipsmart. Clever without trying hard.
(2) the characters -- so very well developed (I started watching from the very first episode recently and I appreciate the show even more now than I did). They are people you like or at least feel for, and each one is quirky and interesting.
(3) the relationships -- obviously Lorelei and Rory are one of the best mother-daughter teams onscreen today. But all the main relationships on the show are loving -- yet flawed -- but respectful. Quite human, even if a bit idealized.
(4) the premise - yeah, Stars Hollow is a fantasy world; it's one I would love to inhabit. Everyone knows each other (which obviously is both good and bad), it's pretty, and has a sense of history and continuity. It makes me wish that places like that still exist.

What can I say, the show makes me laugh and cry and think. I always look forward to the next episode (and really, I can't think of a single bad one so far). Unlike your cousins and friends, I can't identify with Lane (the Asian girl) because my mom wasn't overprotective and controlling like hers. I suppose I see a lot of myself mostly in Lorelei, with a dose of Rory (mainly because of her passions for books, writing, and journalism). We can deconstruct more at Asian Noodles one day -- tell me when!

[theo]

Ok....thanks for comments.
As for Asian Noodles (have you gone yet?), please note that Huell Howser featured them (twice!) on his California's Gold show on KCET and since then, there business has been booming.
I took Martin [Nievera] there to eat and he L O V E D the food (Albert got him to sign the wall). He brought Pops there when they were here last month.
I also brought Jessica [Hagedorn] when she came for "dogeaters" and Jen [Paz] before she hit the road on "Saigon". All of them, I'm happy to say, loved the food!!!

So, I'd be glad to share a meal with you at AN anytime (I'm on my way there now to talk about the show I'm producing/directing this May for the Mayor's Office.)

Now, can you explain your fascination with "Angel" and "Buffy"?

[Gigi]

Oooh, this one is much simpler to explain. :)

I want to be Buffy.

Buffy's a HOT babe, she has great friends and family (who are willing to die for her, I might add), she kicks ass, and she gets to make out with Angel. Spike too (both men SO hot!).

And once you've been hooked on Buffy and can't get enough of Angel...then you get hooked on Angel too. :)