a game: 8 about me

My friend Shannon (the Rev. Texas, to you!) tagged me in his blog for this more than week ago and I’m just now getting around to doing it. I guess it’s taking my mind off the yellow helmets the Steelers chose to go with tonight.

Here are zee rules:
1. Tell us eight things about yourself on your blog.
2. When you are done writing these eight things about yourself on your blog, you tag eight people and list their names to do the same thing.
3. Leave them a comment informing them they have been tagged, and to read your blog so they will know they have been tagged and are now “it.”

And away we go …

1. When I was born, I was so early that I didn’t have my left ear. It was this little flap of skin that hadn’t formed yet. It grew into a real ear eventually and you can’t even tell. You wouldn’t even know if it I didn’t tell you.

2. I have a profound weakness for Hello Kitty merchandise. Yes, I realize I’m almost 30 years old. Yes, I know it’s creepy. However, I can’t help it. My favorite item is a watch my Dad and Mom bought me.

3. Even though I know how it ends, I still get emotional at the end of “Major League.” You just feel so happy for the Indians. Especially when Bob Uecker says, “THE INDIANS WIN IT! THE INDIANS WIN IT! OH MY GODDDD THE INDIANS WIN IT!!” I realize this makes me … lame.

4. Despite my job, I know so painfully little about music and television people these days would consider cool. I saw about 15 minutes of “Sex and the City” before I decided it sucked and about six minutes of “Desperate Housewives” before I vomited. I’ve seen one complete episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” but thought it was obtuse an whiny. Don’t even get me started about music.

5. The only celebrity death that ever devastated me was David Brudnoy, the host of The David Brudnoy Show on WBZ Boston. When I found out that night in December (accidentally, as I was driving home from the Y) that he had 24 hours to live, I sat in my car, listened to his final interview and cried. His book, “Life Is Not a Rehearsal” is one of my favorite books. He is still an inspiration to me to this day.

6. I love to drive. I seriously don’t care about traffic. I found myself sitting on the Beltway one morning in wall to wall traffic and was smiling ear to ear.

7. I freak out when I’m in public at grammatically incorrect signs — especially apostrophe or quotation mark abuse. It causes me rage.

8. Though I’ve never been accused of having a “sunny” disposition, I tend to be one of the most optimistic people I know. Perhaps that’s stubbornness at refusing to admit something can’t or won’t work, but I tend to never dwell on the negatives. The example? The afternoon my father got sick, I sat in the lounge of the Intensive Care Unit and said, “He’s going to be fine. Less than six months. Less than six. He’ll be home.”

(Editor’s note: Dad will be home Thursday!!)

So, here’s where I’m supposed to leave comments on other people’s blogs and tag them … but I’m going to do it differently.

If you’re a reader and you feel inclined to do this, let me know. I’d love to see it. It’s fun. If you don’t want to do it, that’s OK, too. 🙂 I won’t judge you.

for a good time, call …

I laughed until it hurt at my friend Cale’s misadventures in text messaging today. I’m glad Cale is my friend because it’s comforting to know that there’s at least ONE other person out there in this world that this kind of stuff happens to. I think that for Christmas, I’m going to have to buy him the t-shirt I saw that said “Shit happens. But mostly to me, so don’t worry.”

i

This is among the first videos I can remember seeing on MTV. When I was growing up, my hometown didn’t have cable to speak of, but my aunt and uncle had a satellite … and teenage sons. I’d spend my summertime afternoons at their house swimming in the pool, putting on plays we’d write for each other and watching MTV. I remember this video and the first time I saw it like it was this morning. I can smell the chlorine from the swimming pool and the goosebumps from coming into the air conditioner.

This is just a fun song, too. There’s nothing you can’t love about this one.

hey Wheeling: party!

The top story today on The Intelligencer’s Web site:

I don’t know about you, but I’m relieved.

up tonight on the show: a new time

Hey, everybody! It’s weekly shameless self-promotion time.

First: New TIME and new LOCATION.

We’ll be live at 8 p.m. at Radio 360 Talk. At the Web site, you’ll see choices for your player, so just pick whichever one works for you.

In terms of what we’re talking about tonight:

* Jacque hates people who come to her blog and leave stupid comments. Tonight, we’ll talk about The Center for Consumer Freedom and Tracy, the one-woman wrecking crew who only wants to point out that The Center for Consumer Freedom doesn’t care about consumers. Or freedom. Jacque is a freedom-loving consumer. This can’t go wrong.

* (Tentative) Jacque’s basic tips for grocery store etiquette, or, “I don’t care what country you’re from or what langauge you speak, in no country is it cool to leave your cart in the middle of the aisle, walk away, and yell at someone for touching it.”

* Ask a Guy, starring B-Dub. In tonight’s installment, we pick apart an article from TheFrisky.com that outlines the five wrong reasons women go on a date. (Really? Only 5? I could give you 50 alone.)

* In our granola munching segment, we’ll look at the best responses to 14 stressful situations. (Note: We really don’t use any of them.)

* I’m sure B-Dub will force me to talk about the presidential debate at some point, though I’m going to delay. I’ll need help with this.

* Jacque hates bicyclists. Apparently, so does some guy in Chattanooga, Tenn.

* Your calls, the chat room, and much, much more!

You can call us at (956) 790-8255. As a bonus, tune in a little early for the pre-show.

to my friends back home

I hope you’re enjoying the third annual “Your Governor Made Us Play You” Bowl. The Maryland contingency of the “We’re not helping ourselves, but you don’t make things better” movement refused to pay Comcast $129 to watch the game, so I’ll be glued to my BlackBerry for updates from Milan Puskar Stadium Mountaineer Field.

i’m alive, and hey! thank you!! :)

Sorry it’s been quiet around here … I’ve been fighting the NyQuil hangover with a DayQuil stupor and nobody’s winning. Add a couple of projects at home (ask me about how long it took me to re-install Photoshop!) and I’m a useless heap for the most part.

However, I did want to take a minute to thank The Center for Consumer Freedom for featuring a link to my post on the hippo ad under their breaking news section on their front page. 🙂 Thank you for linking that, Mr. (or Ms.) Web Master. I’m just one kid out here fighting the good fight … the fight for my right to stuff myself full of tasty, tasty McDonald’s french fries and not sue a single damn person for it. Thanks for letting other people see your work in action in Metro DC.

In other breaking news: Dad goes home (for good) in seven to 10 days!!!! I can’t even believe it. I never would have thought it would be this soon, but I’m thankful. He went to New Martinsville for a home visit today and Mom took him around to all of his favorite places and it seemed to be just what he needed.

More later in a live report … I’m hoping to scam myself a visit to Ragtime in Arlington tomorrow to watch the WVU-Marshall game (which I absolutely, positively REFUSE … you hear me? REFUSE … to call the Friends of Coal Bowl). They’re the only people in the area showing it, I think. And I want to be around like-mindeds. I need to watch this game with fans.

best disclaimer I’ve read in months

“No cats were harmed in the creation of the play.”

sometimes, they write themselves

Man sues Md. doctor, says butt stapled shut

thanks, Mr. Metro Sneezer

Dear Man in Really Nice Suit with Leather Briefcase Who Got on the Metro Yesterday at Union Station,

I understand. You’re a busy man. I’m a busy girl, even though I don’t look it with my pale blue backpack, hippie messenger bag and iPod stuck to my head to drown out the collective sound of defeat around me. I understand that you had a lot of important paperwork to get done in your short ride to Farragut North, so I even forgave you for spreading out all over me to get this paperwork done. Chances are, you’re far more important (and make far more money) than I ever will be. Deadlines, pressures, clients. I’ve been there. I get it.

What I didn’t get? Why you didn’t cover your beak when you sneezed yesterday. Why you turned your head not toward the aisle, but toward me. Maybe it’s instinct. But I felt your germs blanket me like fog at the Golden Gate before 9 a.m.

And now, I’m paying for it. I feel disconnected. Light-headed. Throbby and achy. I’m on the cusp of a first-class sick, all because you hosed me with your own personal germ rinse. No amount of Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer was going to stop this. You, Man in Really Nice Suit with Leather Briefcase Who Got on the Metro Yesterday at Union Station, are Patient Zero. And now I’m Patient One.

I would tell you that I hope you’re paying for it as much as I am, but I can’t really afford to tempt Karma any more than I already have. I will just say I hope your office is as close to a CVS as mine is. And next time, please don’t sneeze on the person sitting beside you. It’s not cool, man.

Love,

Jacque Jo (sniff sniff … blahhhh)