The love of my life

Before marriage therapy class started last night, I had a conversation with Suzie, a classmate, which made us both very emotional.

It was about the loves of our lives.

Her best friend and love of her life, Martin, passed away in March. She talked about visiting his grave often, telling him about her day - the challenges, the triumphs, and about how much she missed him. She said that her grief was incomparable to any other loss in her life.

I shared with her the details of my loss, when my best friend died in 2005. It was a very difficult time of my life, and I often wish I could go back and do things over again.

Suzie said she hoped to someday find that kind of love again, but she just wasn't ready now. I shared with her how I went for years without thinking I could get that lucky again, but that in 2007 I was fortunate in that I found that love again.

Oliver came into my life through chance. I was not looking for him, but he found me. And that was the beginning of what is for me, one of the greatest love stories ever told. :-)

Coincidentally, my friend Ash posted this on her Facebook page just now, which made me remember last night's conversation. Below is her tribute to HER best friend:

He is not just a dog
He is my friend
He is my family
He is my partner
He is my companion
He is my defender
He is my hero
He is my eyes when I cannot see
He is my ears when I cannot hear
He taught me to be kind
He taught me to be compassionate
He taught me to be human(e)
I am his voice

It's the sound - my favorite words

Words. They're pretty powerful.

"I love you." Put a few together and they can swell a heart.

"Never again." String a couple up & they could tear a couple down.

One of the sweetest words on earth could be "yes", like when it's the answer to the question "Will you marry me?"

It can also be one of the most harrowing of words to the ears of a mother, when she asks her son if he will be going overseas to fight a war started by a ego-busted Texan with a penchant to "do what's right" in the most wrong of ways.

But then there are words that, when used on the rarest of occasion, delight. It could be they way they roll off the tongue, or what they look like when spelled out, or even their meaning. Whatever the case may be, I have a few favorites:

milquetoast - wussy

titleist (misprounounced "tit least" for a very long time)

replete - filled with, or stuffed

assclown - does this need an explanation? If so, you might be one.

deuterogamist - someone who marries for a second time. I aspire to be one.

cacafogo - a spitfire. I aspire to be this also.

stoopnagel - an idiot. My mom used this word alot when I was little, and it made me giggle. She was divorced. Figure it out.

chapeau - fancy French word for hat.

crapulous - it really means drunk, but I like to use it to describe a situation, thing or person which is the opposite of fabulous

lavavjilla - Dishwasher. It's probably the only Spanish word I can tolerate.

Scritti Politti - it's just a kickass name for a band.

croissant - they are tasty, and I lurve to hear how people try to pronounce the word all French-like and fail. I don't pose - it's "crahsahnt" to me, not "cwuhsahhhh."

doppleganger - Drew Barrymore played one in a sucky movie. Means "twin"...

egregious - superbad, in the best of ways.

superb - it's the epitome of good.

insouciant - couldn't give a crapulous.

spatula - because I am an "ula" fan. Dracula, tarantula.

onomatopoeia - did you think I'd leave this one out? Silly you...

NOW THEN...there are a few words I cannot stand. They make me shudder. For real. And I know I'm not alone in this...

moist - umm, gross?

panties - it sounds wussy, and when paired with the above word, well, ew.

snippet - it makes me uncomfortable. So does Whippet. Don't know why.

gawd - are you a stoner?

epic - are you a stoner?

Most every word in the German language - yes, I can speak/read/write in German, and that's probably why I hate it. Geshchshchsharumph. So damn guttural.

Pus/mucus/snot - kinda goes without saying.

crusty, scab or crusty scab - same as above.

harum scarum - wth? It just frightens me. Weird-ass word...

dopesick - no explanation needed.

slacks - probably the worst word in the English language. To me. Oh hell, it should have been eliminated back in the 1970's when the apparel went out of style.

This message will self-destruct in 10 seconds....

Hardcore.

In a word - this isn't me.

I'm more fluid, flexible, fun. The three F's if there was such a thing.

However, I am getting hardcore about my running, and have gone all strap-on in preparation for the Rock-n-Roll 1/2 Marathon.

I have three going simultaneously when pounding the pavement, and two when at rest.

The first is my BodyBugg. This helps mainly with caloric intake tracking, not so much running, but it's a complimentary electronic companion (CAC). It resides at all times on my upper right arm, cradling my tricep.

The second? My iPod which sits snug on my upper left arm, ready to let loose with selected cacophonies that infuse my every step. My playlist rocks, yo. Don't be hatin'.

The third, and quite possibly most important toy-tool of them all is my Garmin. It wraps lovingly around my left wrist like a good boyfriend should, giving me progress notes at the tap of a finger. Oh, and did I mention the heart rate monitor? Good times.

I feel like the a less-scary, intense Ethan Hunt a la Tom Cruise what with all this gadgetry.

And yes, most runs I feel like I'm on a mission, impossible.

Yet I keep on going. Up to 3.5 miles now, somewhat comfortably. Which means, I'm not dead yet.

Don't mess with my childhood

I hate MTV.

It was decent until around 1993, at which time the music was dialed down and the reality crap was turned up. The Real World was on the mark until 1998, when the Seattle season took it to new lows.

MTV has produced a few movie which I like - Wayne's World, Wayne's World 2, and Austin Powers. It's amazing how they've been able to continue to churn out frothy, feature-length chum from so-so skits from Saturday Night Live. Case in point, MacGruber.

They've now sunk to an all-time low. Beyond low.

They've remade Footloose.

How dare they mess with my childhood.

Not only have the prettied it up, they've also put a "Step It Up" twist to it, which goes against the very nature of what the original film's message was.

It ain't broke. Don't try and fix it.

My Top 10 Albums

Got the inspiration to compile this list here.

Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime
Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
X - Under The Big Black Sun
The White Stripes - The White Stripes
Poi Dog Pondering - Wishing Like A Mountain and Thinking Like The Sea
Beck - Sea Changes
Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
Ani DiFranco - Imperfectly
Lou Reed - New York
U2 - War

Super 8 - good, not great

I saw Super 8 this weekend.

It was good, but not great.

A very cool premise - young filmmakers shooting a low-budget zombie movie using a Super 8 camera stumble upon a secret the military has been trying to keep undercover for many years.

The pull and promise of this movie isn't so much the monster, but rather friendship, overcoming tragedy and the innocence, purity and goodness of youth.

It missed the mark a bit. Perhaps it's because I kept comparing it to the Goonies and Stand By Me, which in my opinion are two of the best young-buddy movies of all time. The actors playing the two main characters - the young boy and girl - were outstanding. Really, really good performances by both. But the main supporting characters - the dads and the boy director - just didn't have me feeling anything. And the other young boys who made up the rest of the motley film crew didn't get enough depth for us to really feel anything for them.

The flow throughout the film never faltered - it was a very smooth production, no huge plot holes. The ending was a little shrink-wrapped for my taste, but it really wasn't important at that point.

4 out of 5 stars. A good summer flick.

Oh, and stay for the credits. You'll be further entertained.