Bizarro. Japanese designers have come up with a new product to fill in the gap in lonely, single women's beds: the Boyfriend Arm Pillow

I really don't understand why anyone would steal a well-known famous painting, like The Scream. Who's going to pay money to hang an obviously stolen piece of art in their home? Or what museum would pay for that?



Man, she's bitter



Which Nigerian spammer are you?



Yesterday, while standing in line at the grocery store, I picked up a copy of Seattle Magazine and was most excited to find my doctor listed as one of the Top Doctors in the area. Woo hoo!



Read an article in Newsweek about the new SAT---no more analogies! Sheesh, those killed me. Instead, there's a new writing section which includes an essay that colleges have access to. Also, a perfect score is a 2400 instead of a 1600. Some colleges are accepting both the old and new SAT from students in the class of 2006--how are they going to fairly compare students if they do that? Interesting.

Things I want to do over the next couple of weeks:



1. Sign on a regular housecleaner (how grown-up of me, isnt' it?)

2. Meet with an interior designer to get color recommendations

3. Buy more decorative furniture/accessories

4. Paint



I love my place but it's too cold for me right now. It definitely needs a homey-er feel to it, which I think I can get through some warm tones and little accessories to really pull the place together.



The rainy weather hit Seattle today. Bleh. And it's, like, 60-degree rainy weather, a hint that fall is around the corner. But wait--summer's are supposed to be a bit longer here. What the hell? I can't believe that just on Friday, I was wearing a tank top and skirt. Today, I was walking around in my jeans and fleece pullover. Weather forecasts indicates rain for the next few days. [sigh] Hopefully, this will just be a short thing and we'll return to beautiful, sunny weather soon. In a way, honestly, I'm very much welcoming this rainy weather--it's made sleeping so much nicer in the cooler evenings.



Our company picnic was yesterday--and right in the middle of it was when the rain hit really hard. Pretty funny. I think it was the first time the picnic's been rained on, at least since I started. I still had fun--got my free t-shirt, climbed a wall, and had free food and beer.

A few days ago, I went and picked up my license plates for my car. While I was there, the car sales guy helped me activate my XM Satellite Radio. I knew I had the hardware installed on my car but didn't realize until a few days ago that I got a 3-month trial subscription by virtue of purchasing my car...so now I'm cruising around with over 120 radio channels with commercial-free music. You know, when I first heard about this concept 2 years ago, I thought it wouldn't really take off--who wants to pay for radio? Of course, I have it for free now and I've only had it for a few days...but...I must say: I love it. If I decide to continue this subscription after my trial, it'll cost $9.95/month (or I could pre-pay for a year or two years, etc. for a bit of a discount). My greatest hesitation: I don't spend that much time in my car. Unlike the Microsofties, I spend approximately 7 minutes driving to work; however, short commutes aside, I think it's really cool. I'm already finding myself enjoying the Cinema channel, Broadway, Latin Jazz, Caliente (Salsa/Caribbean), all the channels in the Dance category..the list goes on. It's also neat to get non-music channels like the BBC, CNN Headline News, E! Entertainment, Discovery Radio and fun shows like LaughUSA. (Full program list found here) It's been incredibly peaceful to NOT hear radio commercials over the last few days. XM Satellite Radio has the potential to really take off. Future plans include a Public Radio channel, showcasing some of the public radio stations in the country, such as Boston's WBUR. This channel is going to include a daily Bob Edwards show. Another upcoming channel will feature all the "Hear Music" songs you hear in Starbucks cafes (as cheesy as this music can be, I like it). What do y'all think?



I went wakeboarding today for the first time over in Lake Sammamish with a bunch of people---I LOVED it!! I want to go back again and give some more time to trying it. I never truly totally got up---well, I did get up at one point but immediately let go of the rope and temporarily surfed on my own on the water. It was exhilirating and such a thrill. I can't believe I never tried this before. Hope I get a chance to go back again before this summer weather ends---if anyone here in Seattle is interested in joining me, let me know!



I'm losing sleep over the Olympics...I so easily get entranced watching these athletes compete late at night. When did the women's vault horse change shape?



This summer is flying by. It's insane how many social activities there have been daily (and how many Leos I know...)

Happy Birthday to Dad, Pierre, Auntie Loretta and moi! Later tonight, Pierre and I are having birthday drinks with friends at Barça---come join if you can.



Just got back from the last shisha night at Jigna's before she officially moves over to the East Side (Issaquah). Ah--so sad. I'm really going to miss the view from her balcony of the Space Needle and the Puget Sound. That apartment has the most amazing view. A bunch of us were over there. They completely surprised me at midnight by bringing out a yummy tiramisu cake from Larry's with a candle on it for my birthday! What awesome friends I have.

I played tennis yesterday for the first time in, oh, 15 years. I forgot how much I liked it...but man, my right forearm has been incredibly sore since. What a fun way to get some cardio in...I'll have to build it back up though.



To get through these non-AC hot nights in Seattle, I've found an incredible product: the Chillow. It seems like one of those As Seen on TV products (and for all I know, it is)...I decided to get one after seeing it come up in numerous Amazon.com and Drugstore.com emails...and with the price not being too hefty, I figured "why not?". This thing really does keep relatively cool throughout the night and it helps to have at least one cool thing to lay my head against at night.

I just went downstairs to buy my daily latte and the lady behind the counter wouldn't take one of my nickels because she thought it looked counterfeit. After looking at it, a guy behind me in line said that it was an old nickel, a buffalo nickel. I just checked this thing out---some versions of it can fetch up to $14,000! The one I have, at best, may be worth 75 cents--but hey, that's still 15 times more than it's currently worth to me! Anyone know any coin dealers/buyers in Seattle?