Big decisions to make. Do we switch from Dish Network to DirecTV? Or do we go back to nightmare Insight Communications and get the whole shebang--Digital television, broadband internet (I'm salivating at the thought) and local telephone service? It's really rotten being unemployed when the new season of The Sopranos is on the way, and we must have HBO!! Or do we keep our Dish, add HBO, and get a bundled phone/Internet package. Such dilemmas. Being a DINK couple is so freakin' great. Or rather, a PUNK (Partially self-employed Unemployed No Kids). MMM--yeah.

Still no job. I finally got antsy enough last Thursday (and had enough people asking me about it) that I got over my timidity about making phone calls and called the guy who interviewed me. I told him I was just checking in. I really assumed that he'd gone with someone else, but he said he was still speaking with people, so I guess I'm still in the mix. I really hate waiting.

I suppose I was feeling very masochistic after my birthday and tuned into "Birth Day Live", that marathon birth session on Discovery. Good grief, what is wrong with me? Well, I was a little intoxicated. It was funny, they were keeping a running tally of the numbers of girls and boys at each hospital. Was there a line on this in Vegas? Earlier in the day, the regular "Birth Day" episode was entitled "Older Mother Miracle Births". The mothers I saw were 40 and 41. I'm going to be an older mother. That's OK. Back to the marathon, I was pretty fascinated by one mom whose legs were spread so wide a semi could've been driven between them. She reminded me of Gumby. I know she was on drugs. I couldn't help but think that if I could get those drugs before conception maybe I could get pregnant. The guy doing color commentary said she looked "very comfortable". I wonder. Maybe it was my semi-drunken state, but it seemed that the bed, along with the mom's vagina, was tilted up. Isn't that working against gravity? Were they concerned that the baby was going to hit the floor? Was there also a line on that in Vegas? (By the way, the baby looked huge, increasing my doubts about the mother's comfort)

And just to keep the birthday celebration going (Julie's birthday was Saturday, my Mom's was last Wednesday, and a very good friend of mine celebrates his 39th a week from today), here's one of my birthday favorites from Weird Al Yankovic from his self-titled album from 1983...


Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!

Well it's time to celebrate your birthday,
It happens every year.
We'll eat a lot of broccoli, and drink a lot of beer.
You should be good and happy that there's somethin' you can eat.
A million people every day are starvin' in the street.
Your daddy's in the gutter with the wretched and the poor.
Your mama's in the kitchen with a can of Cycle Four.
There's garbage in the water,
There's poison in the sky.
I guess it won't be long before we're all gonna die!

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!

Well, what's the matter, little friend, you think this party is the pits?
Enjoy it while you can.
We'll soon be blown to bits!
The monkeys in the Pentagon are gonna cook our goose.
Their finger's on the button, all they need is an excuse.
It doesn't take a military genius to see
We'll all be Crispy Critters after World War III.
There's nowhere you can run to,
Nowhere you can hide.
When they drop the big one,
We all get fried.

Come on, boys and girls, sing along, okay?

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!

Well, there's a punk in the alley, and he's lookin' for a fight.
There's an Arab on the corner buyin' everything in sight.
There's a mother in the ghetto with another mouth to feed.
Seems that everywhere you look today, there's misery and greed.
I guess you know the Earth is gonna crash into the sun,
But that's no reason why we shouldn't have a little fun.
So if you think it's scary, if it's more than you can take,
Just blow out the candles,
And have a piece of cake.

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!

(wow!)

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you!

And a pinch to grow an inch!

I'm glad I'm 39 during a Leap Year. I get one extra day of my 30s before the big 4-0 comes next year. I've been considering pulling a Jack Benny (an old-timey entertainer for all you young whippersnappers) and staying 39 the rest of my life, but that seems kind of sad. I'm not really afraid of 40. I was never one of those kids who thought people in their 40s were old. Plus, I keep telling myself, hey, Sheryl Crow's in her 40s and look at her! Then again, I don't really want to be Sheryl Crow.

You say it's your birthday? Well, it's my birthday, too, yeah!

How did I get this old? I can't be this old. I am this old.

I would like you to dance!!

I've done something relatively constructive recently. I've been playing around with my recording studio software and have recorded a track from my keyboard, and laid another midi track on top with a French Horn voicing. I've tried laying some vocals on, but if I leave the door to the bedroom open, my cat comes in and sings with me. I don't know if my voice offends her, if she likes it, or if she just can't resist singing along. Sometimes if I'm singing, she'll come get in my lap and meow right in my face. She seems very concerned, probably rightfully so. Maybe she thinks I'm in pain. At any rate, the song I'm working on is for the soundtrack for the movie I'm writing. Don't ask--it's too corny and cheesy for words, but I feel the need to work on it anyway. I may not have this time to myself again. One of the main problems I have with getting anything accomplished on it is G. I can't sing or write much when he's at home. And he's at home a lot. I realize that home is really his office (his truck is also his office), but it's very disconcerting to have him pop in every couple of hours. He comes home too early for my comfort, too. When we have the mansion, I suppose I'll have a writing and recording wing. Won't that be lovely?

I hadn't visited Babybaby's blog for awhile, and now every time I try, the Internet police come after me and shut me down. Does anyone know what's up (has she moved)?

I apologize if anyone's tried to email me from the link on the blog recently. I let my hotmail account lapse, and when I logged back in yesterday, all my old emails were gone. I've changed the link to an account I check more often.

I felt my interview last Wednesday went well, and they had me come back in both Thursday and Friday mornings to feel me out and see if I thought I'd like it and if they thought they'd like me. I especially liked the Assistant Manager of the department, and found out that she's a Monkees fan too! I think she's several years younger than I, so that was pretty funny. Before I left on Friday, she told me she hoped I got the job, which I felt was a good sign, but then I thought, "maybe she says that to everyone, maybe she's just making conversation." I suppose she meant it, though. I really thought I would've heard back by now. I sent a thank you note yesterday. If I haven't heard anything by tomorrow, I'll call. I'm trying to steel myself for bad news. I think I'd really like it, and am sure I'd do it well. A job would really be a nice birthday present (it's Sunday).

The adoption fair was pretty interesting. We spoke with a few people. We stopped at a booth sponsored by an agency that specializes in domestic adoptions, and G was surprised at the short average wait they had last year. We still haven't had an in-depth discussion about it, and are really on hold until I get a job, anyway. It was good to get some more info, though. I'm going to make him read through some of the literature. I've already read much more than he has.