Mystery Diagnosis

In case you missed it the first time, my first episode of Mystery Diagnosis is airing tonight at 10pm on the Discovery Health channel.

The second episode is going along well and should be done within the next couple of weeks. Will keep you posted when I have an airdate.

Happy Watching!!

Quote of the Day:
"I think it is a matter of love: the more you love a memory, the stronger and stranger it is." -Vladimir Nabokov

Ice Wars

Once upon a time, I was addicted to all things Olympic, and figure skating was at the top of the list. However, that interest has waned in recent years. And the events of the past couple of weeks further proved why figure skating is not worth watching.

Michelle Kwan, who has had ample opportunities to earn Olympic gold and failed, earned a place on the current Olympic team, without performing in Nationals, claiming an injury. She petitioned the committee to be put on the team, and her request was granted, sealing any interest I had in Michelle Kwan or US Olympic skating.

I hardly think its fair that she didn't have to compete to make it on the team, thereby taking the place of someone who did train and work hard and competed to earn her place. What Kwan did is a selfish act by a selfish athlete. Shame on Michelle Kwan and shame on the US Figure Skating Association.

One thing in for sure is that when Michelle Kwan takes the ice, I won't be watching.

Quote of the Day:
"I've found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often."
-Brian Tracy

New York Billy #1

If I had unlimited wealth, I would see every Billy Joel show. Although the Boston one was slightly better, I still had an awesome time. And I got to cross "All For Leyna" off my Wish List. For the most part, the setlist was the same, with just a couple of changes. As before, listed are the songs by album and then notes.

Cold Spring Harbor:
* Everybody Loves You Now

Piano Man:
* The Ballad of Billy the Kid
* Piano Man

Tunstiles:
* Angry Young Man
* New York State of Mind

The Stranger:
* She's Always a Woman
* Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
* Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
* Only the Good Die Young

52nd Street:
* Zanzibar
* Stiletto
* Big Shot

Glass Houses:
* All For Leyna
* It's Still Rock & Roll To Me
* You May Be Right

An Innocent Man:
* Keeping the Faith
* An Innocent Man

The Bridge:
* Big Man on Mulberry Street

Storm Front:
* We Didn't Start the Fire

River of Dreams:
* Great Wall of China
* The River of Dreams

Extra:
* In the Midnight Hour

* The true highlight was hearing "All For Leyna" live. Between these two shows, I have heard everything I want from Glass Houses.

* First time I've heard "An Innocent Man" since 1993, at my first Billy show. Aside from one lyric flub, an excellent version.

* It was great to finally see a Billy Joel concert in New York -- especially Madison Square Garden. So many songs are New York based and the crowd was really into it. I'll have to go through a month of withdrawal before seeing him at the Garden again on March 4th.

Quote of the Day:
"So I would choose to be with you / That's if the choice were mine to make" -Billy Joel, And So It Goes

Boston Billy or Darren, Don't Read If You Want to Be Surprised About the Setlist

Fun was had by all at last night's Billy Joel show at the FleetCenter (or whatever the hell it's called today). I am a little tired today from the northeast trek, but otherwise no worse for wear. The show was incredible and totally worth my case of the sleepies. I had an awesome seat - literally facing Billy as he played the songs spanning his 30-year career. And it's always nice to be among my fellow SuperFans, who getting as excited about hearing "She's Always a Woman" as I. Listed are the songs and what album they were from and then some notes.

Cold Spring Harbor:
* Everybody Loves You Now

Piano Man:
* Piano Man
* The Ballad of Billy the Kid

Turnstiles:
* Angry Young Man
* New York State of Mind

The Stranger:
* Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
* She's Always a Woman
* Only the Good Die Young
* Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)

52nd Street:
* Zanzibar
* Stiletto
* Big Shot

Glass Houses:
* Sleeping With the Television On
* Sometimes a Fantasy
* It's Still Rock & Roll To Me
* You May Be Right

The Nylon Curtain
* Allentown
* Pressure
* Goodnight Saigon

An Innocent Man:
* Keeping the Faith

Greatest Hits Vol. I & II
* The Night is Still Young

Storm Front:
* We Didn't Start the Fire
* I Go to Extremes

The River of Dreams:
* The Great Wall of China
* River of Dreams

Extra
* In the Midnight Hour

Notes:

* Billy opened with "Angry Young Man", which one of my favorite songs. An ideal choice really.

* The two big surprises for me were "She's Always a Woman" and "Sleeping With the Television On". I never even thought of having Sleeping on my wish list to hear live list because it's such a deep cut. It was a true treat. This was the first time in quite some time that Billy played "She's Always a Woman" live and he appeared surprised by how enthusiastic a response it received.

* "Keeping the Faith" was interesting to hear live. Not sure if it worked 100% live, but another one that I never expected to hear.

* The one that really got the crowd going, was actually in tribute. Wilson Pickett, a hero of Billy's, had passed away earlier in the day. He is best known for "Land of 1,000 Dances" and "Mustang Sally", so in tribute, Billy gave an amazing rendition of "In the Midnight Hour".

* I could have done without "I Go To Extremes". I've just never really been a big fan of that song.

* I love "Sometimes a Fantasy". I've heard it before and it's always a treat to hear it live.

* During "Zanzibar", there's a reference to the Yankees. The entire audience erupts into "Booooooo"s.

* Still on the Haven't Heard Live Wish List But Want To: "You're My Home", "Captain Jack", "All For Leyna". I'll have at least 2 more chances at the New York shows....

More to come.

Quote of the Day:
"I really wish I was less of a thinking man / and more of a fool who's not afraid of rejection." -Billy Joel, Sleeping with the Television On

Avenue Q

Go see Avenue Q! It is awesome. It is such a fun show and everyone should be required to watch it. Last night was a second go around and it was even better than I had remembered.

So rush to get Avenue Q tickets. You'll be glad you did!

Quote of the Day:
"It is not so much consequence what you say, as how you say it. Memorable sentences are memorable, on account of some single irradiating word." -Alexander Smith

Better Luck Next Year

Alas, my beloved Redskins lost and our season is over. But at least I can take heart in knowing that we had a good year and can build on that for next season.

I love you Coach Gibbs!!!!

Quote of the Day:
"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self." -Cyril Connolly

The Guy on the Bus

I am a conformist. Every morning I get on the same 9:10 bus and sit in the same seat: 5 rows back on the left. There's this albino looking guy who sits in front of me; also a conformist. We don't talk, we've never acknowledged each other, but know the other is there. Today, this other gent sat in albino's seat. Albino skipped my row and sat behind me, so I would have my usual seat.

Quote of the Day:
"The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory." -Paul Fix

Victory is Ours!!

Hail to the Redskins,
Hail Victory.
Braves on the Warpath
Fight for 'ol DC!!!!

Tony Kornheiser called it. We ran the table.

Playoffs, Baby! Bring on the Bucs.

Hail to the Redskins!!!!!

Quote of the Day:
"The Washington Redskins are in the playoffs." -Joe Buck

Vacation

I've been fortunate enough to of never had to work the week between Christmas and New Year's. I headed back to our Nation's Capital on December 23rd for my Dad's birthday. This began my week of excessive feasting.

Usually, I am not a big holiday person, but there are few things I enjoy more than being home on Christmas morning. Santa was good to me. That afternoon, Mom and I drove to her friend's house outside of Annapolis. This has been a long-standing tradition and one I always look forward to. It's full of great food and conversation. This was the first time I had seen Sally since Kristin's funeral almost 2 years ago and just as long as I had been in her house. It was very therapeutic for me.

The day after Christmas, Mom and I made our 3rd Annual Waking-Me-Up-At-5:30am-To-Go-To-The-Mall. Surprisingly, we were not the only people there. I did get some post-Christmas bargains, which made the trip worthwhile. We were home by 8am and I promptly retuned to my jammies and hibernated for another 3 hours. The next stop was to my favorite restaurant, Pines of Rome, for their world-famous white pizza. And just when my stomach couldn't take any more, I had Italian again with my Dad for dinner.

On Tuesday, I had breakfast with Jenn. That afternoon was spent with Jamie and Karen. Later that evening, the three of us and Matt followed a long-standing tradition and went bowling. Despite not having "the Ellen" with me, I did pretty well. But what really made it special is knowing that you have friends that you don't get to see very often, and still pick up like no time has passed. I've known Karen and Jamie since I was 5 years old and Matt since the 4th grade.

The next day I took the Metro downtown and went to the Corcoran Museum of Art. There was a complete Andy Warhol retrospective on exhibit and it was amazing. I have been a long time fan of Warhol's work. His theories of the media and fame, I have always found interesting. Plus, I always feel so elegant walking through the Corcoran. I made a brief stop at the National Christmas tree before heading home to pack.

On a very rainy and foggy morning, I drove to Foxwoods casino to meet up with Robin, LoveBunny and Robin's sister-in-law Deb. It looked like the gambling gods were very much against us, The slots were mean and the roulette tables were downright cruel. I couldn't get a roll going at all. We were all feeling pretty dejected. It was still early so we decided to check our keno tickets and get a snack before calling it an early day. To my pleasant surprise, my keno ticket was a winner!! We enjoyed a nice early dinner and I was back in Hoboken by 9pm.

Yesterday I got up early again and headed to the Met right when it opened to see the Van Gogh drawings exhibit. The line was incredible. It took a half hour just to get into the exhibit and I just happen to be behind 4 of the world's most annoying people. Once I got into the exhibit and get as far away as possible from them, my annoyance quickly turned into awe. I have never been so impressed with a showing ever. It was extraordinary. Despite the crowd, it was fantastic. I wish I could have seen more of the drawings up close. I even bought the catalog to read more about the exhibit. I love getting lost in the Met. The weather was so lovely when I left that I walked from the Met to Port Authority via Central Park.

Since then, I have attempted to tidy my room up and do laundry, watch movies and the like. As for New Year's Eve, I plan on rockin' it in with my man Dick Clark.

I wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. My best to everyone. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Quote of the Day:
"When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for my having been there." -Jim Henson

Take It To The Man

I am really going to be sad with the New York transit strike is over. It's been such joy getting to and from work. My commute has cut in half. Only buses seem to be going through the Lincoln Tunnel. The whole area around there is a ghost town. I've been able to sleep in a little longer and get home at a decent time, all in thanks to the transit strike.

Only a few more hours in the countdown until the big Christmas vacation begins! I am heading home tomorrow and if I don't talk to you, I wish you and yours a very Happy Holiday season.

Quote of the Day:
"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do." - Everett Edward Hale

Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys

I honestly don't remember the last time I witnessed such a destruction of the Dallas Cowboys by my beloved Washington Redskins. Each play was like a work of art. I had so much fun.

I know we probably won't make the playoffs and I accept that, but the worst record we can have is 8-8, which is not a losing record. We really should have 3 more wins than we do, but I won't squabble over that.

Boooooo to Bill Parcells, who did not even shake Joe Gibbs' hand after the game. Even when Gibbs waved to him, he did not wave back. That is classless.

Next up: the Giants on Saturday.

Hail to the Redskins!!!!

Quote of the Day:
"He is not a coach. He is God." -Tony Kornheiser on Joe Gibbs

John Spencer

I am absolutely shocked, stunned and saddened to read of the passing of one of my favorite actors, John Spencer. He died earlier today of a heart attack at age 58.

He is best known for his Emmy-winning role of Leo McGarry on the West Wing, but I have been a fan of his for quite some time. I first became familiar with him during his stint as Tommy on LA Law. What made the characters of Tommy and Leo so great were the imperfections and struggles of them. He channeled his own battle with alcoholism and his reputation of being a workaholic into these roles. That real element always gave an extra spark to those roles which were extra layers to his already natural talent.

He had such an distinctive voice, effervescent charm and honest presence about him. I have always looked forward to seeing him on the screen, big or small. And yes, he was one of those older men that I found strangely attractive and he held one of the top places on the Hierarchy.

I will definitely miss him. A true loss for the entertainment community.

Quote of the Day:
"Redemption comes to those who wait / Forgiveness is the key." -Tom Petty, Lonesome Sundown

Dinner With Friends

Last night I went to dinner with my friends Rebecca and Mike. They are great people, who I never get to see enough of. All the sudden, 5 months have passed and I realized, "Oh, I haven't seen Rebecca and Mike in awhile. I should call them." We feasted at the Cheesecake Factory, which is always a good dinner destination.

And also, I am restraining myself from saying most importantly, I got to see their precious cat, Howard. Howard is the most beautiful cat ever. When I was Rebecca's roommate in Boston, Howard was in essence, my first pet. I was never allowed to have a cat or dog as a child, and always wanted one. Howard lived up to all pet expectations and I am so happy to have Howard so close by again.

Quote of the Day:
"We must choose. Be a child of the past with all its crudities and imperfections, its failures and defeats, or a child of the future, the future of symmetry and ultimate success." -Frances E. Willard

My Favorite 22-Minutes of the Year

What: A Charlie Brown Christmas
When: Tuesday, December 6, 8pm
Where: ABC

What makes it even more uber-special is that A Charlie Brown Christmas is celebrating it's 40th anniversary. Really, is there anything better on earth than Snoopy dancing? I don't think so.

So watch and enjoy!

Quote of the Day:
"All I want is what I'm entitled to. All I want is my fair share." -Sally Brown, "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful

It's Sunday morning. I wake up and peer outside my window to see the first flakes of the season fall onto the ground. Ordinarily, I would take that moment to absorb the beautiful image, then roll over in the warm, comfy confines of my bed. But not today. I got up and went to work. It's not that bad. I'm just digitizing - essentially baby-sitting the editing machine. Still, it would have been nice to stay snuggled between the flannels. That really is the best part of winter.

Quote of the Day:
"Some people like my advice so much that they frame it upon the wall instead of using it." -Gordon R. Dickson

Autumn, Kaufmann Hall

I've been on a Tom Petty kick for awhile. Maybe it was because I saw him in concert in June and was all aflutter about Conversations with Tom Petty book and the anticipation of his new solo album next year. A part of me was beginning to feel he was overtaking Billy Joel as my #1 favorite in music. But after last night, I was pleasantly reminded why Billy Joel has been #1 in my mind for over 15 years.

Cheryl and I trekked to the upper reaches of the Upper East Side to the 92nd St Y and joined a room full of superfans for Billy Joel: Questions, Answers, & A Little Music. We were sitting 2 rows behind the Child Bride. She is quite striking in person and does look very young. Alas, I didn't get a look at the ring. The evening started off a little slow -- it began with Billy speaking with Rolling Stone writer Anthony DeCurtis, who looked so befuddled and asking really lame questions. The conversation went nowhere. It was a half hour later when it was just Billy on stage that the true fun began.

I've read, seen, heard countless interviews with Billy over the years, and most of the stories I was already familiar with. But he is such a stong storyteller and conversationalist, that much of what he said retained it's value, honesty and humor. Unfortunately, I did not get picked to ask my question, but it was fine. Aside from a few stupid questions and annoying people, the audience really engaged BIlly with good questions.

The highlight though was anytime he had his hands on the piano keys. He played the complete versions of my all-time top 2 Billy Joel songs, "Summer, Highland Falls" and "Miami 2017". Also played in its entirely: "Famous Last Words" (which he said was the first time he ever played it live), "Vienna" and the Beatles "A Day in the Life".

We also got to hear good chunks of "Laura", "Rosalinda's Eyes", "It's Still Rock & Roll To Me" (which in the middle of, realized had the same melody as Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" and segwayed into playing that -- in which I went into silent hysterics because that's my favorite Dylan song), "Tomorrow is Today", "Scandinavian Skies", "Lullaby" -- really delving into the vault. It was so incredible.

He did a little classical, and also paid homage to his influences, like Dylan, like the Beatles and the Stones. Cheryl and I were both struck my his amazing ear for pitch, melody, rhythm, tone. He plays "Like a Rolling Stone" as effortlessly as Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and picks up patterns between the various genres of music.

The man is also quite funny. He recounted selling his house to Jerry Seinfeld and meeting Bono at the Garden recently. When asked how married life was treating him, he jumped on his chair, a la Tom Cruise. A musical genius and wit to boot!

Billy also said this upcoming tour will feature a lot of album tracks that often get buried. I am so excited for the shows. Maybe I will finally hear "You're My Home" and "Captain Jack" live. *fingers crossed*

The three hours flew by. If anything, it made me wish that I could just have a few hours of his time and talk to him about music. He is a wealth of information and his passion for music is so evident. I had such an incredible time and hope I get to see him in this type of venue again before another nine years pass.

Thanks Billy!

Quote of the Day:
"I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there." -Herb Caen

The Warm Up

Billy Joel-mania continues. I was flipping through the new issue of New York magazine and saw that the Piano Man is doing one of his Questions, Answers and a Little Music seminars at the 92nd Street Y next Tuesday. To my very pleasant surprise, the $30 tickets were still available. Needless to say, I snatched that up.

I went to one of these before waaaaay back in 1996 during my senior year of high school at George Washington University. He had actually called on me to ask a questions, but the stupid microphone guy gave the microphone to another girl. Gar!!! Perhaps, nine years later, I can finally ask if he wrote the prelude to "Angry Young Man" while writing it, or if it just came about. Will keep you posted.

Let's give a shout out to my roommate Suzanne, who is celebrating her "21st" birthday today.

Man alive did it get cold today. Earlier this afternoon, it was rainy, but still bearable. But as 4pm approached, that all changed. It got very windy and the temperature plummeted. Not fun. Oh, how I wish summer was right around the corner.

Because I am a follower, not a leader, I have also changed the settings on The Genius Switch, so everyone can make their comments. Thanks Cheryl!

Quote of the Day:
"You can pretend to be serious; you can't pretend to be witty." -Sacha Guitry

Sold!

The greatest thing about New York City is the ability to do so many thing here that would be impossible to do elsewhere. Yesterday I did one of my favorite things to do in the city - I went to an auction preview. This one took me to Christie's for a music memorabilia auction. But to my very pleasant surprise, there was also a preview for a Bob Mackie auction as well.

In the music section, they were showing lots of stuff from the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the Doors, The Who, Joni Mitchell, Ella FItzgerald and Buddy Holly among others. There were a couple of items that were a little more exciting than the rest: a pair of Bob Dylan's black sunglasses, the necklace Jimi Hendrix wore in the famous picture of him getting the guitar on fire, a silver box for Christmas 1980 from John Lennon & Yoko Ono and a pair of Roy Orbison's sunglasses. The only item I questioned as a piece of music memorabilia was a book report Britany Spears wrote in the 5th grade about White Fang. Even sadder was the estimated selling price of $500-700.

In the Bob Mackie preview, there were beautiful gowns, costumes and sketches he made for the Carol Burnett show and the Sonny & Cher show among others. There were also some Elton John stage outfits for sale as well. It was so wonderful to see dresses and headwear up close and see all the attention to detail. They are true pieces of art. It was such a treat to see this.

And the cost of seeing all these hallmarks of pop culture: free. Doesn't get much better than that.

Quote of the Day:
"Any life, no matter how long or how complex it might be, is made up of a single moment - the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is." -Jorge Luis Borges

Why I Will Never Be In The Armed Forces

This was a very stressful morning; moreso than any Saturday morning should be.

I woke up around 8:30am, in anticipation of the Billy Joel tickets going on sale. I turn on the TV and sit up in bed only to see that the mouse traps between the wall and the television shelf are askew. I begin to panic. It's too early to think about a mouse corpse underneath the rubble of wooden traps. I watch Ebert & Roeper, trying very hard to distract myself from what I know I need to clean up.

It takes me about 45 minutes to psych up the energy and resolve to dispose of this unwanted roommate. I open up some sterile gloves and triple bag garbage bags. I peer over to the spot of perish and see a small gray mass beneath the traps. It was like the photo of Kurt Cobain's suicide, where all you see is his leg. Kinda the same thing here, but with a mouse. After taking many deep breaths, I sweep the crime scene into the bag and toss it outside. The long national nightmare is over.

Very keyed up, I then prepare to get Billy Joel tickets for his show at the Garden. At 9:59am I am frantically pushing refresh on my computer, until I get the screen to get tickets. After much stress, I do get tickets. They are not the best seats, but good enough. I'm just happy to be going to the show. Just for kicks, I also tried my luck at getting a ticket for the Boston show 5 days before the NY show. Luck was on my side because I got a ticket next to the stage, 12 rows up. It is so much fun being a superfan.

Quote of the Day:
"I know it sounds calculating, but if you're not cute, you might as well be clever." -David Sedaris

Dear Santa,

With the holiday season right around the corner, I just want to make sure I can make things as easy as possible for people to buy me things that I covet, but don't want to pay for myself. The easiest way is to go to amazon.com and choose one of the 110 items on my Wish List. That way, I will be surprised and know I will love it.

Let me also take this time to remind you of the 4 things to never, ever, ever buy me.

1. Mugs. I can only drink so much cocoa. And for my 14th birthday, I got 3 of them.

2. Stationary. Too many helpless trees have been sacrificed in order for me to write correspondences. I appreciate the fine art of letter writing as much as anyone else, but I'd rather have a written word than a blank page.

3. Beach towels. I don't go to the beach. I rarely use swimming pools. I am too albino and pale to attempt to get sun. Please, no beach towels.

4. Bath products. It's not that I don't enjoy a good vanilla scented body wash or a strawberry-mango-lavender-banana mask. Face it, bath products are the mercy gift. It's when you have no idea what to get someone and don't have the energy to put any creativity into the gift. So nay on the bath products.

Let the holiday season begin!

Quote of the Day:
"How many Ganneshes' do you have? ... 19?!?!" -Suzanne Temple